Amanuensis Monday: New Institute for Hebrew Children - December 13, 1900

Amanuensis: A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another.

I continue my project to transcribe family letters, journals, newspaper articles, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts. Not only do the documents contain genealogical information, the words breathe life into kin - some I never met - others I see a time in their life before I knew them.

I began this project back on February 16, 2009.  Since I began, many others have joined in on the meme. I am thrilled that this meme I started has inspired so many to transcribe their family history documents. Why do we transcribe? I provide my three reasons in the linked post. You may find others.

This week I look at another newspaper article found at Chronicling America, which doesn't reference a relative, but does provide some history on Jewish education in the St. Louis area at the turn of the 20th century.

---

The Republic – Thursday. December 13, 1900 - Page 4
NEW INSTITUTE FOR HEBREW CHILDREN.
Structure for Education of Youth to Be Erected at Ninth and Carr Streets.
WILL COST AT LEAST $25,000.
United Jewish Educational and Charitable Association Will Direct It - Manual Training Will Be a Feature.

The Hebrew children of that quarter of the city generally known as Little Jerusalem are to have an educational institute built for their benefit at the corner of Ninth and Carr streets.

The object of the institute is to educate them to strive for higher ideals. The institution will be essentially for work along the lines laid down in the public schools, but in addition, the pupils will receive manual training and lessons in cooking.

There will also be social features connected with the new school, and to foster the spirit of brotherly love the pupils will have for their convenience reading-rooms, a lecture hall, gamerooms, gymnasium and baths.

The institute will be directed by the United Jewish Educational and Charitable Association. A permit to commence work on the building was procured yesterday, and ground will be broken about January 1. The building is to be completed by July 1 and will cost between $25,000 and $35,000. Elias Michael, president of the association, said last night that no expense would be spared to make the new school inviting to young and old persons alike.

The reading-rooms will be open to the pupils of the school at all times, and they are expected to fill a long-felt want in that locality. The lecture hall will, of course, be used only for lectures end entertainments. The association proposes to make a feature of lectures and entertainments in connection with the school work in the winter. A day nursery will be established at the school for the benefit of mothers who have to work in the day and are unable to care for their children at the same time.

---

Notes:

1) In 1909 my second great grandfather, Selig Feinstein, was involved in the formation of a Hebrew Free School at 15th and Carr. That school was stated to be a replacement for a small over-crowded school with 200 students at 919 North Ninth Street.

919 North Ninth is a little over a block away from the corner of Ninth and Carr, so if street numbering hasn't changed, there were two different schools about a block from each other. The school described in this news article doesn't sound like it would be small and over-crowded with 200 students, so I suspect that is the case.