The Washington times., 1906-06-29
ONLY HALF A HUG
FOR FAIR TEACHER
Board of Education Acquits
Principal for Fond
Embrace.
HUGGEE IS INDIGNANT
Declares She Knows a Hug When She
Feels One, and Hers Was
Half Nelson.

NEW YORK. June 29.-Hug-To press
closely within the arms. To clasp to
the bosom. To embrace; To hold fast
To cling to. - Webster's Unabridged
Dictionary.
But in spite OF websters or any other
dictionary. abridged or unabridged.
nine good men and true-in short. the
school board of Ridgeheld Park, N J.
have decided that Miss Alice King, the
prettiest teacher IN the village school.
was not hugged by George NJ La Sale.
the principal.
1t took six hours of hard, earnest
work to arrive at this decision. and
when the board ended its session at 2:3O
o'clock yesterday morning. the members
were fraZzled. mentally and physically.
Miss King. who lives in Jersey City
and teaches school in Ridgeheld. had
made an unequivocaI accusation against
Mr.. La Sale. OF deliberate hugging. Mr..
La Sale denied il strenuously and the
board took up the case
Defendant and Plaintiff Present.
Both Miss King and Mr.. La Sale were
present at the meeting.
Miss King reiterated her accusation.
She said that in September last. while
in the school building and in the pres
ence of Miss Edith Mehrsof Mr.. La
Sale caught her around the waist and
held her so tight that she was almost
breathless. In about minute. she said,
he came back and hugged hcS again,
and within three minutes he had hugged
her three times. Then he scratched 1t
off the mental bIackbord with an
apology
Mr.. La Sale denied the accusation,
In spite Of the mention of Miss Mehr-
sof's alleged presence at the time. He
said that he had never hugged the
teacher in his life. but that on the day
I'm question. he had merely caught hold
Of Miss Kings arm in e spirit Of play
fulness.
She Knew a Hug.
Miss King was mighty mad You could
tell that by the way her eyes flashed as
she told her story. She knew a hug
when she felt one. she guessed. But the
principal apparently thought that he
VOTED something of plain and ornamen-
tai hugging himself So il was a,tie be-
tween the alleged hugcer and the pretty
huggee. and the decision was up TO the
board
But 1t had been so Ions since the an
Client and honorable boa d of education
folk had Rugged anybody that the form
ula was rather dim and hazy in the
minds of some Of them
They remembered in a visionary way
various episodes Of their youth. of which
40 complaint had ever been made, but
they had never hugged without recipro-
cation, and therefore there could be no
real hug without reclprOcation-
One OF the board members suggested
under his breath that perhaps the fair
plaintiff had unconsciously reciprocated.
thereby making IL an abie-bodied and
legal R1dgefield Park hug.
Secured HaIf-Nelson.
Never! Did she not testify that the
principal, with craft and a guile, had
secured something resembling a half
Nelson upon her arms? There was no
reciprOcation about it
Then there was no hug at all. The
board decided that that was the case by
vote Of six 20 three. whereupon one OF
the stanch friends of Miss King few to
the dictionary, TO find something upon
which 10 base a plea
He found the word "Hugger-One who
hugs or embraces"
Then one could hug Two were not
necessary, and therefore the princIpal
was guilty. The specious argument woiJId
not go. For hours the debate waxed and
waned, until shortly after 2 O'clock
when another vote was taken II was
five TO four in favor of the PRINCIPAL
Nery, well. then. gentlemen said
Miss King, you disbelieve me. You can
accept my resignation, TO take effect at
once