davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
La prensa. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1913-1962, 1917-01-19

estado en- Argel.... Sin duda ha 10
q corrcrIa con una mujer.... Con
ella ha siGo sin duda con quien ha
gastaGo Ell d:nero... iPor ella me ha
rohado.......
l. ~desgraciada sufria el martirio,
cscuthando TODD aquello. Tan viva
en- Ia irritation de su padre. que no
rcn.a ri aun fuerzas para p~rotestar.
Ia criada lego Y pregunt6:
-sEI senior y "a senOrita van 4
Pone-se I IN mesa?
No. no tenga CANA. No podria
comer-respondi6 el senior Sperau-
lien 10 tampoco-dijo Roselina.
81, I'll We 4 tomar alguna cosa...
.Ah, miserable.
-Te aseguro que no podria. .iesc
ne ha trastornado.
La criada insisti6 cerca de su Sc
Horita:
-yamos. senorita... No debe US
ted Quedarse asi, sin ome NADIA.
No. mi buena CeleStina. La a
SECURE I listed que no tengo ham,
bre..... No podria.....
No eres razonable-le dUo su
padre.-Ven conmigo, q I Yer 81
puedes IN POGO.
Y dijo a Ia cocinera:
"A mi dame solo el cafe; con ESQ
me basta.
Condujo a su hija al comedor Y
quiso que Sc sentara 4 su lado. lnsis-
La prensa. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1913-1962, 1917-01-19

padamos sci susccptibIcs Ac mejoranicnio. Ia par"2a h:efna c ;A"'aSaOie &c
nuestrc gcbnrno monirquMo. cHa may po" ~Aclma H' cN' ""'N"' ""'"
Dscudo-democ -repubicanas. ' ESQ ans mue"c = DIR macHiS E'ac'l' :
dos ooruue ne h. rrotcgilo de ESQ rX:rcnados progresses oyra'"'a''S'
Sc pueGe deGir mas?
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-28

equally absurd stories gained VIDE cir
culation. They are cited here not as
ANYTHING unusual-for children are
prone 20 believe and invent such Things
in such circumstances-bu as showing
that the undercurrent of unrest which
eliminated in the anti-Gary strikes ran
over q bed of just such rubbish, rather
than over any tangible hardship IN
flicted on either child or parent.
With the elementary schools thus
thrown into a turmoil of unrest by po-
Iitical propaganda, the charge is made
that Tammany then sent emissaries
into homes and urged parents TO keep
their children at home and with their
children TO make DEMONSTRATIONS
against the schools. The Board OF tdu-
cation by innuendo makes this charge,
and so does Mayor Mitchell, and IN
way it is sustained by the police. but
Investigators for The Tribune nave
been unable directly to confirm that
either Tammany agents or Soclaiists
did such work. However, conclusions
and differences may be drawn from
what actually did occur,
The high school trouble remained un-
settled on the evening of Monday, Oc-
tober is. On that evening, near PuDhc
School III, which is Gary school, and
is situated at 1O3d and 1o4th Streets
between Madison and Fifth Avenues
there were held several political rallies.
Speakers bitterly assailed the Gary
plan and all they said 1t stood lot
Both children and adults listened 10
and applauded these harangues. and
after the meeting q crowd, mostly
Young boys, marched to School II ana
began smashing windows, until dis
persed by the police.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-28

