Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-09-02
Largest Circulation in the District
Reading Matter on Every Page.
WASHINGTON CITY:
1TEsDAf. .......... September 2, 1873
rs an Educational Center

The very voluminous and valuable report of
Commissioner Eaton, of the bureau of educa-
ton, for 1872, devotes a liberal amount of space
to an enumeration and description Of the vari-
Gus educational agencies of the District Of Co
lumbis, ard a glance at the statistics Is sufi
cient to convince even the most skeptical that
In point Of educational facilities the capital city
Of the country outranks in many respects any
other in the Union. 1t Is gratifying TO notice
also that our progress lie not only steady but
rapid In this direction. Omitting anything more
than mere reference to our public schools,
which are now admitted to be among the best
IN the country, let us look for a moment at the
list Of educational institutions mentioned in the
report of Gen. Eaton.
First, we have the Smithsonian Institute an
Important distinctive agency ''for the diffusion
Of knowledge among men," and which is so
nobly fulfilling its mission. It stands pre-
eminent as the only institution of the kind in
the world, and its contributions to human
knowledge in the shape of original dispositions
on different branches of science are sought and
treasured By the savsns Of every land, while its
extensive collection in the museum is a mine of
wealth to the student OF natural history and a
source of interest and pleasure to thousands of
visitors yearly. Columbian College, Howard
University, and Georgetown College, have a de-
servedly high rank as institution of learning,
while the National Deaf Mute College can boast
of being the only institutions in the world for
the higher education of the deaf mutes-another
prominent feature among our educational
agencies ct the capital. A large number Of
law and medical schools and secondary institu-
tions Of learning are given all Of which are IN
surpassed in the facilities they offer for instruc-
ton within their particular spheres.
The model room Of the Patent once, which
contains over 100 900 models of inventions and
which, in connection with the drawings, Is ed
ucational in its tendency, encouraging, as it
does, and developing the inventive genius of
the world, has no counterpart in existence, and
Is the admiration Of foreign as well as domestic
visitors. Peculiar facilities for the prosecution
Of various branches OF study are afforded in
Washington which can be found nowhere else
In the country. For instance, we have the boz
tanical garden, with 200 species Of plants, geo
graphically arranged, from almost every quar-
ter Of the globe; the Corcoran art gallery, with
Its paintings and statuary, soon to be opened to
the public; the museum of the Smithsonian,
(already mentioned, containing specimens of
North American and European maumalia
stuffed birds and models of fish, series of min
erals, fossils, rocks, plants, display of objects
of human art and industry, Indian curiosties,
&c; the museum OF the Department of Agri-
culture, with samples of the productions of
the crops; the army and navy medical museum,
with over 1900 specimens, illustrating In the
different phases wounds and diseases of all
kinds-the only museum of the kind in the
world; the United States naval observatory, de-
voted to astronomic and meteorological science,
and many other institutions which are inval-
uable to the student.
Still another prominent feature of our educa-
tional agences Is found in the various public
libraries at the capital, and which contain in
aggregate 793, 7O2 volumes. OF these libraries
the library Of Congress, with over 2i5, 900 VOL
nmes, and the library of the Army Medical
Museum, with 81, 900 volumes, are rapidly SWELL
Ing in magnitude yearly, Congress annually
making appropriations for the purchase Of ad-
ditional works. All the other public libraries
are also growing steadily.
We instance these facts to show that our city
has advantages as an educational center pos
sessed By no other city in the Union.