Show r P t itching f Horseshoes Polish Schoolmaster Teaches 1 rt U. U S. S Urchins About Tolerance race l Bose Rosc story of a school school- is the t with an unpronounceable ter r Ferenc e-Ferenc Ferenc name of i J I e r dl y ka may r rA on this side e tic f I stabs the Atlantic tat but ut in w that Jagd jag- jag J d little je t of the e n c crazy crazy- r s. s z y- y Bs that was guilt ailt i irenc c ha kas s had tea ms e. e people difficulty in 60 arcing It Mr Ir Rose indeed his countrymen pro pro- ced it often and with rev rev- I he was one of the hies' hies rin r c because cause and inspiring edu- edu dedicated 1 ast st lIl generation of his when the heroes of Hite Hit- Hit tIn lIn m Ib Ibe 1 1911 ed Into his country stepp e e goose umber tf was tattooed on the arm and he dis- dis 1 red into the squalid helpless- helpless concentration camp of t a 11 aled led colleagues in England and I Il l America knowing kno of his contempt of were I or every vcr form dogma raid he be would not be heard from 1 n. IP I J Reappears in 45 But he was was was-In in 1945 when the I jUri troops marched into Dachau I And when the news reached friends and admirers In n American universities they made arrangements for the celebrated teacher to come to the states And so a few months month after alter his rescue the schoolmaster stood on the deck of a ship as it entered New NewYork NewYork NewYork York harbor tears in his eyes as ashe ashe ashe he watched the fabled Statue of Liberty go by At the pier in addition to some of the most notable fi figures ures in our academic life the welcoming party included elderly sister with whom he was going g to live H in her pleasant home on Heights Deeply moved tho the distinguished dis distinguished distinguished refugee thanked his colleagues colleagues col col- col leagues in English which he knew well and then set out with his sister for his new home As they passed Columbia university university university uni uni- he asked the cab driver to stop so 50 that he could stand on the campus for a moment and breathe the air all of free critical thought again and that night nigh for forthe forthe or orthe the first time in years the old man slept without nightmares The next day was warm and sunshiny sunshiny sunshiny sun sun- shiny and decided to take a walk in the park near by There a group of small boys were playing ball and struck by the foreign cut of the old mans man's clothes and his I white beard they stopped to stare stare at him the yelled one of the youngsters Go back where ya came from ya dirty The old man smiled at the boy sat down on a bench took a strangely carved pipe out of his pocket and lit it After watching them play for a while he walked slowly out of the park followed by the kids who jeered at his funny hat ha his white whiskers and his unsteady steps I The hext day when the schoolmaster schoolmaster schoolmaster school school- master appeared In the park again he smiled at the children as though nothing had happened The kids repeated their Insults and when the Ule old man kept smiling at them they couldn't understand understand understand under under- stand it Began to Smile I And so it went And after a awhile awhile awhile I while not quite knowing what to tomake tomake tomake make of this amiable foreigner I the kids stopped shouting at him and began to smile bashfully back Then one day the old man didn't appear in the park and when he didn't show up for several days the children began to ask around the neighborhood for him When i they finally found out where he hel lived they rang the bell and his sister dressed in black came to the door M My brother died two da days s 's ago she told them In OlIn Europe he was away from his home for a long longtime longtime longtime time and it made him very sick He died of the sickness We Ve used to see him In the park parle said one of the youngsters At first we made fun of him What made you change 1 asked the sister I dunno said the kid Anyhow Anyhow Any how we got to like him The sister smiled to herself as she closed the door doer She realized that her brother had taught the youngsters a lesson they would never forget And It was just as aswell aswell well she thought that they didn't know the lesson was an accidental one that one that for several years because because be be- cause of a beating at the hands of a nazi guard Ferenc Ferene had been stone deaf Copyright 1948 by Billy Rose |