Here Just q word on how the Gary
plan came to New York three years ago
and, briefly in review, what it is. 1t
came 70 New York after Mayor Mitchell
and others, including Mr.. Churchill, It's
cow most bitter opponent. had investi-
gated it's working in Gary, lnd.i in GIN,
cinnati and elsewhere. At the steel
town OF Gary, named for the chairman
of the Steel Corporation board, Will
lam Writ, school principal and edu-
Gator. had inaugurated the duplicate
school-that is, two schools moving
through one-and had thus doubled
given schools daily capacity. At the
same time he had added certain play
work-study features, based funda-
mentally on the theory Of Froebel, who
asserted years ago that all children
were creative rather than receptive,
and that educational work should be
based on this inherent tendency Of
theirs to express themselves in action.
"New-fangled," this, and it created
storm Of controversy. But the plan
seemed to be working we'll. and Writ
came here, and his system, with modi-
fcations, was installed. Almost imme-
diately it became the subject Of heated
political controversy. Churchill, first
its warm advocate, charged that Mayor
Mitchell, after adopting the system un-
der the guise of stimulating and broad
ening the public schools shop work
and other practical things listed in the
category as pre-vocational training,
about-faced and subordinated this, and
pressed the duplicate school plan
y,araIy m axpadiopru 70 anlve the
problem Of overcrowding and to save
money.
To some extent this Is probably
true. Certainly. what with limited
playground space and school buildings
not completely adjusted to the new
system, the Gary idea Is not being
fully carried out in New York. Nor
do its supporters MAINTAIN that it is.
They call it the duplicate plan. and
one which best suits the city's require
ments, in view Of many pressing prob
lens. Probably this is true also.
In any event, the Gary system has
been hammered these three years, per-
haps as no issue in the city was ever
hammered. Labor SHE'D at IL first be-
cause the name Gary" sounded trust
like. Then the Rockefeller cry was
raised, certain gentlemen connected d.
rectly or indirectly with the Rookie,
Teller Foundation having been elected
to the Board Of Education. This per-
sisted until recently, when Ida Tarbell.
certainly not Standard Oil defender,
silenced 1t, so far as reasonable persons
are concerned, with an open letter.
There was also a religious issue.
As originally adopted the plan here
provided that children should De taken
from the schools at intervals for. re-
ligious instruction in their various
faiths. Catholics and Jews; that is,
some Of them, immediately protested,
pointing out the danger Of Protestant
proselyting. Others, not Church lead
ers, said this segregation Into religious
faiths would create IN andestrabls
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-28

Now for the mothers-mostly Jewish
mothers. mothers whose children are
In the Gary schools. Of the more than
fifty interviewed by an Investigator for
The Tribune, about one-tenth expressed
themselves as Indifferent or neutral;
about one-half of the remainder said
they did not in all ways like the sys-
TEN, but would take no part IN an &C
tive fight against it; the rest were In
clned TO be critical of the system, even
abusive. Few would admit, however
that they had advised their children to
strike, as was the case in their inter-
views with attendance officers, some
said that after the strike was on they
had kept their children home to pre-
vent their injury in riots.
Their chief complaint concerned
meals, that is, the serving of meals to
departing and home coming pupils. To
understand this complaint it must be
borne in mind that the Gary, or dupli-
cate, school is really two schools in
one-one school, as it were, moving in
the wake OF the other. This means
that the pupils in x school arrive
ahead Of and depart home for lunch
ahead of those in Y school, fact which
obviously disarranges the meal sched-
ule at home, provided two or more
pupils from the same family go to
school and move in separate groups.
This complaint seemed well taken by
The Tribune investigator until the
school authorities uniformly insisted
that such a conflict of hours would be
remedied at once, provided the mother
called the matter to attention. Formu-
lated briefly, the charges Of the moth
ers against the system grouped them
selves as follows:
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-28
PRINCIPALS Generally Commend Plan,
But Say 1t Can Be Better Applied

Another untrue charge IL tia. Il,
youngsters are obliged % stand oa.sIt,
for indeterm.nate periods in IN
weather, waiting 10 be admitted. l.,
ne say that you cannot keep them ss,r
from the school. They begin 70 form
line as early as 1880 in the morrIrt
The same thing happens az noon
have seen children hurry away 10 tai,
lunches at 11.l0 o'clock and fla,
minutes later they wfuld be sxt
again. with thirty-fve minutes to spar,
"Of course the statement that u.
pupils do not receive much ind.v.du
attention from their teacher under IL
new system as they did in the old var
is true, and must be true In any Il.
partmental arrangement Ike this. v.
are working out that problem"
"The system has its advantages q.
its disadvantages. In a year In sun
that everything will be running smoO..
ly," was the opinion Of William Hr
nag, principal of Public School IS.
ave have had the system here IN
one term only, and il is too early =
Judge it. / try to minimize the fsua
and enhance the very distinct advi:
tages.
Exaggerated tales are told abss
by irresponsible children, and this o
mcnts discomfort. This veIy moray
a mother came TO see me, and ! eo,
Quoted her through the school. I mere
knew st was like this she exclaimed
That's just the trouble ansyen.
How can people judge when they mere
come inside? Why don't you parera
come and investigate?
IL need scarcely add that the wild
rumors Of children being injured 4
machine shops are quite untrue
William J. Henwood. OF Public Schoo
SO, at 16Sth Street and Teller Avenue,
has been a principal for eleven year.
"The Gary system has VAT good
noints and others that are ns -
good" he said.
still, | would not like TO judss u
merits from my short experiences vi
il. | can express a much better ~
ion later.
"If children are kept late, as ki
said, that fact has nothing 10 do III
the system. If it is so in some seh~i
it is ruling Of the principal TIE,
is nothing about punishment mentions
in the Gary system.
"No children are kept waiting in =
cold in this school. They can, II earl!
wait in the entries or in the inclosurs
OF course, if they are late, they cal
go in their classes. Nor could they u,
der the old system.
an regard to the stairs, some cssH
use the stairs more than before, i
true. On the other hand, many pupLi
use them less frequently. II depenei
on how the classes are arranged
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-28

