More About the Gulls

Quite a few of the older gulls aspired to be writers, artists, or in the theater. Or really just screwing men who were in any of the Arts would be fine... One was snickeringly admired as working "under" a famed director during the summer of 1959. Another was atonishingly told by an editor of the Saturday Review, after declaring sadly that she "wanted to write", "then....write". One rebel at heart went to Katie Gibbs to learn shorthand and get a secretarial job on Madison Avenue in order to meet "the one" without the bother of going to Wellesley.
The younger ones plotted organizing and attending mixers to meet boys from St. Lukes and King School. But the faculty and administration's less than frenzied mission was to prepare them...for what, no one really said. The curriculum consisted of French, Latin, Algebra, biology (using hairpins from Mrs. Lee's long, low graying braid dangling down her back as dissection instruments), geography, ancient, medieval, and european history..American history was not mentioned...and English literature...forget anything written after WW I or by an American. The lower school read the Song of Roland, Pilgrims Progress, and roman mythology, along with Booth Tarkington and Shakespeare's comedies. The older gulls acted out dramatic readings involving incestuous greek families and cried "Give Us Barrabas!" as they strolled to class. In other words nothing was taught that had any bearing on reality. Nothing was real, including the recent suffering inflicted by World War II, ending only 15 years before, or the deeds of Adolph Hitler and Joseph McCarthy, affecting so many of the faculty, or activities occurring in any part of America other than Broadway or the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The gulls knew of no states located to the south or west of Manhattan.
I stayed two years. When mom and dad requested an increase in my scholarship assistance in the spring of eighth grade, the trustees offered them $200 . Seeing the handwriting on the wall and recognizing it as the same that had appeared before my sister's descent into the land of Hallbrooke "no post-secondary education", I was enrolled in Ponus Ridge Junior High School in August and I left behind the unhealthy complexions, sexual speculation, and all the other priveliges and advantages that a private school education offered. I couldn't wait!