The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-08-24

He next moved TO amend by the Insertion
Of the following at the end Of the first Sec
tion. "And provided, further, that the rates
paid for labor shall not exceed the rates paid
for similar labor by private persons" Lost.
The next amendment offered was the fol-
lowing, as substitute for the second section
Of the bill That whenever the Mayor shall
have determined to carry into effect any act
providing for any improvement which under
the provisions Of the foregoing section would
become In whole or In part charge upon
the owner or owners Of private property Dor
dering thereon or benefited thereby, he shall
notify such owner or owners Of his Intention
to execute said act; and II within thirty days
from the date Of said notice the owner or
owners Aforesaid slall agree and enter into
contract with the Mayor to have the work
done nj their own expense, to the satisfac-
tlon Of the Commissioner Of Improvements
and such other person MS the law may direct
Of the ward or wards Ia which tho improve
ment is located, they shall have the privilege
Of contracting for and executing the said
work, and their property shall not be liable
to be assessed by the CORPORATION for any OF
the costs thereof. Adopted.
Mr.. Moore moved to further amend by
striking out the clause In relation to the
collection Of special taxes as relates to pub
lie alleys. Lost.
Mr.. Davis moved to amend by inserting,
"setting the curbstones and paving the foot
ways and cutters, &C." Lost.
The bill, as amended by the adoption Of
the additional section, was then passed.
The second special order OF the evening
was the consideration OF the bill TO establish
a scientific high and normal school.
Mr.. Connolly thought II was prudent for
the corporation not to make too great an
expense in the beginning, and submitted his
views In the following resolution;
Resolved, That the high snd normal school
bill be recommitted to the com mittse, and that
sid committee be, and hereby IL, Instructed
a male and Tensile high school having = male
principal and male and female assistant;
the said assistants OF equal grade and equal
tees 70 expend a sum not exceeding twelve
hundred dollars In the frat year for special
instruction In French, German and vocal
music.
Mr.. Moore addressed the Board In opposl-
ton to the bill. IL Is q measure, no said, as
to the expediency of which at the present
time men may honestly differ. My opposi-
ton Is not founded upon any objection to
common school education, but from an ear
nest desire for the success Of that system by
so extending It's benefits as to make their
enjoyment more universal. / admit that
the public good requires that all children
should have an opportunity to receive proper
instruction In the rudiments Of an English
education. Their instruction should be
thorough and complete In reading, writing,
arithmetic and grammar, and In other Gle
mentary knowledge usually taught In con-
nection with these branches, but beyond
this do not think the people ought to be
taxed for the instruction OF children not their
own. II was not the design Of the public
schools to confer gratuitously the benefits of
a complete education, In the general ac-
ceptance Of that term.
lfpupils be taught the elementary branches
I have named, they will be fitted for all the
ordinary duties OF life, and be prepared also
for higher studies, lift be the wish Of parents
to educate them for the learned professions;
but II such be the desire OF parents they
should themselves bear the expense, aud not
wish to assess the cost upon their poorer
neighbors, whose limited pecuniary re-
sources preclude the hope that their own off,
spring can ever share the benefits OF the
classical and scientific studies for which 1t Is
proposed to tax them that superior education
may be provided for those more favored by
fortune. To tax the cost Of collegiate
studies upon the community at large, when
comparatively very few can enjoy the advan-
tages to be derived from these higher
branches, appears to me to be wrong In prin-
ciple, and very like making the poor, or
those of moderate means, who constitute
tue ulhts Vi every COulinuultys Soutiiousc III
the greatest proportion to the gratutous cdu-
cation Of the rich.
The Committee on Public Schools, In the
report which they have spread upon our Jour
nal, have committed grave mistake In con-
strung n passage cited from an ordinance
of 1904 to mean that 1t is the duty OF all
communities to give gratuitous instruction
to the rich as well as the poor, and they
have made a like mistake when they say
hat fr.,,. shax ha "A
expansion OF our schools have been steady
and gradual" The schools authorized by
the act of 1904 were for the benefit OF chill
dren whose parents were In INDECENT circum-
stances, but provision was also made for the
admission Of "paying pupils" Schools
were then established on the same principle
In other cities, including those In the North
ern States. In 1918, the schools established
In this city having made no progress, 1t was
determined that instruction therein should
be confined to "poor scholars" Still they
languished-the number, | believe, never
exceeding two schools, one In the eastern
and one In the western section of the city,
containing In the aggregate less than three
hundred pupils.
1t was not until 1912 that Mayor seaton,
always the friend aud advocate Of popular
education, recommended the adoption OF the
system OF public schools then In successful
OptfhtioH ~ thS ANN" s'otSss Ahib
system was not wholly gratultous; there
were paying as well as free scholars. II was
adopted here In 1874, and went into opera
tion In 1915. Though promising at first good
results, three years experience proved the
plan Of two classes Of scholars to be unpop-
ular. Congress at that time, (lS4S,) In re-
newing the charter of the city, specifically
conferred the power Of leyying a school tax.
From that time (not from 1900 dates the
growth and expansion of the public schools.
At the beginning Of 1913 there were but two
public schools-the original number. The
subsequent progress was rapid, rs may be
learned from the statistics furnished In the
annual report OF the Board of Trustees of
the Public Schools for the year 1867, for the
preparation of which tho public is indebted
to the care and investigation OF Mr.. VIM. J.
Rhees, then an able aud efficient member of
the board. The number of schools was rs
follows In the years respectively named;