The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1909-03-25
WORE HER CLOTHES
OUT At SCHOOL;
MOTHER PROTESTS
Sliding Terrace at Institution Is
Blamed by Woman in
Letter to Board.

Darn, darn, darn,
With an endless stream of woes;
Then. she sang the song to the new school
board,
The song of the holy hose.
Words and music of the companion
piece to Thomas Hoods ".Song of the
Shirt were dedicated to the Board of
Education last night by Mrs. Margaret
b. Smith, of 3S4 South Nineteenth
street. The burden of Mrs. Smiths lay
was 1.-THE Song of the Holly Hose"
and the inspiration was given by Mrs.
Smiths daughter, a schoolgirl at the
Fifteenth Avenue School, who has cap
tured the worlds record for wearing
out hose and other garments on the
nice, new concrete terrace of the school,
used as sliding board by the pupils.
Rewards and punishments, threats
and cajolements, pettings and spank
ings have all proved futile in diverting'
the little girl from the lure of the slid
ing board. The tempting surface of
the concrete incline has been stronger
than maternal advice or warning, Mrs.
Smith says. The Inevitable result of
constant passing over the rough surface
on miniature 10y rides has been great
damage to the child's wearing apparel.
Much of the leisure time that Mrs.
Smith would have otherwise devoted to
more entertaining pursuits has. been
claimed by the needle, the thread and
the daughters garments. The only
alternative, she says, is to kill the
child or find another school" Mrs
Smith is q practical woman and wants
to do neither the. one thing nor the
other.
Appeals TO Board.
So she appealed last night to the
court of last resort, the Board Of Edu-
cation, to find some means. of remedy
ing the evil. The matter was referred
to the building committee.
The board was in rather jovisl mood
when the rather unusual communion
tion was read. President Guild, in
mock seriousness, offered a resolution
that the board supply pupils with
feather pants and although Commits
sioner Brown seconded the resolution
moment later, the board frowned upon
1t by refusing to vote.
Mrs. Smiths complaint was made in
the form of q letter, and Is the outcome
of several interviews which she says
size has held with, Principal Randolph,
of the school. 1t follows In part:
The Letter.
l wish TO call your attention to some
thing. AT the Fifteenth Avenue School,
during the time my little girl was attend
ing that school it has been impossible to
keep her in stockings or underclothes She
is always in rags and patches and holes.
New clothes. put on in thesmorning are in
holes by night
The cause is this: At the Fourteenth
street entrance there Is a terrace OF con
crete, and q splendid sliding place for the
children have appealed to the teachers
and the principal in vain. Mr. Randolph
seemed to think that protest to the Board
of Education was the only way Of doing
any good.
Do not think that 1 am the only mother
who has this complaint to make, for have
met many mothers who have this trouble
suppose you will say, Whip the child"
have whipped and whipped, and cannot
very well kill the child. The teachers have
forbidden the sliding, to no effect
We have to support the schools by our
taxes, and do not see why we have to
buy so many extra clothes for our chill
dren In this way. The only remedy I can
see Is to keep my girl home or send her to
another school. II you do not act In this
matter, as patience in this case has ceased
to be virtue.
0signed) MRS. MARGARET B. SMITH.