Omaha daily bee., 1883-06-29
GROWTH OF SCHOOLS.
Twenty Thousand Annual Increase in
the Number Of Nebraska
Children.
A Little Study In Experimental Psy-
cbology ms made by Our
Reporter.

were thirty-three teachers in our public
schools, and their salaries for that month
amounted to s 1924, the payroll for the
year being s26 200. In May, 1883, there
were eighty-six regular teachers, or nine
ty-four including substitutes. Their sal
aries for that month were 1925, (the
pay being S70a month where it was 500,
and the total payroll for the last school
year mounts to 1862, 600. Ten years ago
the school census of children between five
and twenty-one numbered 1921; the
census taken last April shows 1921 chill
dren in the city. ''Of these, about four
thousand are in our public schools. The
first of April, Secretary Conoyer informs
us, there were $27, 900 in bonds in the
inkingfundtopayt the indebtedness on the
High School, and GIG, 900 cash to invest,
probably in paving bonds of the city of
Omaha.
This is splendid exhibit. Nothing
reveals more wildly the astonishing
growth of our city than the school CEN
sus. Mr.. Test, the Union Pacific Stats
~tician, estimates from those numbers that
we have a population of over fifty thou
sand; which is probably 80. Nebraska's
best crop is it's children; the rain, drouth
or g~rashoppers do not affect that. The
state superintendent of public instruc-
ton, w. w. Jones, informs us that the
increase of children during the past year
is twenty thousand. AS rapidly as schools
can be put up they are filled, and the cry
is, "Still they come-more room!" When
the schools commence work next fall the
superintendent expects that there will be
no less than forty-fve hundred children
in them. The West and South schools
are to be enlarged, 81, 1000 to be expend-
ed on the Central school and two new
brick buildings erected, one at the
corner of Seventeenth and Leavenworth
and the other at King and Della
ware streets, or about midway between
the North school and Prospect Hill Gem
etery. These twin structures are hand
somer than any of the present eight room
buildings, ornamented with terra Gotta
and cut stone, though they are limited in
cost to $32, 900. The steam heating ap-
paratus will cost $1,000, and outbpild-
ings 500, for each building. Dufrene
and Mendelssohn, the architects, have
paid particular attention to the ventila-
ton, there being six windows to the
south rooms and eight windows in the
north rooms, 80 that by a projection they
have a south exposure. Each room is
25.4 by 1878 feet. The roof is high
pitched and slated to prevent leakage.
No room is wasted, cross halls are done
away with, and two flights of stairs 81,
feet wide lead to the second story.
SUPERINTENDENT JAMES
is a predetermined educator whose mten
ton it is to give the schools of Omaha
reputation, and this he is doing by main
tanning modern ideas in teaching ant
arousing IN his little army of teachers al
enthusiasm heretofore unknown. Thu
!, public schools eve appeared so earnest
ly wide awake. In an extended CONVEX
sation with the superintendent yesterday
the writer of these articles was SURPRISED
to learn THAT teachers are paid bette
salaries in Omaha than in any place be
tween Chicago and Denver, better tina
|, at Cleveland, and perhaps, with the ex
ception of Chicago, better salaries tina
in any place between New York an
Denver. This year the teacher
have met by grades, instead of in a body
/, and better work is the result. The
have been in this way instructed in tn
method of teaching primary scholars t
read by sound, q method of which mar
people have never heard, but which b
: its practical results has been found 80 ia
l superior to the old A b @ method, tha
} the latter is no longer used. The boar
will probably employ some special teacl
err next year, one in music, n in elC
!, cution and one for drawing and writin
in all grades. Good results cannot b
n obtained without them. Miss Harder
q burgh has been teaching elocution fou
v hours a week in the high school, an
q there il talk of ten or twelve hours
r week. Superintendent james is strongl
opposed to corporal punishment in tn
schools. There has been u great deal
\ whipping in the public schools durin
the last year and he is determined tn,
there win be less next year.
A suggestion to connect the schoo
0 and the superintendent office by tel,
phones met with the hearty approval
o Mr.. James. A telephone in the Office
z the superintendent of schools in Wi
= liams' block, and in each of the for
principal buildings, central, north, ca
and south, would not cost the boar
more than twenty-five dollars a month
and would ave teachers and principa
. andsuperintendent anyamountof walkin
d and annoyance, particularly at the con
m%encement of the terms and examinatio