Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-09-12
CITY AND DISTRICT.
A Grovi About Our school.

GrOwl AbOut Our schoolA
70 the Editor Of The EvEsxe STAR:
My habitual respect for your views did not
lead me to accept certain articles of yours to
the effect that Washington Is ian educational
center 10 which the youth Of different parts of
the country are fastening for instruction.
Perhaps you did not put it quite so strongly I
haven't the papers at hand to verify. but it
sounded like what have said Conceding the
oohgation OF local laudation resting upon every
Journal, think you went too far Washington
Is slowly collecting the material for a great uni
versity which will come one of these fine DAYS.
but she is not now and will not be, for
long time. IAN educational
center. II names make universities and col
leges, We have four of the 3S4 existing in the
United States; if it takes five millions of endOw-
ment to make a university and three college
rs Some very sensible men hold we haven't any
institution at Washington of higher grade than
academy. While the respective endowments of
Harvard, Yale. Johns Hopkins Cornell and Ie-
hi9h run up into millions. the Joint moneyed re-
sources OF the four institutions at Washington
are SO meaSer.-so much on the wrong side of
nail million that i am ashamed to mention the
ngure. How can a college be made without dis
llneuished professors, costly apparatus and large
libraries! and how can these be had without
money. and good deal OF it? The worthy men
who conduct our learned institutions do the
cannot compete with the endowed colleges of
the country. The young Washingtonians who
are at college are the great majority of them.
away from home; they are at Harvard, Yale
cornell. Princeton Lehigh. Amherst and Johns
Hopkins The thing for our newspapers to do
Is to stop Dragging and get some of our rich
men to do what Johns Hopkins did in Balti-
more-endow one college handsomely.
Our common schools have money enough
Congress lavishes a half million year on them
ihey have fine buildings. well ventilated and
commodl0us rooms, elegant desks aud seats
All their advantages are offered without
money and without price. If they were
good nearly all the children would be
in them. Are they? There are over fifty
thousand children of school age. OF these,
about twenty-fOur thousand are not i'm the free
Common schooisl Knock off fourteen thOus-
and as indifferent, transient. or at daily labor
and going to no school, ten thousand remain as
the patrons of sectarian and private schools.
As no sect accommodates a parent for patron
lslng the Tree schools, and none is rich enough
to keep schools without charging a tuition fee
oil at least 30 quarter it is plain that there are
In this District parents willing to pay an aggre-
gate sum of about two hundred thousand dol
lars TO escape from the free schools! This
is protest of weight. If any one
Chooses to throw ont all cases in which
the religious element may exist. let him
deduct five thousand children for the number
sent to sectarian schools, including the paro-
chial. and there will still remain five thousand
protests, averaging $50 each. against the man
agement OF the free schools. Out of this num-
Der comes the support of the numerous private
pay schools which flourish in this CITY. If the
free schools are as good as it is claimed, why are
SO many parents-and these not the least anX-
1ous TO secure good education for their chill
0ren-Wliiing to put up their money to send
them to private schools? Why are the private
pay schools able to advertise in all the dailies.
filling column after column? Why are such
schools growing stronger from year to year.
notwithstanding want of capital and good
buildings and inability to grade? 1t is
In part. because boy who is able to master
the entire arithmetic in one year is not kept at
It seven long and dreary years. until his mental
faculties Collapse at the very sight of the book:
because a girl who can learn to draw we'll in
three years is not Kept drawing perpendicular
lines Tor one year. ObliGue lines to the right for
the second, Obiique lines to the left for the third
year. and so on for the eleven years of the school
Course coming ont at last with no more knOwl-
edge OF drawing than may be gained at an art
school in three months: because child is not
placed with an able teacher one year an incom-
peteEt one the next. without chance OF escape
by transfer. but compelled to run the rOnhC OF
the machine from grade to grade: because men
are employed toteach mathematics and because
Of many other things 1 have no space to men,
tlOn For these reasons careful parents send to
private schools. choosing their own teachers.
TS1y know that theS .Taat men of the nation
TSse not TIthrehrGdgh the machinery of city
SCHOOLS. tbnenpe best educated men had the adj
. yaiiiA9es'Ui the robust individuality cultivated
In the private and country schools.
If the school authorities would study the sit
uatiOn they might make great improvement in
the common schools. Apparently they are not
aware that there is any dissatisfaction; they will
probably let things Slide until Congress puts
its heavy hand on them as Cromwell did on the
Rump Parliament SUBSCRIBER