Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-02-20
The Public school Controversy.
IT'D TYph

Mr.. W. c. Dodge, gentleman personally
unknown to me, made very incorrect statements
at the last meeting OF the school board, as
| To compensation received by me during q
| period dating back twenty years, adm attempted
10 belittlemy work architect and
| engineer Having learned that the clerks OF
the District Commissioners had been busy for days
to furnish from the records the exact amounts re-
ceived by me, / called upon Mr.. Dodge to say
that probably, frauds had been committed, since
bis figures differed materially from the sums ac-
tuaily received by me. MIR. Dodge lodges the
issue by substituting, In Saturdays STAR a new
set OF auditors figures, which substantially agree
with mine, and adds others even more inaccurate,
which have neither tiIne space to answer
In reply To the charge OF extravaganza, say
that the Franklin school was built at the end Of
TIE war. on plans adopted after public colnpetl
ton, ami as Tor the rank which this building occu-
pies, quote from the report OF the L. S. Commits
sioners at the Vienna International Exhibition OF
1873 vol page IA:
1.-THE exact center OF the educational court was
occupied by large, elegantly finished model OF
the Franklin school building at Washington, by
iar the finest thing OF its kind in the whole exhibit
ton. This mO,lel was executed under the super
vision OF Mr.. CiuSs city architect OF Washington.
by order OF the board OF education. The several
stories were easily Separable, thus afOrding an
opportunity to examine the interior construction,
well as all the details of heating and ventila-
ton, the seating OF pupils, ETC."
The international jury OF experts subsequently,
awarded TO the city OF Washington the 'meial OF
progress Ia education and school architecture, one
stion and the only one of this high class sent to
this continent for architectural work.
Again, at the Philadelphia centennial EXPOSE
ton our city received diploma for ''mOdel Ut
Franklin school building. with plans and photo
graphs AMI pupils work" 1t Is noticeable that
other buildings exhibited by the Commissioners
were excluded from the honorable mention.
The Franklin building had one defect, viz: An
echo In the hall Last fall the present regime OF
the District undertook to remedy 1t at heavy cost
The result was to destroy the efficient ventilation
OF the hall. to intensity the echo instead OF remOv
ing it and to add tons OF dead weight in lumber
between ceiling and roof.
1t took years of conscientious labor, in which
pedagogeS, Sanitar1anS, OculStS, Steam-engtnGerS
and others co-operated with the archi-
tects and gradually perfected the schOOl-hOuSe OF
this day. 1t Is unfortunate for the proud standing
our young city has occupied for a while that the
wheel of progress stops II rOutiniers attempt to
pick up oh-hand the complex problem and treat it
house Carpenter who has never lost any time on
the handiwork of drawing, the art of design, the
science OF construction the strength of materials,
the balance OF forces, the stability OF structures,
the movement OF gases the power and quality OF
light, and so forth.
Much has been said about new systems of venti-
1atfon in the lately erected schoOl-hOuSeS. The
primitive, uncertain and likely unSanitary system
OF setting radiators under the windows, inside OF
a hole in the wall, for air supply, has long been
abandoned, where not imperative reasons OF econ
where it was introduced under my own plans and
SUPERVISION and in a contract held by the present
building Inspector. 1t was also previously used,
in 1870, i'll the Stevens building, ricketty cOlored
school, built On Cheap John plans
ADOLF CLuss.