The San Francisco call., 1910-03-27
zZnI
By Mabel II. Collyer

| mar school.
writ in sand. You are not one OF
the elect. But never mind-keep on
going 10 school right where you are
Perhaps 40 or so years from now you
may find yourself pioneer of the first
water. Fame is sometimes n exasper-
ating coquette. hiding her face behind
a fan for half a century, only to toss
you laurel wreath when you least eX-
pect il.
The old Lincoln grammar school Of
hallowed memory stood in the east side
Of Fifth street near Market. It was not
like the little red schoolhouse on the
HILL famed in song and story. 1t was
an imposing structure gracing a lot
l75 feet square. Raking over old an
nails for bit of history, an item is dis
covered which states that said lot was
decided to the city of San Francisco by
the commissioners of the funded debt,
August g. 1858" 1t was a mere scrap
OF a lot for that golden period, when
the whole city dealt in vast areas
Property values were not inflated; sand
dunes were too plentiful. 1t was in
those days that downtown lots were
selling for $40 apiece-lots that 20
years later scared up near the million
mark But in the ffties the Fifth
street lot seemed rather far out"
The commissioners patted the city
on the back.
Never mind" said they, this lot
viii be right down in the heart of
the business center some day. You'll
see"
But it looked slow a-coming. Chief
OF Police Martin, who is "One OF the
elect" because lie went TO the Lincoln
school. is still bemoaning the fact that
n hod
chance to buy half a block in the south
side OF Market street between Fourth
and Fifth for $500 and did not close
the deal because the price seemed too
steep"
The Fifth street lot remained unim-
proved for six years; then, in the early
sixties, came a demand for new
school and San Francisco dug down
deep into her capacious reticule and.
brought up gold dust to the tune of
500 GEO. The sum seems stupendous
10 us today. who have an idea that
our fathers went TO school in log
cabins. But the cabins of '49 had long
since given place TO brick and NOR
tar. The Lincoln school was, to quote
an eminent authority of 1853, the
Lincoln Observer. the finest building
Of the kind, not only on this coast, but
In the United States"
The school begun in 1864, was COM
pleted and formally dedicated June %.
1865. 1t easily lowered above even its
most pretentious neighbors. Across
the street was a great barnlike build
ing-the Caseboit carriage factory
Private dwellings fianked il on the
right 4 few blocks farther down, on
the present site of the Palace hotel,
stood 81 Patrick's church. A good
lively run from the school at Seventh
a1d Mission H-as Pioche's pond. where
While the other fellows tied their un-
qua rded clothes into double bowknots
or worse yet-hid them. And right
beyond there said Tom Burns, point
ing TO a high building in the vicinity,
was where we went hunting"
Forty-five years ago, 1t seems long
time for man to remember the little
details connected with his early school
DAYS. But the Lincoln boys are on their
rnettIe to remember. for their biogra-
phies are about to be written in a big
volume entitled History of the Old
Lincoln School"
And all this has come about as tes-
timonial--an lin memorfam' to an old
school whose ashes are scattered to the
four winds It was all very well while
the old building still stood, as 1T did
until 1906. 1t had been partially de-
stroyed by fire in 1871, but was promptly
rebuilt on the old site, and the plaster
statue of Lincoln that had stood guard
in the front yard was replaced by one
Of bronze Then the city was built up
around the lot. just as the boastful
commissioners had asserted, and the
school shrunk into the background
but il was still there-and the boys"
knew it,
In 1906 came the quake. But they
built well in those days" The old
school stood pat Later il lay in the
path of the flames.
1T was a fine sight when il burned"
said one of the boys" in reminiscence.
But his eyes looked just a little queer.
Men have far more sentiment than
nvomen-about some things" said
Alexander NJ. Robertson. the publisher,
who was one of the boys Of So" He
brought out a little black case lined
with purple velvet In IL lay an odd
looking gaveI handsomely mounted in
silver.
Frank de Guerre picked up this bit
az bronze right after the fire." he ex-
planned 1T happens TO be one of the
forefingers Of the old Lincoln statue.
and De Guerre had this gavei made. 1t
IS the mascot of our association
The association referred to is the
kernel OF the whole story-the most
unique organization of its kind in ex-
istence-a grammar school association
formed by grizzled veterans, who were
pupils OF the Lincoln school nearly half
a century ago.
The idea OF perpetuating the MEM
orv of the school through such an or
ranization originated with five men:
Thomas Burns, cashier of the SUBJ
treasury: Alexander NJ Robertson, the
publisher: Joseph Greenberg of the
Eagle brass foundry; +. f. Green. pres
ident of the Pacific casualty company,