The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-26
UNIQUE SCHOOL FOR GIRLS MUST
CLOSE.

TALE n century OF social service
r. and philanthropic work. How Is
that for a record? Miss Mar
garet Pickering Pascal. principal Of the
Pascal Institute. has the distinction OF
having rounded out full half century
OF helping thousands Of poor boys and
girls to grow up to be self-supporting
citizens.
Miss Pascal is one Of the pioneers In +,
industrial education in New York city.
Manual training is. to her mind. the
solution OF many Of the problems Of
youthful wage earners. The Pascal In /
stitute Of Domestic Arts and Science. !
which was opened as a philanthropic /
work to help poor girls to b. self.sup- !
porting. has occupied unique place
among charitable activities in this city. |
And now at the end of sixteen success
full years. after some 5000 pupils have |
received instruction within its walls, the 1
institute must close its door. the first
OF May because Of lack Of funds TO
maintain IL.
Mrs. Russell Sage. always one Of the
good angels of the school. has paid the
rent for the last ten years. has pro-
vided many scholarships and interested
many people in helping the school.
come to an end. for her health has
made 1t necessary for her to give up
many OF the undertakings In which she
has been interested. Mrs Robert NJ.
Vermilye. president OF the association.
died last year and many OF the d!rec.
tors and members Of the association
have moved away. 30 that the funds
have been greatly reduced.
4, Miss Pascal has passed her 10th
birthday. She was born in England.
but came here as young girl. became
a naturalized citizen. and for thirty
three years was a teacher for the Chi d.
| ren's Aid Society. Early in her career
she was given the task Of reorganizing
| the Park School. on the upper West
Side. Mrs. John Jacob Aston. Howard
Potter. Theodore Roosevelt. father OF
| our eX-Pres.dent, and d. Willis James
We're frequent visitors. For twenty
| three years Miss Pascal conducted that
schoo! and then she organized an
o,her school for the society in a new
building on East Eighty-eighth street,
which the Misses Rhinelander had pre-
scented 10 the society. This undertake
ing was also successful, and Miss Pas
cal had much better facilities for the
manual training work. which was her
hobby.
For the girls there were classes in
. plain sewing. dressmaking. millinery,
cooking and designing for china paint
ing. For the boys there was carpentry.
/, one piece of work which they enjoyed
, immensely was the making OF several
fagstafrs from some rails which were
secured for the school from the farm
home Of Abraham Lincoln. Miss Pascal
LEI the girls make some flags, and one
of these Lincoln poles with a carefully
made flag was presented to Col. Theo-
dore Roosevelt when he was Police
Commissioner.
The Rhinelander Schoo! had the dis
" tinction also Of being the first school
from which fioated the American fias
every school day in the year. Othe,
:, flags made In the school were presented
a TO Mayor William L. Strong for the Cit,
], Hall, where II may he seen to-day in thu
a Governors room: also to Mrs. Russell
:. Sage, President Cleveland Presiden
q Mckinley and Mayor Abram S. Hewitt.
In order TO train young girls VIII,
, must become wage earners as soon a.
a they are old enough TO take out thei
working papers. Miss Pascal establ!she,
10 the Pascal Institute at SIC Lexlngto,
"a avenue, which in It's earliest infanc,
10 boosted one teacher and two pupils. TIL
n school grew rapidly and many friends
10 recognizing its good work, gave l!berall
= that II might be- free school. For tn
70 first six years Mrs. Henry f. Hunting
10 ton paid the rent; for the last ten year
an Mrs. Russell Sage has provided fund
IN Cor that purpose. Miss Grace Dodge ha
~ not only given money, but has inter
ested many others in this school.
70 one unique thing about the scho,
~ was that those who needed Just one =
s, two or just "A few lessons TO helm the,
"a prepare for a better position were r,
ia :eived whenever they could come an
80 given individual help. once youn
"a man ventured into the school and aske
IN, for a lesson in shirtwa!st cutting. n
oil had been offered good position whe
po he had mastered that art. a woma
49, who had been a milliner in her you,
"a, suddenly found herself pennies
do widow with children to care for. Ju
=. one lesson was all she asked to "bru.
M up" and she found position. The
nd have always been positions waiting 4
-. Pascal School graduates.
NO II am still equal TO carrying on q
"a, work | love II l can be spared hnanci
nr worries" Miss Pascal insists. And wi
.ro the optimism that is also characters,
ma OF her she Is hoping that there will
ST, way for her to carry on this work
mi helping girls and women to learn ju
/, those things they need TO At them
a become self-supporting.
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