Metropolitan Vocational High School - Metropolis Yearbook (New York, NY)

Page 15 text:

ANDWV Eiecfed from +he Subway, +he s+uden+ of Mefropolifan moves across Park Row, dodg- ing fo avoid 'rhe cars, busses, frucks and frolleys fhai' swoop down from +he Brooklyn Bridge al' his righf. As he furns back +o +he Bridge, if looks like a greal' horn of plenfy pouring for+h a mul'ri'rude of vehicles which, like life's blood, feed fhe financial and in- duslrial dis+ric+s which lie below if. He walks Easl' on Chambers S+ree+, a fhoroughfare no+orious in +he hisfory of New York, s+ill s+amped indelibly wifh fhe memen- foes of i+s pasf. Pasl fhe Coasl' Guard Bar- racks, fhe sfudenf lazily approaches fhe Main Building sei' like a iewel in fhe squalor of fhe surrounding slum. Furfher Norfh, on 'rhe oufer boundaries of Knickerbocker Village, sifs fhe Monroe Building whose +wo lop floors form +he Academic Annex of Melropoliian. Above i+, like a fireless symbol, sfrefches fhe Man- haHan Bridge, gaunl and ausfere. Two blocks away, on Madison S'rree+, sfands +he Madison Building, a grandfarher among schools. On fhe easfern perimefer of fhe neighbor- hood flows fhe Easf River feeming wifh wafer lraffic, while on fhe Wesl' broods Chinafown wifh ifs labyrinfhs of mysfery. QDAY

Page 14 text:

YIES II IERIDAY If Time were suddenly iurned back 'io I9I9, many of us would be amazed al wha+ we should see. The world has hopped, skipped and jumped over +he las+ +wen+y- five years and effecfed enormous changes, and, no+ +he leas+ of +hese, is +he change wrough'r in Me+ropoli+an. ' Like mosi' voca+ional schools, Mefropoli- lan s+ar'red ou+ as a small coniinualion school wi+h a handful of s+uden+s and was known, in i+s early days, as +he Easl' Side Confinualion School. Lei' us, for a momenl, +urn back +he years and peek in+o The home of John and Mary Smilh, s+uden'rs al' +he Easl' Side Conlinua- 'rion School. There is nolhing ex+raordinary in l'he ap- pearance of John as he comes in 'lo break- fas'I', and, if you looked quickly, he wouldn'+ seem very differenl' from 'rhe John Smi+h who a++ends Me+ropoli+an in l945. A sec- ond glance, however, convinces you ihal +his is nor I945. His collar is sliff and high, his panls are +igh+g his iackel looks a liH'le like a sausage casing. There is no familiar peg in +he pan1's and +he drape shape wi+h The reel' pleai' is enlirely absent The ap- pearance of his sisler Mary, however, is slarlling and you migh+ fhink you were in 'rhe Gay Nine+ies. She wears a shir+waisl' and a skirl' which hangs iusi six inches above

Page 16 text:

YIESSH IERI AY fhe ground. Her hair is long and fied up in a severe bun a+ +he back of her head. Papa . and Mama Smifh would have hyslerics if Mary used lipslick or rouge, alfhough 1'hey occasionally permil' her +o use powder. John and Mary leave -For school 'rogeiher and fhey board one of +he brand new +rol- leys, or, perhaps, 'lhey bicycle +o school. As 'lhey approach +he school, +hey see +he building, a small, unimpressive brick edifice, formerly P. S. No. 7, localecl on Chris+ie and Hes+er S+ree'rs. They meer classmafes who look very much like lhem, and, as +hey en+er 1'he building, 1'hey discuss 1'he burning +opics of fhe day: fhe recenf Armislice, Pro- hibi+ion, baseball and jazz, fhen beginning +o become popular. Some of +he s+uden+s, as They s1'roll 'rhru fhe crowded halls, hum +he popular hir of +he day, Hindus1'an, while o+hers sing songs from fhe exfremely popular Robin Hood, a brand new oper- e'Ha by Reginald De Koven. John probably aH'ends a Woodworking, an Elecfric Wiring Shop or, perhaps, he al'- fends classes in Typing or Bookkeeping. Mary is enrolled in eilher a Secrelarial or Sewing Course. Twen+y-five years ago, +he Easl' Side Con- +inua+ion School was +he liHle seed of Me+ro- poli'ran foday iusl as Merropoliran foday is The seedling of a greaier and grander Merro- polifan of +he fu+ure.