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.
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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 more; they take their work more seriously; and they don’t hang around the block so long before going to school.
“Its’a a great day for little brother – his first, his very first day at school. He is all primed up to become the star scholar of Class 1A, and mother has taught him how to spell C-A-T and other long words. She thinks this will put him in the front rank of his class. Little brother looks happy and cheerful. Poor fellow! He doesn’t know what he’s up against. Only eight years of elementary school, four years off high school, and possibly four of college ahead of him! A mere trifle! His older brother (whom he calls “My big, big brother”) is leading him by the hand to the school building. “Big brother” is fully ten years old and knows what school is like. Hence, he is less cheerful.
“Teachers must not be judged by their faces. The writer remembers that his teach in Class 3B look very ferocious, but she was really an angel When the boys got one look at her face they wanted to be transferred to another school. Her eyes darted chained lightning, and her general expression would have made a man-eating tiger look meek. In fact, no tiger would have ever dared to make faces at her The boys trembled. They expected to get thrown against the ceiling for the slightest offenses and through the blackboard for graver provocation. Everyone wondered how her pupils managed to escape alive after a six months term.
“But, as has been said before this teach was an angel in disguise. She had a soft, pleasant voice Though strict, she was never unduly severe. She possessed remarkable patience and used to take the greatest trouble to help the boys along in their lessons. By the end of her term her tiger-face seemed the kindest and best in the world. Then came a new class, and the newcomers trembled as we had done a half year before.
“When all is said and done,, mother is the only one who is happy on the day school opens. Teacher and pupils and janitor certainly are not. But mother is rid of you from 9 a.m to 3 p.m., five days a week, and she is frank to confess that she is glad of it. You are a little nuisance, she tells you; and you may rest assured that she knows what she is talking about. Now look over the drawings shown above and see if some of the things pictured don’t actually happen on your first day of school.”
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Brownstone Detectives is an historic property research agency. Our mission is to document and save the histories of our clients’ homes. From our research, we produce our celebrated House History Books and House History Reports. Contact us today to begin discovering the history of your home.
