| OCR Text |
Show FIFTY-SIX YEARS A SCHOOLTEACHER Remarkable Record of 72-Year-01(1 Woman Who Has Just Resigned. STJUi WALKS LIKE A SCH00LMARM IN TEENS Writes Inscriptions, on Black-Board Black-Board With No Tremor in Her Hand. Seventy-two j'oars old and still a school teacher! This remarkable record, rec-ord, the only one of its kind, perhaps, in the history of the public schools of this country, is furnished in the career of Miss Annie Lyle, of tho Cohocksink school, Fourth street and Montgomery avenue, Philadelphia, who has just resigned re-signed her position aftor having sorved tho city for fifty-six years in one of its most obscuro schools. Her resigna tion, however, does not take effect until un-til the end of the school year, June 30, when she becomes a beneficiary of the Teachers' Retiring fund, from which she will draw $520 a -ear as long as sho lives, says the Philadelphia Telegraph. Strong at Seventy-two. Many women at 72 arc almost physical physi-cal wrecks. Many of them are bedridden, bedrid-den, and the remainder congratulate themselves if they are abio to walk a few squares without assistance. But the septuagenarian whom tho leporler saw walked buoyantly about, the rrfom, from bench to bench, with the agility of a schoolmarm still in her teens. Thoro was elasticity in her steps. There was brightness in her blue cres. There was strength in her voice.sand her gesticulations ges-ticulations showed that there was plenty plen-ty of strength in her arms. As the reporter re-porter stood silently at tho door looking look-ing at the teacher sho' wroto several inscriptions and examples upon tbo blackboard. There was no trembling of the hand there. Each word and figure fig-ure was written in Spencerian style, large, distiuct and with a flourish. "Surel-," thought the reporter, "this woman cannot be 72-year-old Miss Lyle; she looks too young; she acts entirely too energetically for a woman of that advanced age." Nevertheless, this youthful old woman was Miss Lyle. as sho smilingly confessed. Then sho told the story o'f her wonderful career, at tho same time instructing her pupils and answering their many questions. Began to Teach at 15. Miss Lyle was born in 1S35, in the old Kensington district. Her mother, Margaret Lyle. who died when she was 47, came or Scotch-Irish stock, and her father, John Lyle, who died at 53, was of Quaker descent. The- had only two children, Annie and Mary, both of whom .became public school' teachers. Mary died when she was 27, having been a teacher onl' live years. Annie received nearly all hor education at the old Harrison school, Second and Master streets. In 1S51, when she was only 15 years old. she began her career as a teacher. Three months lator -her mother died. Her class eonsistecH. of more than a hundred scholars and her salary for the first year was only $125. That school was the Franklin, located on American street, nbove Columbia avenue. "You did not have to have political pull in those days." said Miss Lyle, re-mfniscontly, re-mfniscontly, this morning. "You were appointed solely upon your worthiness and merit." The next school nt which sho taught and where she has remained ever since, was tho Cohocksink, to which sho was transferred in 1867. At IS sho was advanced to the nrinci-palship nrinci-palship of tho school. Miss L3-I0 has always taught the fourth grade. |
