The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-02-22
4IRIDESCENT DREAM
Supt. Barnard's Plan for an
Educational Park.
USE FOR THE UNIVERSITY SITE.
II Would BE an Excellent Place for
High, Normal and Manual Train
ing Schools and Library.

Hanging in the Office of Mr.. Frank J.
Barnard, superintendent of the public
schools, is large square piece of card
board. On the center of it is pasted pic
ture of a handsome building labelled
thigh school," In the four corners are
pictures Of a public school, a manual train
ing school, normal training school and a
public library.
That said Mr.. Barnard yesterday, sis
my idea of the use to which the old state
university site should be put when the
university is moved to the suburbs.
think we ought to get hold of it in some
way for the city, and put the High school
and other buildings have indicated there.
Then we could call it Educational Park.
I'VE need a high school; we need man.
ual training school; we need a normal
school and public library. Now where
can we get better place to put them than
in this same ten-acre tract? 1t is GEN.
trally located, and the land lies we'll for
the purpose.
"Of course / don't fancy for a moment
that we could do all this building at once.
Indeed if the city could obtain the tract,
the present university building would an
swer as a high school for some time to
come, and doubt whether we could get
sites for the other four buildings as cheaply
as that ten acres could be bought.
''In addition to the structures I have
ground for the children--and that would
be big advantage for us.
You see | have provided for a regular
grammar school in one corner of the
grounds. This site lies between the Gen.
- a nm thu ovS oh lie,
idly increasing population will soon make
common school needed there At pres
ent we are hiring twelve outside rooms in
the district between the Denny and the
Central, and in the total district covered
by the schools, four more rooms, making
sixteen in all.
Now then, if we could erect a sixteen
room grammar and primary school on the
university ground We could stop paving
rent. for all those extra rooms, and that
would be saving worth considering. The
pressure on the Central and the Denny
would be so relieved that all the children
III the districts could be provided with good
school accommodations.
ITO my mind no better use of the tract
could be made than devoting it to the
high school, manual school, normal school,
grammar school and public library Just
think what pride the city would take in
exhibiting to strangers our educational
facilities.
"At first l thought of this with the idea
that the state might appropriate money
enough for a new state university site, and
let the title of the present one revert to
the city. But that, as l have found, was
an iridescent dream
"A short experience with the legislature
few days ago has convinced me that no
appropriation which is not repaid by funds
from the sale of the present site is much
to be expected.
II greatly fear that the bill to make Spo-
kane Falls, Seattle and Tacoma pay the
expenses of the schools in their counties
will go through the House, though it NAV
fail in the Senate. This bill proposes to
lump the city and county school funds,
and then ladle them out, giving the coun-
try districts OF hing, for example, $50, 900
or 900 of Seattle's school money.
There is no rhyme nor reason in such
bill, nor is there justice behind it. The
advocates of the measure practically adj
nit that their might is their only right.
The cities raise extra taxes for the
maintenance of more expensive schools.
In the cities you have all the extra charges
for more elaborate school system than is
required in country districts, and | fail to
see the first reason why the city should
pay for the country.
I'VE succeeded, however, i'm getting an
other bill introduced, giving to cities of
5000 inhabitants or over the same rights
as now enjoyed by cities of 10000 or over,
In managing their own schools and raising
special assessments. This, we hope, will
give to the opponents of the bill for consoli-
dating city and county school assessments
and disbursements the votes of Port
Townsend, Fairhaven, Walla Walla,
olympia and Watcom. These sites are
certainly entitled to manage their own
schools Just as Seattle, Tacoma and Spo-