Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-12-20
OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.



Wilson, Superintendent OF the Public Schools,
is an interesting and important document He
Commences by presentnga
SUMMARY OF STATISTICS
for the school year ending August 81, 1873: White
IoPaiaJion of the city, UNITED States census,
1s7OJ 1881; white school population, age 10
]. years inclusive, United States census, 1901
II 400. Number of school buildings owned, IL.
Number of school rooms owned, 90; number of
school rooms rented, 33-total number of school
rooms, 1913. Number of seats for pupils, ,S9o;
amour paid for rent, 1s52-73, s1i 10; average
amour OF rent per room, s3is; value of school
sites, Slf2,T1I; value of school buildings, f&'1,-
o o; value of school furniture. ei5, 20o-total
value OF school property, so5s, AZ. Total num-
IA; total number Of pupils enrolled in ali the
grades, ,s35; total number OF pupils In private
Schools, Report OF U. s. Commissioner Of Edu-
RSccipfs-Vsiusrion of taxable properly In
the city, 1s72, $1,000 900; tax (per cent? for
schools, 50. Amount received from school tax,
Sl52, se0.35; amount received from United States
fines, Sl62 6s-totsl amount received, slT3 O53 o3.
ErPenditures--Salsries of regular teachers
total salaries Of teachers sies.14 SALARY of
Superintendent, 5000; salary of Treasurer,
$500; salary of Secretary, 500; other expenses
OF the schools. $50 I9i os-tOtal incidental ex-
pensss, $50 i94 OS. To'sl ordinary expenses OF
the schools. Slso 5iS 70 less amount unpaid,
June so, 1873 -, 5j7 81. Total amount paid
for the ordinary exPen<es of the schools, sl3l,-
go -; amount paid for permanent imoroyC-
ment-, fsite-y buildlng-, and furUlturc,)
sss,I7i.es; amount paid 20 the colored schools,
S65 SIS 35-'Otsl paym nts duriEg the year
s25s 6 Z u Costpei pupil for To ion based upon
average number enrolled, Sl5 JO cost per
pu IL for tucit ntal expenses, SI.sO-total cost
prpup.l, SIS %.
sCHuoL Accom- VIOLATIONS
MI Wilson SAWS urfsr this head: al deepIy
regret u at am m able to report any progress
in the erection o. school buildings during the
past ear, although a sufficient reason for the
failure l. to Le found in the unprecedented ex
penditures for city improvements in ct ler direc-
IONS during that period. But few changes in
Ine accuu mOJatiOns Tor the schools have been
ade, ana necessity rsthel than oh jice prompt
ed these.
~ ID. fret school district a portion of the hall
N the Franklin building has been partitioned
on A., IL now occupied by an additional school.
4 light, ventilation, ana eating of this room
good; and the education of the 20 pu pills, who
not otherwise could have been admitted to
school, Is of greater consequence than the gen.
eral uses for which the hall was intended.
In the second school district, the four schools
located in frame building on 9th street, be-
tween and q streets, have been removed to
the second story OF Grace NJ. f.. Church, on the
corner OF 9th and ) streets northwest. The
rooms now occupied decidedly better than
those abandoned, although not quite so conven-
iently situated. The buildings on Judiciary
Square have been re moved, to make way for the
improvements of that public reserv ation, the
quarters elsewhere. Two of them are now In the
MetzerOtt building, on Pennsylvania avenue,
between 9th and 10th streets northwest, and two
syivania avenue, between 6th and It'll streets
northwest. These schools should be allowed TO
remain in their present locations only until mo-
suitable rooms can be obtained. A room has al
be- rented in the Congregational Church, on
the corner of 10th and g street northwest, for an
additional school in this district.
In The third school district the very in con-
venient rooms in the second story of a dwelling
house on VI tryIand avenue, between 1st and ID
streets nth west, have heeh given up, and the
school that occupied them has been removed
IL the btsemsnt OF New Jerusalem Church, on
North G ,pitol street. between b and streets.
