The Denver Jewish news., 1921-09-28
The Jewish Student in
the High Schools
BY Elias Lieberman

Ill .NtN vi
1,5OOOOO it may readily be assumed
that the number is large. The writer
is more concerned with an estimate of
the quality of such boys and girls than
with the quantity.
\ friend of mine, non-Jew, who
was appointed to teach in Il large junior
high school composed almost entirely
of Jewish pupils, began his task with
the feeling that there would he little
eNcrtion in store for him.
Jewish boys and girls are unusually
bright" he conlided 10 me Il feel as
if won't have to work for my salary
Look out" | warned, don't over
estimate them. They're very much like
the boys and girls who are not Jewish.
You will find dull ones among them as
well as bright ones
He laughed incredulously.
81 know he said, with an air of
chap who led the class in scholarship
was Jewish Young man who was work
ing his way. He came of poor parents
and had to work hard for his living, he
sides keeping mp with his studies. The
toys liked him hecause he was modest
and unassuming. AT the end of the-col-
icge course hn had all the honors there
were. Phi Beta Kappa and enough
medals to supply champion sharp
shooter. No swank, mo noise. just pure
merit. am glad they're sending me to
school where I'm tO meet many Jew
!sh boys and girls. If they're anything
like lie was then
Don't expect too much l warned.
and left him.
\ few months later we met again.
Well, Mr.. Crawford l asked, are
all the Jewish boys little geniuscs and
all the Jewish girls marvels of intellect
and attainment"
II have had the shock of my lifc," he
admitted II have found that even
Jews may he DUH
NV friend was ON the road Ia the
truth Jewish scholarship and jewish
personality remind one Of that little girl
who had little curl in the Longfcllow
poem. You remember that when she
was good. she was very. very good. but
when she was bad. she was hurrid.
Air. Crawford. with infinite tact and
dclic;,cy. has begun TO develop some of
his protegeS Of extraordinary promise
but he nc longer lets his enthusiasm for
the Jewish people blind him to patent
defects. fe Rr rd-FFS
In searching for the truth. the writer
sought ont representative teachers: one
in n large girls high school and the
other In large boys high school What
they said is passed on for what II is
worth. 1t must he borne in mind that
in each case individual judgments are
cxpresscd-and not the generalizations
accepted by all.
The Jewish Girl said the first
teacher approached. herself Il Jcwcss of
refinement and culture. "is in some re-
spccts different from her companions.
She is. for one thing, more tense and
reacts more decisively to the influences
about her If she falls in with studious
girls. she vics with them in scholarship.
but If she happens to join group of
fluffy ruffics she becomes as irrespons-
lille and ilighty as the rest. lou
wouldn't suspect she had Il brain ut all
Its nothing but good times and
dances and 'fclcrs.' And my. how she
can chew gum sln class and out she
seems to be out. after the marathon
gum-chewing record. Books and studies
are matters of secondary concern. Very
often this type drops ont before grndua-
tinn. You sec, school is too SLOW Tor
her. Usually her associates are older
thun herself and she cuvies the free
dom from home work and school obliga
tions enjoyed by her sisters of shop and
office. In spite of all we can do. she
seldom learns how to dress properly.
"Diaphanous waists, ultra-short skirts.
opcnwork stockings, drug store bloom,
Picrrot pallor about the nosc-all these
are her inalicuuble perquisites. She's
sketch If she only realized how funny
she is to IA dispassionate observer.
plan we have of making them wash
their faces is doing some good. But
YOU can't keep a complete change of
wardrobe for each girl who doosh
know how to dress properly
OF course. you don't mean that jew
ish girls have these attributes cSclu-
sively?"
Not at all But there are enough of
them to form class all by themselves
There is very little in common between
II girl of this kind and one of what
might call the scholarly rciiuodgroup poI