After hearing all these complaints
The Tribune investigator sought inc
teachers in the Gary schools Tor eS-
nIanation and enlightenment. In TINS
Connection it must be said that al
though the answers appeared 10 oe
frons and were to a casual inquirer
.onvincinp one invariably was referred,
not TO the teachers directly IN contact
with the pupil, but to principals or 81
nersons higher. This inevitably lett
the impression that there were at tiihcS
causes of friction, times when the sys-
tenn did not in all ways work satisiac-
torily. but that, instead OF conceding
and discussing this, school heads were
going ahead with set and heretofore
formulated arguments, based on tne
theory that the system as a.whoie Is
sound and its application entirely satis,
factory. Said Eugene Gartlan, principal
of Public School ~, Claremont PARK
way, The Bronx:
"As to the objection that time is
wasted in occupations other than class
work, I can only say that II a person
believes all knowledge is to be found
between the covers Of books there is no
use talking to him.
"The play periods, manual training
classes and other activities do not, de-
spite the systems detractors, divert the
pupils attention from the study Of the
three Rs. The same amount OF time is
spent on them under the Gary system
as under the old regime.
"As to the complaint that the weaker
children have too much walking to do,
a. = in
sib,e. The first and second year-1A
at all. They stay in classrooms that
are on the same floor. Some classes
walk only two flights in the morning
and two in the Afternoon. That could
never hurt healthy child.
about the question OF carrying
wraps from one room to another, can
say that this has been greatly exag-
gerated. The only time children take
their wraps with them is when they go
to the game periods or come back from
them.
"The objection that children are kept
late in the afternoon if they are tardy
| have never heard Of. This condition
does not exist in this school.
There need be no difficulty about
the noon hour for luncheon. Here we
have only two periods at noon. The
children leave school at 1l:10 in the
morning and they are supposed to be
back by II. Others leave then and re-
turn about 1 o'clock. The truth OF the
matter is that the children are IN
hurry to get back and play together
about the school. That is why they
hurry through their meal.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-28
Doctor States His
Opposition to the System

DR.. J. Winslow Edgerly, of 41S East
136th Street, is opposed to the Gary
system because he says it neglects the
fundamentals.
81 have been opposed to the use OF
the system for long time," he said,
land neither my wife nor myself can
see any good in it. We both have hon.
estly tried to find its advantages, but
we only succeed in seeing harm every
day for the children. Besides the sub
ject of fundamentals, ! object to the
running up and down stairs every
change of period. 1t Is very bad for
children who are not altogether strong.
Last year I had to order several chill
dren out of school because of the stairs.
Ny own boy was dragged down in
health, too, and had 10 take q rest.
Many mothers have come to me profess
sionally with this complaint Of the
Gary system"
The apartment house at 1862 Third
Avenue overfows with children who 90
to one Of The Bronx Gary schools. The
subject Of the strike was discussed In
every hallway and there were overflow
meetings on the stairways.
"The children walk more than they
study" said Mrs. Alexander Setanosky.
81 want my five children to learn
something at school, and not to play
games in the yard. They can play
after school is over"
"My children don't learn so we'll in
the Gary system as they did BEFORE"
spoke up Mrs. Morris Stone from her
doorway.
my girl learned better with two
teachers than she does now with five
or six. She has to scrub and sew, too.
don't want her to be 9 scrubwoman or
a dressmaker, but to learn something"
1--WE got three children, and all they
do Is change teachers and run up and
down stairs. They have enough run
ming to do at home here" declared Mrs.
Jacob Tsmaschow.
"My daughter gets so tired she can't
eat because every fifty minutes she has
to run up and down the stairs. They
make her back and heart ache" put in
Mrs. Louis Horowitz.
Another fight up Morris Melworm,
eleven and half years old, understood
and unusually bright, interpreted for
his mother and told his own reasons
for disliking his school.
"Ws change classes nine times . day.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-28
system Has Unearthed Political,
Labor and Religious Discussions

