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By NICHOLAS VON HOFFMANLONG ISLAND, Maine - While the ory lasted it was the kind editors love, mericana, cruel bureaucrats versus lid working people, a non-New York im in the colorful Yankeeland of New ngland, rural values being crushed ider the heel of urban efficiency, and en a certain man-bites-dog twist — the reed boating of little children to school. The story went out on the Associated •ess wire and an NBC camera crew ime in. The natives said one of the levision people got sick bobbing about in e winter waters of the city of Portland’s isco Bay, but the network got out to jaks Island where the school ad-inistration was considering closing a le-room schoolhouse with seven pupils, lother threatened one-room school-use with eight youngsters from kin-rgarten through fifth grade is here on mg Island.“My God! I don’t believe it,” Mrs. iith Beaulieu, a Portland School ►mmittee member exclaimed “The w York Times!” She was in the issenger compartment of the little iron at which connects Portland with many the 365 Calendar Islands in the city’s y In the prow were sacks of onions and ses of Pepsi Cola, and before the day is over she would believe it, with the meramen from the Times and •wsweek posing her in the windy cold til the tears ran out from under her ntact lensesMediadom was coming down on Casco ly. One of the reporters said that his ?py editor back in headquarters was uing orders to make sure they got :tures of the infuriated lobstermen s sters Mrs Harriet Bruns, the leader of e protesting mothers, reported perhaps different news organizations had lied. “I’m so tired My hair isn’t fixed.” e said to a photographer by way of mdering if he might come back and te her picture another time. “We vays take people’s pictures when ?y’re at their worst,” he consoled her. While everybody agrees the AP story lich started the fuss was accurate, »re are differing interpretations as to ly the Portland administrators let it be own these two remnants from a simpler dagogical past might be shut down cause of dwindling attendance latever the origins of the story, it [ught the newsies running to catch the •n boat taking Mrs Beaulieu, two fellow mmittee members. School Superin ident Harold Reynolds and his assistant yde Bartlett across the waters to the big nfrontation James Reston had not yet itten a column reassessing George illace’s chances for carrying Maine in ? light of forced boating on the bay, but e of the school committee members did ggest they throw “Clydsie” overboard mething was decidedly abuilding This boat would be all right for a 100I bus,” Mrs Rogers, another School mmittee member remarked, “if they t flashing red lights on it ” Was this a ;n the School Committee was going to ck down and side with the people? Not • soon, we newsies hoped Not only were ?re editors to placate but the story was t yet blown as far out of proportion as it lid beVs our iron tub popped briskly past oil ikers and abandoned forts, designed for ttles that were never fought, we had pes of being met at the dock by leather-red men of the sea in boots and yellow ckers, and their wizened wives with ilnourished babies in their arms The w England town meeting and local mocracy making their last stand, lere is the CBS camera crew9 Or is dr nose out of joint because Chancellor d company got on the air first9 The dia regard certain stories as the ►tidious look upon half-eaten plates of d The last stand of lobster democracy not, if the other guy got there first, we n’t touch it.Vt the dock the school officials were d by people with pick up trucks and old rs who helped them across the ice and )ve them to the school, where the jmbers of the mother’s club served dr oppressors lunch There were even ves and pieces of pickled cauliflower refully stuck on toothpicks being held little mice statuettes with large ears It iS a most genteel lynching, rhe protesters had assigned presen ions to several of their number who re disconcerting enough to speak with ire light than heat The board members igratulated the protesters and ex lined there never really was a chance ; schools would be closed.Vhere had our story gone, the newsies ted each other How about a lead that \/s simple people win big victory? Or •at do you think of community school icept upheld in Maine9 The beginning a turnabout trend9 Nope Too bad, ugh Forced busing forced boating vasacute angle
Newspaper Details
Franklin News Herald
Franklin, Pennsylvania, US
Mon, Jan 26, 1976
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Judith R.
USA 10 May 2018
Other Publications Near Franklin, Pennsylvania
The News Herald
Franklin News Herald
Franklin Venango Spectator
