Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1875-07-27
Letter from Stanton.

Letter from Stanton.
CORES pondence of the Alexandria Gazette.
STANTON, July 26.-Havng often beard,
schools of this place and Lynchburg spoken Of
| have avalled MYSELF of the opportunity afford
ed by a short sojourn in both cities, 10 examine,
as far as | could in vacation, the system pur.
sued, its cost, &C., and | think the result of
my enquiries and observations may not be un-
interesting to your readers To begin with
Lynch burg, the population OF which Is but lit
lie less than that OF Alexandria, while its wealth
Is, undoubtedly, far greater. | will first men.
tlon that the city tax on real estate there has
been the same as ours, though it has been re.
Gently reduced 10 Sl.75 on the 500 The City
| Council gives tor the support OF public schools
Sl2 3OO, or IS, 100 more than ours. Twenty
SIX teachers are employed, at salaries amount.
Ing 10 tue aggregate TO Sl3.2lS; the highest
being 81 100, the lowest $3.50 Tours amount
to 81 $780, highest 500, lowest $3.50 They
have gu lLer rolls | ,49o children, our number
being about $50, if my memory serves NE.
They have high school aud are teaching
Latin, &C., and have number OF children Te-
siding elsewhere, III attendance, who pay tut
to0 fees. | had heard that there were no pri-
Vate schools, at all, III the city, tut On Enquiry,
found that there are nuWDer, aud tha: some
| Influential persons, dissatisfied with the pubnc
| hgn school, last year started private one,
which Was, believe, success. ln the lower
| schools the sexes are kept apart; the high
| school Is mixed The Superintendent, Mr.. A.
I. blggers, Is very courteous gentleman, and
gives his entire tune TO the duties OF his office,
| On h., az, l.
school. lie receives salary OF 81 $50 year,
| Though not a teacher by profession, he has
qualified himself Tor the dulles OF his Office
with great assldulty, and Is very popular.
| Lynchburg has three school buildings, recently
erected, and costing about Sl5, 900 each. The
one Inspected, aud which tue Superintendent
said he considered the best, coD,aius, besides
the Superintendent Office four schov rooms
seating Two hundred children. Three are fur
nlshed pretty much like those occupied by Lee
School; but the ttucth, used by the smallest
girls has furniture OF which the city ought to
be ashamed; 1t Is worse than any OF ours, aud
that Is saying good deal. The Superintend-
ent's othce cannot be com pared with ours 10 It's
| appointments, but 1t has one thing which ours
does not possess, a safe for the preservation of
vouchers, &c Ours are kept in cases with the
| most ordinary locks, and could be easily alb.
stracted did any one wish to carry them of.
Altogether, though Lyuchburg, has good school
| houses, she has none TO compare with the Pea
bocy, and, after seeing hers which cost as much
as that aud yet accommodate only half as many
children aud have 20 assembly room and no
stores to rent, realize more than ever, how
good bargain Alexandria made when she pur-
chased Mr. Bradley's house.
The population Of Stanton is less than halt
ours yet she educatcs $50 children, as many
as We. She employs nineteen teachers, but ex-
poets to need twcnty-iUur. The salaries paid
amount TO ST $3.50, rang ing irom $1,000 TO
SOU Most OF the ladies' employed have had
their salaries reduced, for next year, to $4UO
(they have been getting $45O) because OF the
refusal OF the City Council TO appropriate more
than $4,000 for the schools, the City Board
having asked for LIB The ianltors are
mostly colored and must be paid much less lib
orally than ours, since only $3.50 is given them,
while ours receive 500. The Superintendent
Mr. }. j. Laid, who Is gentleman OF great
| experience 10 his work, aud Was obtaioed from
New Englaod Tor the purpose, gets $1,000
| year. and visits every school daily He is
very highly spoken Of by every body, and espe-
cially by the teachers Staunlon has very
hue school house for white children, the former
academy tuilding, which is held on very easy
terms The trustees were obliged to tit FIVE
boys tor college annually, without charge; the
city, by having high school, tulilIs the condi-
tlons OF the trust, and getst the house rent free
1t has good grounds, and will commodate
three hundred pupils. The rooms are if any.
thing, superior to ours, and are finely ventilat.
ed and supplied with very foe desks, maps,
| globes, &c. There is anoI her fine looking build
Ing used, formerly the Weslcyen Female Ia
stltute. 1t is now reoted, but is offered to the
city at fifteen thousand dollars | think it
would be dear, at that price, for the rooms are
! badly ventilated and are much too small for
| economical teaching, most OF them holding but
thlrty-two seals, though the children are some
what crowded. The colored schools occupy an
| old brick tuildlng, which Looks something like
jail outside, but is as good inside as ours, and
has furniture just like the best 10 the white
| schools Neither here DOR III Lyuchburg are
| coIored teachers employed, it hovug been found
| impossible to get coEored people of sufficient
| education. The white teachers, however, are
natives OF Virginia and persons Of fue qualif-
cations and high social standing. The opera
tlon OF the school system seems to give more
satisfaction here than 10 Lynchburg, Though it
| costs tbltty-three per cent more than ours 10
proportion to the number Of pupils enrolled,
aud there are no private schools except the
four great female Summaries, save tive or three
little establishments Of nine or ten small child
ren each, kept in private homes 1t is said,
however, that the semiuaries, though of collie
gate grade have preparatory departments to
which small girls are admitted. and that many
while sending their boys to public schools, en-
ter their girls there, the public schools being
all mixed. FIDELIs.
J. The Utah Horror.
BEAVER, UTAH, July 26 AT the trial to
day Ann Elizabeth Hoog testified Was al the