1RsN .1a1 a. HAITI Ina ffnv,
the school; and the room. having been refittsd
recently, il nov well adapted to the purpose.
The old trick building on the corner of 5th and
II street, northeast has been abandoned, and
the two schools that have heretofore occupied
it have been removed to a new frame building
A street, between Ith ami Sth streets north
east. At the request of the trustees the build
ipg erectet tor this purpose By Councilman
On lex, from whom II is rented.
In the fourth school district NJ changes were
required. The rooms in the Jefferson building,
set apart for pupils of the lowest grade, are
now crowded with pupils, and by another year
one or two additional rooms will be needed. To
meet this eNigency small primary school
building should he provided in the ocstion that
will accommodate the younger pupils residing
in the ToItheasieT n part of this district.
In the same connection he says: 90 The eff
cheney OF our schools is now seriously impaired
ly the inadequacy of SCHOOL accommodations,
and some way shOuld be devised at once TO sup
Ply this great want. Three large buildings,
with ten or twelve rooms each, on on Capitol
Hill one in the vicinity CT judiciary Square,
and one IN the western part of the city, and two
or three smaller buildings Of six rooms each,
are ali greatly needed TO accommodate the
white chilCren of the city who now seek edu-
cation in the public schools.
1.-THE demand for building in the vicinity
of Judiciary Square. for the g,rls Of the second
school district, is by far the most pressing. L
stated the claims of this district in nv Lass re-
port, and urged the necessity for imme iiate ac-
ton on the part of the Legislative Assembly.
The Governor called attention to the subject in
his annual message; but regret TO state tina
not the slightest effort was made by our legisla-
tors to give the people OF this central portion of
our ,ity q suitable school building 1t will be
seen from the foregoing table tina, the second
shool district. comprising the old third and
fourth wards of the city, although far exceeding
any other school district in population and in
school prop. rty amounting to only ss5,7Oo' In
this district SIX or eight hundred girls, consti-
tuting some OF our best schools, receive their
instruction in such tsnements as the trustees are
able to rent from time 10 time in a densely pop
ulated portion of the city. The necessities and
The claims Of this section OF the city should be
recognized, and a good school building should
be erected here without further delay.
A table for 1928 shows the whole number
of pup Ills enrolled; the average number enrolled;
the average number in daily attendance in each
the grades established by law; the number
OF regular teachers, male and female employed,
Al the average number of pupils assigned to
each teacher. Comparing this with the cor
responding table given In the last report the
Der OF pupils enrolled, l7l in the average num-
Der OF pus lis enrolled, 1856 and in the average
daily atts ndance, 1Se. Fifty-one and three
lation, or 935 pupils, were enrolled in the pub
lie schools The average number Of pupils
assigned 70 each teacher was 81, the same as for
the prev Gus year.
The increase in attendance thus far during
the present year is without parallel. There
were ,OO3 pupils enrolled in all the schools Sep
TENDER 80. lSI2, and ,9l5 September 50, 1873 an
Increase o g12 pupils. Additional -choo-rooms
to accommodate these pupils could not be OBJ
tanned. and the board did not have funds to JUS
thy an increase OF the number of teachers. Only
one teacher was added to the corps, and the
schoOl-rooms were filed to their utmost capaci-
ty, so that the average number Of pupils for
each teacher was nearly 60. In two instances
halliday schools have been organized. These
sci ools belong to the lowest grade. One class f
PUPILS has a session in the forenoon from 10
L O'Clock, aud another IN the afternoon from
10 O'Clock, both classes being instructed by tie
$ me teacher. Sufficient time has not yet eapsy
to warrant the expression of an opinion upon
the merits of the half-time schools which we
have been compelled to try; but the experiment
l. not new. DR.. Ed win Chadwick, a distinguish
ed educationist OF London, has spoken and writ
tsn quite extensively upon the subject, and be-