New-York tribune., 1915-03-24
CHELSEA DEMANDS
A new SCHOOL
Secretary of Neighbor-
hood Association Says
Social Centre Is Needed.
COULD BE BUILT
AT A PROFIT
Superintendent's Report on Gary
Plan Called Biassed-DOctor
Pleads for Open Air Tuition.
BY HENRIETTA RODMAN.

BY HENRIETTA RODMAN.
Mr.. Edward Pfeiffer, secretary of the
Chelsea Neighborhood Association, is
the champion Of the children Of Chel-
sea in demanding a new school for the
district.
The Board Of Education will vote on
the proposition this afternoon.
"Why shouldn't the board give us a
new SCHOOL," AIR. Pfeffer asked yes
terday afternoon. "Our present schools
average ffty-six years old. and their
condition is indescribable."
He showed me some photographs,
which were Immediately convincing that
something must be done for the chill
dren of Chelsea.
"It is not only for the children that
we are pleading" Mr.. Pfeiffer went on.
"The adults of the neighborhood have
| no social centre. We can't have a
neighborhood forum here, such as they
! have in 50, nor civic classes, like those
in SO. We have no room for them.
| We have dance every week in Public
| School 45, but the ceiling is only few
inches above our heads, and the air
is consequently very bad
There seems to be no good reason
why the b. of h. should not meet the
needs of Chelsea.
A new school would replace three
old ones. The sale of their sites would
pay for the new school and leave n
balance of $l66000.
The equipment of the new building
would provide social luxuries for the
neighborhood.
The board will do well to act in &C.
cordance with the new civic ideal Of
economy and luxury.
MADAM: Yesterday The Sun print
ed extracts from a report on the Gary
schools, prepared by school super
intendent of New York. Among the
wild insinuations he makes against Mr..
Writ are those of sensation mongerlng
and commercialism.
Now, | have just come back from a
weeks study of the Gary schools, and
my most striking impression of the
Gary school people was the calm non
chalance with which they did not ad-
vertise these wonderful schools. There
was absolutely nothing of the show
shop about the place at all. Indeed
Mr.. Writ was so modest and reticent
write about 1t, he didn't take the slight
est trouble to impress me.
"They don't preach about their won
,, derful philosophy and its application;
they let you go around and see fol
yourself how it is being lived and
worked out by the children and teach
ers. Whatever advertising Mr.. Writ
has had has not come from press
, a. ents, but from the people who have
seen the schools and gone away to
, spread the Gary gospel.
when Mr.. Writ does talk in other
: towns he does not argue with officials
, , and educational experts; he goes to the
parents associations and asks them
what kind of school they want for
their children. When they get through
telling him their ideal you usually find
, that they have described exactly the
kind of school that he has in Gary
and wants to give them.
, Poor superintendent! He is simply
. another calamity for the Board of Edu'
cation, with his flimsy and biassed re-
port. 1t is simply his misfortune to
p have picked out for his scolding eX-
actly those things which so strikingly
do not exist at all. A. b. o.
So Mrs. Peixotto collected s4,1943l
yesterday from the Board of Education
> This was not for services rendered by
I Mrs. Peixotto as a teacher in the pub
I lie schools. She was not giving her
services. For several months she was
incapacitated by the birth of a child
! and when she was ready 20 return the
board refused TO receive her.
Ii is important to note that the -four
, thousand dollars were paid Mrs. PeiX-
i ] no in ba rIoy
to establish the righteousness of heI
cause. Those teachers who quietly al
= lowed themselves 70 be put in the wrong
and resigned their positions at the re-
: quest of their superintendents have
= lost their positions for their failure Ia
support the cause in which they be
lieved.
at is my humble opinion" said DR.
s. Adolphus Knopf, professor Of medl
| cine at the New York Post-Graduate
, Medical School, "our system of educa
, ton is responsible for the acquisition
! of strong predisposition to tubercu'
losis in many children.
=, Splendid as our schools are. nu
merous instances they lack elements
which should tend to make our children
mentally, physically and mTaIIy
strong.
/, "Our school buildings should be
ideal. The more open air schools We
can have the more outdoor lnstrue
: tion in kindergartens, public schools
and colleges, the greater Will be tne
physical strength of the pupils. In
culcate the love for open-air life into
D the child at school and 1t will become
, fresh-air apostle at home.
IN ,Itfrft M
. so arranged that the mental strar
! should not react unfavorably on The
: physical and moral constitution of th'
3 child. Last, but not least, if we wisi
/. to prevent tuberculosis in children, th'
Z open-air school, or at least the open
7 air classroom, must become the rule
the indoor school or indoor classroom
the exception"
This afternoon, at o'clock, Algo
, Lange. the South American explorer
, will give an illustrated talk at tn
, Washington Irving High School. Nh
Lange has recently discovered som
] remains of vanished tribe on tn
Marajo Island, at the mouth of tn
: Amazon. His collection will be ON ex
hlbition at the Municipal Art Caller
40 Irving Place, from March Is I
/; April 10.
! Professor Marshall Saville will ais
speak this afternoon.
, Mass Meeting Against Bills
h Protest against bills at Albany which
it is alleged, would nullify sections o
4 the fire protection and labor laws VII
D be voiced at a meeting in the Berkele'
>. Theatre, 10 West Fcr'y.s0dttn Street
' -. E.;l... o.nrinn, Atnnnr the orlanl