BROOKLYN’S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL (1916)
******************************************************************************************************************************** Brownstone Detectives investigates the history of our clients’ homes. The story you are about to read was composed from research conducted in the course of one of those investigations. Do you know the history of YOUR house? ******************************************************************************************************************************** At the beginning of the school year in 1916, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle published a set of cartoons, in its Sunday, 17 September edition, lampooning the first day of school for children, janitors, teachers, and parents, alike. We faithfully reproduce the graphics and the accompanying musing here: “Funny things really happen on the first day of school, though most of us don’t like laughing just then We have to wait until we are in a happier frame of mind. Do you remember the boy who always starts the year by being late? He wouldn’t make an exception of the first day – that would be against his principles. You see, he has only had three months to get to school on time, so you can’t expect him to do it on such short notice. In the last five minutes of those three months he suddenly realizes that he is late. Then he rushes and gets to class just three minutes overdue, and very much out of breath. “There are girls like this, too, but they are not so numerous as the boys. Girls as a rule get to school on a much more regular time schedule than boys. There are four reason for this; they like school better; they fear teacher […]