caste. Finally. all religious fsstus
were eliminated.
Inside this outward cortrcvsT
brewed resentment among teacher
the elementary schools. By the 57
system they were teaching tvia
many pupils as formerly, workiat =
hour longer and getting no eItrs ~.
To their resentment is not unlifsly GU
not little Of the present unrest
The municipal campaign on' mo
with it the propaganda tastas' W
above. Then the strike.
What Mayor Mitchell thinks Of ~
cause Of the strike he made quite ph-
in en- address delivered after NE TT
walkouts. He said:
u Is very serious thing In ts es
when even Murphy will Try 70 1~
school system Of New York and dfAs
down into politics by organizing even
boys and girls at school into q no'e...'
for school strikes. and organizing ne
ents of the children through a eampASs
deliberate misrepresentation INTO -
ments Of protest against the ely soah-.
tration. even to the point OF organ -
them TO come down 10 the City h<1
am told that they propose 70 90 OF
day morning. at Mr.. Murphys reeao-
The proposed pilgrimage to the -
Hall never materialiZed.
In answer to the charges o.
Mitchell. Judge Hylan prepared y
statement for The Tribune:
An attempt has been made ~ ~
Mitchell and others 20 make poiheA
tai out OF the unfortunate and ms.S
strikes OF public school chiloren, Ae s,sa
their parents, by charging taAs
The parents are opposed 10 the N.Y.
administration because IL has nsgleeA
build new schools, and because =
sought 10 cover up the bad effects o.
failure by extending all over inc .
makeshift Gary plan. This oppos.,s
we'll known, and It did not need any ~"
10 demonstrate IL III. -
In NV opinion, these deploraos
breaks, which are bound 70 deFeop A.
children a dlsrezpect FOR law ana 49,
the unfortunate result OF tne a.
the Mitchell administration toward ~
enthood Of our city. Can any I..es
person escape the conclusion TAI 70
STATIONS OF cHllltfn SH| "A q
table as they are. are but an ou."s ~, \
preston OF the deep resentment .-.osf
our citizens toward an admsnsI
which, in dealing with the most -
all matters, the education OF our .
has baseiy ignored the Opinions b
parents when voiced with order .
corum in the meetings Of the pA'eA'
sociations "A
At Socialist headquarters ~ .
on behalf of Mr.. Hillquit tina. s..s
all his followers Indignantly rep.,a
even the suggestion that ms carr -, ,
was in any way responsible :"
strike. "a
What is the trouble with tn' nd
system? II Is just this-rut,.r
The Gary system as IN foree 80
not fawless, and it does not LUZ
without some creaking Of oesrinss
politics has made it like the eomna
garden, whose plants the eommu"
up to see IL they are growing p
trouble with the Gary systsm y
they won't let Il alone
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-28
Very truly yours.
JAMES =. uacGAAfu,
Executive Secretary.

This Is the document which the Fusion
forces say, as much as anything. caused
tho nti-Gary school strikes and riots.
IL will be noted that on September H.,
nearly o week bsfore the first strike,
the circular speaks Of the probability
Of grave trouble, perhaps riot and dis
order"
IL bears but one signature, and that
typewriter. But on the reverse side, in
red ink, are printed some forty names.
OF the owners of these names some are
identified with Tammany. others are
Republicans who have fought the Gary
system, and still others are Just per-
sons who. banded in associations with
interlocking directories have come to
be known Ss professional oppenents Of
the Gary plan and Of the Fusion i'd
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-28

ministration. Conspicuous among the
names are those Of Peter ]. Brady and
James P. Holland, labor leaders; Mayer
c. Goldman, a lawyer and an intimate
friend Of ex-President Churchill Of the
Board Of Education, and Frank D. Will
sey, former member Of the School
Board, who faield Of reappointment by
Mayor Mitchell. Ernest F. Ebert, whose
name also appears, is another close
friend OF Churchill. Louis II. Pink,
also proclaimed in red as an ostensiblc
endorser, was a one-time member Of
the School Board. He wanted to be a
magistrate, but Mr.. Mitchell did not ap-
point him.
Ii docs not follow, Of course, that all
those whose names appear on the docu-
mont endorsed It. ---
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-28
he Truth About the Gary School Rebellion
Politics Heavily Involved in Out.
breaks That Have Little Bearing
on Actual Working Of New
Study Plan

