New-York tribune., 1921-10-17
StudyV anislningg g
Under Hylan's
School System
sPageants' Held and Children
Hauled About Streets in
Exercise Periods to Hide
Huge Seating Shortage
Mothers Are Disl1eartened
Crowding and Scramble of
Part Time Hours Creating
Worst Sort of Confusion

Mayor Hylan's oft-repeated charge
that the Gary system, which he gradu-
ally is driving out of the public schools,
is basically wrong because it Is SO di-
versitied as to confuse the young boy
or girl and give no time for concentrat-
ed study of elementary subjects, is
causing many mothers to wonder, it ap-
peared yesterday, why the young nose
isn't held a little closer to the grind
stone under the Hylan system.
If the Mayor really believes what he
is preaching, they ask, why is it that
schools all over the city are holding
"pageants" so early in the year? And
why, in others, are children on five
hour day obliged to devote one whole
period of this brief time to walking
about the streets under the chaperon-
age of teacher? Sometimes these
walks come first thing in the morning.
when, having just arrived at school, the
child scarcely can be said to be in i'm
mediate need of exercise. Again, they
come just after the luncheon hour or
just before classes are dismissd for the
day.
Playing Politics
"Of course, we all know that the
whole thing is POLITICAL" said Mrs.
Snedeker, of $50 West 1881 Street.
The teachers are not responsible.
They have been ordered to show off
the schools, and they are doing it, and
really, considering the order doing it
with as little waste of the chldren's
time as is possible. | DO not believe
in using children to play politics but
that is what is being done'
Mrs. L. ScneI of 511 West 1S6th
Street, discussing the school situation
yesterday, said:
we have been hearing a great deal
about new schools. They say that they
couldn't build them on account of the
war coming on-but the war was on
when they promised to build them.
They knew that they couldn't build
enough to give every child a seat--but
they might have done something"
Fifty Children in Class
I'VE live way up here SO that the
children do not need to be SO shut in
as they are downtown" said Mrs. Stella
Gilbert, of 565 West 181st Street. "But
the schools do not follow the families
or the stores or the churches. On
the upper Heights we need a new high
one is crowded times there are
fifty, children in class. 1t isn't fair
to the children"
Mrs. a. H. Lackman, 371 Wadsworth
Avenue, speculated as to why the first
hour in the morning should be assigned
to the smallest children. "They have
to be there by $3.50, and that is pretty
early for mother to hurry away from
home with a child" she said. "Of
course a child old enough to get eff
to school without so much attention
by the mother could make that hour
easily, but many of the older children
are on q much later schedule. or
course, the teachers cannot helm It.
and the principal here will change a
chlld's schedule almost any way he can
TO make 1T more convenient, but it
simply can't be made convenient while
this crowded condition lasts"
Child Is Forced Out
Mrs. Charles Levy, S35 West 10th
Street. said that she had to take her
child out of school because he could
not get the individual attention that
he needed. ~ do not believe that one
teacher can handle more than thirtv-
seven children ut the most" she said.
Forty is big number, and when it
comes to fifty, as some of the classes
are here, then it is time to put the
child some place where he really is an
individual, not just one of mass
Mrs S. A. Grover, 371 Wadsworth
Avenue, said: "Of course, the mothers
know that the children live in a state
of continual rush, Especially where
there are several children in family
who have different hours, every child
reacts to the hurry and rush of the
course, life in a city is hard on chill.
dren anyhow. But the school ought to
be a place where they learn repose.
approximation and elimination of out
side interectc o-