Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-10-13
CITY AND DISTRICT.
Observation-Disclosures,

CHARGES AGAINsTTRUsT BIRNEY
Another Letter Sent to the District
commissioners - Complaints Against
the Trustee ON Account Of His Acts
I'm heorsanising the Schools.
Inc District Commissioners have received q
letter from Messrs. T. A. Lambert A. Hart. Geo.
0. Little, A. W. Pitzer. c. H. Burgess, John R.
Major, Richard Norris, E. Baldwin, R. B. Det-
RICK Alex. Kent. John Randolph, P. Wallach
ana o'ners, Ming charges against Mr.. VIM. Blr-
ney' trustee OF the second school division
Ater referring to the letter sent to the Com
missioners In July last requesting the revoca.
ton OF Mr.. Birney's appointment, the letter
now nied goes on to say:
w nat we then feared would happen, has
happened. Changes Injurious to the schooIs
ana the school children of our division have
oeen mace oy order of Trustee Birney without
school board, and against the Judgment of the
Supervising principal. These changes illustrate
the PAD effect OF a reckless exercise of the one
the interest of hobbies and fayorites: and are
analogous 10 the unauthorized order respecting
Wri ti examinations, to which we called at
tehlloh IN former communication. AS in
stances OF these Illadvised changes, we submit
the following: First, The Seaton school build
ing, by reason OF its plan and surroundings. can
not we'll be adapted to the requirements of a
mixed school for boys and girls, and 1t has here
toore FOR many years been used for girls schools
caused the play.roOm In the basement of the
enliding 10 be divided into two nearly equal
parts by board partition, and the closets in
the Dach !aru 70 be similarly divided, and the
east half to be fitted up for the use of boys. In
that ha !, OF On that side of the building Is 10
Gated the playground. On the other side ia
iocateu only a narrow pasSagcway leading to
the side entrance and to the closets in the rear.
The changes, therefore, effected by Trustee Blr-
boys 1.-the pleasantest side of the building. aud
all The available playground belonging to the
premises, leaving for the use of the girls the
west side of the building, inadequate closet ac-
Communications, and the public street for play
ground; that is, the girls are crowded into the
street ana LETT to shift for themselves among
passing vehicles whenever they may need
ofen air exercise, or, In the alternative, they
must iofego such exercise altogether thereby
impairins or certainly imperliing their health.
Ana THIS state OF things must and does incon-
VeGlence and enbarrass the teachers in the
performance of their duties, and for that rea-
son operates injuriously.
But this is not all, nor the principal Indication
OF a lack OF common sense at the head OF school
affnlis, IN our division; for, having set apart
accommodations and all the available play.
ground to the boys, the trustee in charge next
proceeds to put into the building 554 girls and
W Doys. surely comment would he wasted on
such wretched performance as this Second,
he has removed two eighth gra lie girls schools
from Henry building, whore they were conven-
iently and amply provided Tor, L:.e to the Twin
Ing and one to the Morse, where they are not
and cannot be properly accommodated, because
not large enough for the furniture required for
eighth grade pupils. We do not now make
a .oiat Of q. the Discrimination praoIieed
them out for removal to more remote
and less desirable localities, leaving the
boys eighth grade schools in the Henry, al
though in our opinion this was wrong; but our
present point is that no one of these eighth
grade schools should have been removed from
the transfer by assignment of very excellent
teacher of nearly twenty years faithful service
from a photographed and easily managed
school of high grade in the Webster building,
located In the central part of the city, to
organized and difficult school in the new Blair
building, located in the extreme northeastern
section OF the city; and he has done this at a
time when the teacher In question happens to
be enieebled by an accident, having been
thrown from carriage, and consequently less
able to undertake the scyerer labOrs OF organ
izlng and disciplinng new school; anG he
has given the very desirable position thus va
Gated in the Webster building to Il recent ap-
pointee of his own. Such favoritism would be
less noticeable mot INDUCED i'm at the expense
and to the prejudice OF an enfeebled lady,
whose long and faithful service ought to have
protected her from such unfair discrimination
Fourth. When vacancies have occurred or
been created in upper grade schools of our divi-
sion, MIR. Birney has generally, as we are i'm
formed, filed them with strangers from abroad,
thereby barring promotions from our own
teachers and destroying the esprit du corps of the
profession. There are now in our division a
number OF accomplished teachers in the lower
grades who have amply earned advancement
would be no experiment.; but they are denied
even hope OF an advancement while Trustee
Birney continues to experiment with teachers
from abroad who owe their places to him. Some
of these favOrites have succeeded and some
have failed; but the discrimination against our
Fifth. Three of Trustee Rirney's late appoint.
ments are irregular and unlawful. The law re-
quires: THAT graduates Of this school (the Nor
when appointments of teachers for the
public schools are, to be made" (Act of
he s,saa ~ Assembly Of June %, 1879
while at least three Of these Normal gradaates
are unemployed. Gen. Brney has nominated
and procured the appointment of five other
teachers. In other words, he has reversed the
law and given the preference to outsiders as |
against our own girls, educated in our own
aud second grade schools where only sir are |
needed; -Four of these are located in the !
Henry building and four more in building on !
and one in the Abbot building. These nine |
schools nave an aggregate attendance OF 36a |
uny Of the
That is, there are three teachers en-
Reye eSna more for toa chan are and
small, Is thus farther depleted. We |
know of no reason why Trustee Birney |
should be permitted to thus enlarge his patrons
of the other teachers should be scaled down |
simply to enable him to find places for some of |
that great army of applicants he has been invit- |
republic. We submit the foregoing allegations |
as illustrations OF what has happened in our |
division since our former communication and |
of matters not therein referred TO- IT is sup |
Elementary and additional to the memoran- |
dunn accompanying that communication, and !
TO which we again invite attention. If you |
doubt or be denies the substantial accuracy of |
our Indictment we are ready to submit proofs. |
But II liese things are SO, or substantially as |
can there be q doubt that the parents and PEG. |
pie OF the second school division are entitled to
the relief they pray for, to wit, the revocation
OF the appointment of William Birney as trus-
tee OF the public schools?"
THE COUNTERFEIT SILvER.-Since the cap |
ture OF the gang OF Italians who were. It is |
charged, engaged In passing counterfeit coin |
number OF merchants have reported the receipt |
OF some Oh This spurious coin. 1t has been
learned, that In some instances, the money |
after being received was passed again by the |
receivers, although they knew it to Be counter |
tait In one case, 1t IL stated, two attempts |
Were made before the coin was passed Special |
Officer Mckay, of the Center market saws he |
has discovered several cases where the coin |
was passed, aud adds that he intends to prose- |
cute all cases which come to his KNOWLEDGE |
These bogus coins are remarkably good, and |
can hardiy ne detected except by close scrutiny /
and weighing. They are lighter than the gem |
porting to be Of the coinage Of 1873 and 1875. /
and have nearly the true ring.
Mr.. BARRIERS BosYoN CLAIM-Mayor |
OHrien, OF Boston, yesterday cent q letter to |
the board OF aldermen Of that city Returning the
order TO pay the Barber Asphalt Paving com
Pany, q TINS city: %. 71227 without bis sigma