New-York tribune., 1920-02-29

School, to tho stage child, 1s more or
less Of an interlude between acts. But
nowhere is his precocity more appar-
cnt than in the way he studies. He
shuns detail. He chafes under the
monotony Of routine. Discipline irks
him. But no is keener than the av
erago child in subjects that give rein
to the imagination. He instinctively
puts color into what he reads and
writes. However youthful, there is a
certain dramatic emphasis about his
rendering Of "The cat ran after the
rat" that is missing in the sing song Of
the ordinary public school pupil
These are the first impressions
gained on a visit, to the Professional
Chldren's School, 227 West Forty
eighth Street, where two hundred or so
of the infants of the footlights and
screen arc continuously being educated
in the three RS.
There Is a widespread misconception
about the functions of the Profess
sional Children's School. No attempt
is made to train youngsters for the
stage. According TO Miss Jane II.
Hall, supervising principal, "the aim
of the school is to meet the needs edu-.
cationally of children in the dramatic
profession; to regulate the hours SO
that child can have educational in
struction while working, and to CO.
operate with the Board Of Education in
enforcing the compulsory education law
and with the Gerry Society in making
recommendations for permits, based
upon attendance and scholarship"
The school is run like clockwork.
The same standard is demanded of the
children as in the public schools. Their
pass mark is higher. 1t is Is per cent
There are the three departments-pri
mary, intermediate and senior. When
absolutely necessary, children are ex-
operates with the Gerry Society in try
ing to induce managers to hold rehear-
sails for children after school hours,
whenever possible. There is a COM
plcte grammar school course and, at
present, two years of high school. The
third and fourth years soon will be
added.
Children are incessantly coming and
going. Some of them are out on the
road with companies. More Of them
play on Broadway every night. A GER
tain proportion spend part Of their
time at the motion picture studios
When a manager wants child for a
certain part he goes to the school and
less variety of type. If few are ex-
travagantly aware of themselves, the
majority are normal, skylarking boys
and girls. The school is not lacking
in atmosphere. The children have an
artistic background. In themselves
they present an interesting study.
They are almost uniformly good look
ing. One can proceed from class to
class and find distinctive types in
every row Of desks. Curls abound,
from the little yearold blonde to
the twelve-year- r-old boy who, for pro-
fcssional reasons, retains this badge
of infancy.
There is no questioning their pre-
cocity. They are polite to an exagger-
ated degree--for children. And they
facility. If one saw no further than
the classrooms one might leave with
the impression that professional chill
dren we're clever, good looking and
priggish. But to watch their antics
outside Of class hours is to- glimpse
the human and spontaneous side of
these little forced hothouse plants
They slide down the school banisters
with assured skill of long practice
They whoop with all the abandon of
the street gamin, and they turn cart
wheels in the halls whenever they get
the chance. One Of the odd sights of
, play hour is to see child suddenly
break with natural grace and freedom
into the dance. They have none of the
| self-consciousness of the non -profes-
sional child. Yet it cannot be said that
they deliberately show off. They SIM
ply act on impulse and whatever the
game is play it gracefully.
1t is at the Professional Children's
! School that the famous Jane and Kath-