The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-05-14
Nearly All Grown Up;
Some Are Married..
WORKERS IN THE DAY time
All Their Studying Has Been
Done at Night.
The Work Has Been i'm Charge
of Mrs. Marie Left.

| closing of school for the year suggests
| the mental picture of little girls in
white frocks and pink sashes, and
basnful boys in Oliver Twist suits,
dozens of children with round, shiny
| clean faces, prim for speaking piece
or singing a song.
A laSt-day- entertainment
was given Thursday night for a differ
ent set of pupils, in an East side school
house. The students were nearly all
grown people, the most of them mar
| r1ed: and some of them the parents
or children. and all the year they have
been going to school at night, learn
ing the rudiments of English educa-
ton.
Last autumn class was organized
at the Y. w. c.. A. for the teaching of
English to foreigners. The class at
first was comprised of few women,
CHIEFLY from the Russian settlement.
The teacher chosen for the work of
1nstructing them was Mrs. Marie Left.
who understands various languages of
continental Europe, including Russian.
German, Polish, French and Spanish,
as well as numerous dialects. Under
her tutelage, the class grew in num-
bers, and finally she asked the school
board to put her class under the
auspices of the public schools. She
was given the use of Lafayette school
building for two evenings each week,
and during the school year she has
conducted classes for foreigners,
teaching them English, arithmetic and
other of the fundamental branches.
and with it she has instructed them in
Americas governmental system, in an
effort to fit them for citizenship.
The manual training department
was in charge of Miss Anita Laurent,
until short time ago when that part
of the work was discontinued.
The class is made up of many men,
nearly all of whom are employed in
some way about the railway shops.
After working from eight to eleven
hours a day, these men have gone to
class twice a week, and laboriously
spelled out the common words of
everyday English use, learning to
recognize the names of the tools they
use at their work, and where their
early advantages have been deficient
in their home land, they are taught the
simple processes of arithmetic.
Played the Ballailaika.
Last night the school closed for the
summer, and a musical program, fol-
lowed by a little supper party, was
given for the pupils and visitors. A
part of the program. some trioS and
duets, was furnished by the pupils.
They played queer looking native
Russian instrument that they called
Ballailaika, and they played it well.
There was real melody and a fine
sense of rhythm displayed in their
handling of the. stringed Instruments
they played. Some West side people
assisted with the entertainment. Miss
Ethel Everingham sang, Miss Gladys
Cav and Miss Elizabeth Culver gave
some violin solos. and Mrs Charles
Bundy and Mr.. Morrison played a
piano duet, and Mrs. Harry Tasker
played accompaniments for the so
loists. At the close of the program
the school sang America
Mrs. Left has handled her work as
teacher with fine sympathy and I'M
Outstanding. She is a Russian wom-
an of German parenrage. and be-
longed to the educated class in Rus
STA. When she was a girl of sixteen
she was imprisoned for teaching the
peasants and sentenced to Siberian ex-
lie. Upon her escape she found
refuge in America, and she continues
in an alien land the work for her
countrymen that she was not allowed
to pursue at home In a short address
to the visitors she said: Il am trying
to teach my pupils something of the
mode of government in this country
Many of them have turned from the
hardships of their own country to the
land of freedom. Upon their arrival
they group themselves into settle
ments, and they have usually no
chance to know the vast difference be-
tween the government they come to
and the government they leave. L am
trying to show them the difference be-
tween the powers or a president and
the powers of a car, and the mean
ing of citizenship here. When 1 first
read of America and its system of self
government, in my girlhOod, T thought
it must be a fairy tale, and 1 am proud
and happy to say that when my pa
pers are made out in a few days /
shall be a citizen of the United States"
Bouquet From Pupils.
Testifying to the gratitude and af-
lection that the school has for it's
teacher, the pupils presented her with
a big bouquet of roses. The presenta-
ton speech was made by one of the
young women of the school, and her
words were written in a note which
was given with the flowers. 1t was
brokenly pronounced. and not very
well spelled, but it was worded with
simplicity and sincere good feeling.
1t read: In behalf of the class, 1
want to thank you for your kind
nesses in teaching us. We appreciate
all you have done for US and hope we
may all come back to your class next
fall. AS a token of appreciation and
thanks, will you accept this little
bunch of roses from us ?"
How much the opportunities of
this country mean to u.s. Mrs. Left
said in closing, lis indicated by the
effort my pupils have made to avail
themselves of the chance this school
gives them. They have worked pa
tiently and well, and they came to
their studies every time, after a long
day of exhausting TOLL
~ nNARAluAIR uaFARu