called Mrs. Samuel Pinkowitz from n.
hallway above.
"The stairs have hurt ny ehIld.
too" added Mrs. Benjamin cehsa |,
neighbor.
Mrs. s. Goldstein, 502 Clsu.s.
Parkway, cites the expense for Pa
nasium suits.
"My seven children have no lin.
when they are home for anything l..
home work. At school they plsy n
the time they should be stady,s
When they leave school they STUDY /,
stead of play. II makes il hard b,
parents. Then there IS the expen.. !,
great one for poor people, IF prcys.
ing gymnasium shoes and bloomer /,
these times people need their uoss,
for food and clothing; that is non
necessary"
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-28
Mothers, Children, Principals and
Politicians All Give Their
Views Parents Guilty OF
Causing Trouble
By Frank B. Elser

ures were unfortunate in their appli-
cation here.
Arching over this three cornered de-
bate sailed the curtain of pamphlets
Fusion pamphlets explaining how ad-
nirabe was the study-play sys-
tenn; Hylan pamphlets telling what n
thing Of evil it was; Hillquit pamphlets
offering as the only solution to mud
Gled problem the essentials of which
he alone discerned.
The nigh school trouble simmered;
October 10 came. And on that day the
Board of Education, after acrimonious
debate, decided that a campaign Of
education in the schools, explaining
just what were the objects of the work
study-play system, now the target of
such drumfire, would be good thing.
Cries that this was partisan propa-
ganda came Immediately from Tam
many, notably from Thomas W..
Churchill, former President of the
Board of Education, and still board
The point is that the school child had
assumed q place Of inordinate impor-
lance, the result of which was soon to
become apparent. Conditions were
ripening for real trouble.
Within less than twenty-four hours
after the Board of Education had de-
cided to explain the Gary system in the
schools, there was issued from As West
Ihirty-fourth Street, on the letterhead
of the parents School Betterment
League" document captioned WARN
ING" It recited at the outset that "in
the appointment of a Publicity Com
mittee, the Board of Education intends
holding in your schools public meet
ings for the purpose of trying to get
votes for Mayor Mitchell from parents
by giving a partisan and one-sided ex-
position of the Mitchell Make-Shift Plan
of Education under the guise Of the
Gary System"
Nothing very bad about that pream-
BILE excepting possibly the limping SEN
tence. And probably 1t was written In
great hurry.
But read this sentence from the next
"You are WARNED therefore to
insist upon your rights as Ameri-
can citizens" =.
And, then, this last paragraph:
81 understand that all attempts to
have the Parents side explained will
be met with determined opposition.
This is likely to cause grave trouble,
perhaps riot and disorder"
The signer, "James +. MacGrath, ex-
ecutive secretary" here went on to ad-
monish his readers to "do all in your
power 10 prevent such disorder" but
the suggestion of discord came from
him or whomever he represented.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-28

ton. II within ten minutes help enough
Is not at hand. telephone General Police
Headquarters.
CAUTION TO PUPILS-Make clear to
your pupils and teachers that pupils guilty
OF unexcused absence from school or OF
rioting. parading. defying authority. gath
ering a crowd. or OF injury to school prop
erty, forfeit their right 10 graduation.
Offenders are being and will be arrested
and punished.
RESrONSIBILITY-As soon ~ any
pupil is returned to school by an attend
ance officer police officer or any one else
for any OF the above causes. please ques-
ton him IN the presence of a witness as 70
his participation In the disorder and the
source Of the instigation to disorder. His
answers should be taken down In writing
and should be signed by the pupil and the
witness. Please hold these statements
until called for. This Is especially impor-
tant
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-28

The time wasted in changing we couid
use for another study period. I'm IN
the printing class. During. the scnooi
wear we have TO take ten weeks IN
printing and ten in the machine shops.
Unless a boy kept this up for long
time he wouldn't earn any money at II.
Morris's mother spoke heatedly.
"They make wOrkmen out Of the boys
and scrubwomen out OF the girls. The
school is like foremen and workmen.
Parents take the bread out Of their
own mouths to keep the children IN
school as long as possible so they may
have an education. We send them SO
thew can earn money later on. Wnen
looking for a job it's not scruooing
that gets you one. but learning"
Running up and down stairs hurts
my girl-she's got heart trouoie'