Central High School - Red and Black Yearbook (St Louis, MO)

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Alt' I P gt .fy Cgzefcla O! ffm life of MRS. WASHINGTCN E. FISCHEL Where were you educated? To this familiar question Mrs. Fischel might answer, accord- ing to the facts obtained from her by this reporter, somewhat as follows: A'My education began at birth on May 25, 1850, in the little town of Iackson, Mississippi, under the direction of my mother, whom I lost by her untimely death when I was five years old, It was then continued on a plantation nearby, under the care of an aunt and uncle and a personal attendant Qwith no white playmateslg and was supplemented from time to time by memorable excursions on the river boats, when my father took me with him on his business trips to St, Louis. Then I was helped by attending a private school in the town until I was ten years old, when my father determined to settle in St. Louis. There I entered a public school, the old Eliot School at 15th and Pine streets, where my education was colored by the agitations of the Civil War, a source of strife in the school. My first efforts in social service were, in this connection, the making of articles for sale at the numerous money-raising fairs in behalf of the Sanitary Commission. In 1864 I entered Central High School, the only high school in St. Louis, and indeed on this side of the Mississippi. Here in 1868 I was graduated in a class of twentyffive girls and thirteen boys. I was especially fortunate in my teachers, several of whom won later distinction in Eastern colleges. So far the early story in brief, which we may carry forward by recording that Mrs. Fischel retains a warm sense of gratitude for what she received at Central. The facts attest that she was very teachable, and was inspired by the ambition to teach, She soon began to gratify her

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ideal of the lawyer demands complete freedom and independence in choosing when and what he shall represent. In every case, however, the lawyer's choice must be guided by moral con- siderations. He is at one with Savigny in the conviction that law is born of a nation and for a nation. He believes in written constitutions as sheet anchors of principle. Even as such, in times of stress, popular demand for the general survival of the nation has always triumphed over any particular interpretation. Not the least of his service as a lawyer has been his constant and consistent effort to raise the standard of the bench. There was one condition precedent to his support of a judicial candi- date, I must never be tendered any appointment at your hands. His long career at the bar has been crowned with recognized professional success and a financial reward that would have been infinitely greater but for his incorrigible generosity. He was a member of the lower house of the Missouri Legislature from 1881 to 1883: President of the Council of St. Louis from 1893 to 1897: Secretary of Commerce and Labor in President Taft's Cabinet from 1909-1913. He was head of that Department prior to its separaf tion into the Department of Commerce and the Department of Labor. He succeeded in bringing the Department of Commerce and Labor into a prominence and respectful recognition of its capacity for public service. His conception and his initiative brought about the formation of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States. He began cooperation and consultation between his Department and the Department of Iustice as to the terms and conditions of judicial decrees providing for the dissolution of unlawful combination in restraint of trade, he successfully opposed the attempt to transfer to the State Department our foreign commercial agencies and personnel. The World War was a crisis in his life. He preached the gospel of necessary national solidarity. The writer, as a special representative of the United States, was in a position, if any one was, to know and weigh the attitude of the man in that distressing time. He was loyal to the core, and performed a very great service for his country, by reason of his unique position and influence. He is a staunch opponent of foreign entanglements and fears consequences to us. and others, of a League of Nations. In these, as in all matters where convictions were involved, he has voiced his opinions openly and clearly and supported them by impressive ratiocination. If it were necessary to compress the man into a single brief description, he ought to be called a Practical Idealist, who with much wisdom and disillusionment incident to long experi- ence, still looks with piercing and confident eye toward the fulfillment of many benevolent dreams. In the years that have passed since this pen portrait was sketched Mr. Nagel has con- tinued to give freely of his time and energy to the advancement of community interests. Two years ago Mr. Nagel was the recipient of the fifth in the series of ten annual awards devised by an anonymous donor for distinguished public services. The decision of the committee in charge was unanimous and by ballot without previous suggestion or debate. The citation read, For lifelong, varied, and outstanding services to the city, state, and nation: for elevating influence in civic affairs this certificate is awarded to Charles Nagel. C The life of Charles Nagel here presented consists of excerpts taken with per- mission from an introduction to a collection of his speeches and writings, published in a two-volume edition by a representative group of appreciative public-spirited citizens who desired to make them accessible to the thoughtful public.

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3 sf! -r '. 5, nl 'ai4gf'1 nn.,- ambition. This was in the heyday of educational expansion. That eminent pioneer, Dr. William T. Harris, had become Superintendent of Schools: and Miss Susan Blow, also of national fame, had been instrumental in establishing the first kindergartens. Some schools still lacked one: and Mrs. Fischel was assigned to one of these in North St. Louis, a neighborhood of foreigners, where she was taxed to handle a primary class of ninety-three children of six years of age, none of whom could speak or understand English. That proved her mettle. After marriage in 1876 to one who had been a schoolmate, Dr. Washington E. Fischel, she remained active in her chosen Held in various ways. In time she became a social visitor for the Provident Association, and as such developed a deep sympathy for the needy, and an under- standing of their deplorable lot. This led her in 1888 to enlist for service in the Wage-Earners' Self-Culture Clubs, just started by Walter L. Sheldon, the Leader of the newly established Ethical Society. She organized a Domestic Economy Section to instruct the children of these wage-earners in Home-Making. It flourished and drew wide attention: and, largely owing to its influence, this subject was introduced into the public schools with the service of a teacher who had been trained under Mrs. Fischel's guidance. From this time on Mrs. Fischel devoted herself to one welfare movement after another. She was one of the founders of the Wednesday Club: was active in the Emergency Aid, organ- ized to meet the needs of the unemployed after the closing of the Chicago World's Fair: at the same time served as Chairman of the Board of Charity Commissioners fa civic servicel prior to the adoption of the present City Charter: participated in Red Cross and other rescue work. All this may suggest to some the absentee wife and mother. By no means. Mrs. Fischel was busier with home-making than any of her pupils, and was nurturing three sons, two of whom have become distinguished doctors, and a daughter who is a leader among public-spirited women. She exemplified the adage that charity, like the other virtues, begins at home: and has demonstrated that private and public service may go hand in hand. ' All honor, then to the agencies that had a share in the maturing of such a personality: among which Mrs. Fischel accords, we know, a place of honor to the High School of her treasured memories. Ewan!! .5'+Ng'gh.'v5h'+,v. mNN