Music, a Call to Order, Prayer, and Speeches
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, January 3, 1898
It is understandable that the reporter characterized the audience for the event as German. The influx of suburbanites was still more than a decade away; for now, almost all the village's officials, stores, employers, and clergy bore German names. As we'll see, the children who participated in the program all belonged to German families as well. Note that the Hicksville Band was a marching brass band, and it fit right in, happy to oom-pah and parade whenever it was given the chance.
It may be worth noting here that in 1898, the United States still had no official national anthem. In this era, America - the melody of the British God Save the King / Queen, but with the lyrics that began with the words "My Country Tis of Thee..." - typically served in that capacity, and it did in this case.
More noteworthy is the reference to Mary Forgie. Local history sources tend to gloss over the details of village's early efforts to educate its children. Even the Evers' Images of America book about Hicksville includes references only to early schoolmasters (all male), but names no women who taught in the village's early Germanic years. I regret that the Eagle's article gives us none of Mrs. Forgie's insights about her experiences back then.
So that she may be a little less forgotten, I have done some preliminary research into her life, which I include in a brief Appendix at the end of this article.
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