The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-10-19
POSITION OF DIRECTOR PRoscH.


High school, and as parent, citizen, tax
payer and servant of the people am willing
and anxious to do all can to maintain one.
have five children to rear and educate, All OF
whom 1t Is my present intention to put through
the High school after their completion OF the
primary and grammar courses. small minor
ity of the people of this city have more present
and prospective interest IN the Hlgh scnooi
than I.
While am interested IN the High school am
more interested in the primary ana grammar
schools. More than % per cent of the pupils
attending our public schools are to be found
there, while less than per cent are to be found
in the High school That is the proportion at
present and the proportion is gradually increas-
ing in favor OF the lower schools. In 1888, Win
High school much less attractive than that OK
today, over per cent of the school attendance
was enrolled in its classes. This disparity viii
become no less the city enlarges, or the DIM
culties OF getting into the lower schools are
decreased and as the distance of the average
pupil to the High school is increased. To show
that Seattle is not exceptionally situated In this
matter need only refer to Portland, city not
materially unlike this, where High school mas
long been maintained. There, in magnificent
100000 building, with q corps OF irstclass
teachers and every desirable appliance for I'm
parting instruction, the average attendance
during the school year lS9o-9l was 2Ss No other
town in Oregon or Washington makes as good
High school showing as Portland.
The law makes it the absolute duty OF the
board OF education to provide instruction for all
children of school age in the primary aud gram
mar grades, while permission only is given to
establish courses of higher instruction. Taxing
into account the law, their oaths OF office and
their obligations to the great majority OF their
fellow citizens, it is unquestionably the hrst
duty OF board members to provide for the
younger children. How is this done in Seattle?
A nf he oh oh tab az
June. 1t developed the fact that there were
1881 children In the city between the ages OF
and q years. The number belonging to the
schools the same month was ALL. including l27
in the High school Less than one-half the chill.
dren entitled to school privileges were receiving
them. The number Of children belonging to
the schools at the close of last month was 4,6S3.
or about half the whole number of children of
school age found in the city by the census tax
ers four months ago. To accommodate the 5000
or 10000 children in the city at this time the dis
trict owns nine good, creditable, permanent
buildings, containing ninty-three school rooms,
capable OF seating comfortably an average OF
fifty pupils or an aggregate of 4,l50. In addition
1t owns half dozen other build
Ings, containing ten rooms, buildings
that are an eyesore to their respective
neighborhoois, that are q disgrace to the dis
trict. and OF which every member of the board
OF education is heartily ashamed. In addition
to these there are eleven leased rooms generally
vacant store rooms, built for other purposes,
and located usually where no one would locate
q school. In these huddled the little ones,
to whom our first duty is, in a manner anything
but pleasant and wholesome, and to the deep
distress of their parents. II will be seen from
this that the board is unable to accommodate in
proper manner one-half the children of the
city, and that it is now using twenty-one of
these wretched temporary rooms for the housing
and instruction of several hundred pupils of
the lower grades.
The proposition to borrow more money and
improve the schools looks to me like an attempt
to get $4,000 or 100000 to locate and build q
new High school. The primary and grammar
schools are eubordinated and lost sight of in
the movement, and this notwithstanding the
urgency of their necessities and the greater good
to the greater number.
The great pressure upon the schools at present
10 In the central mart of the city. The South.
the Minor and the Central buildings are the only
ones that have been unable to take in all who
have offered Here are two OF the temporary
"shacks," as they are called, and here are six of
the leased rooms, the other leased rooms and
shacks being in the outskirts of the city. Not
outstanding these miserable expedients the
three school districts were overcrowded, and it
was found necessary to reduce their area by
adding to the Denny and Rainier schools, and
after this even, 10 secure further relief, every
child that would go TO one of the other schools
was sent.
Instead of reduction In area the old Central
school district should have been enlarged by an
nexation to 1t of portions of the South and Minor
districts, and then 1t should have been cut In
two In that section reaching from Main to
Stewart and from the water front to Thirteenth
or Fourteenth are 1900 or 1,400 children, or
enough to fill two schoolhouses larger than the
Central. The permanent accommodations we
have are twelve rooms, good for about 600 chill
dren. During the past week the principal has
been compelled by the pressure to yield one-half
his office to the children. and during the next
week another leased room may be required for
the proposed night school.
The location of the Central building is suit
able for High school in every respect Theex-
terror OF the building is sufficiently attractive
Its interior is in general adapted for the pur-
poses, and an expenditure OF $1,000 or less
would probably make it all that it should be-
Including the present value of the ground and
the cost then of the building, IL will represent
about $3.50 ,000-too much by half for any public
school in this city.
For $4,000 two blocks can be obtained in ell
gible localities, and two sixteen-room brick
buildings can be constructed, with accommoda-
tons for l,600 pupils in the primary and gram
mar grades, or If cheaper class of houses is de-
sired, the money will make room for 1000 or
more pupils. The High school does not now
need but four of the Central rooms, and il is not
likely to need more than six for several years to
come. BY continuing the High school in the
| Central building, and putting up additional
houses as suggested. the district will have per-
manently not less than thifty-two rooms in first
class brick buildings, while for a number of
| years 1t will have nearer forty.
Will not this be better than spending the
| whole amount in one building, for the use of
| comparatively small number of pupils, who can
| be served just as well in the manner suggested:
| pupils, too, who are not legally required to be
| served at all, and whose service in the manner
| contemplated will be the cause OF the neglect
and injury OF large number of younger pupils.
| for whose service there is absolute and unoues.
| toned requirement?
Considering that the community is heavily i'm.
| volved in debt; considering that money is hard
to get; considering that more benefit can be got
| from the money, and considering that there is
| urgent need for the use Of the money in the
way laid down by law and demanded by right
| and justice, why should we invest now in an
| other $4,000 or $4,000 school property prin
| cipally for ornament? One such property IL
| enough. and 1t is more than enough when our
| poverty and the crying need for better dis
| tribution of our school accommodations ara
| borne in mind
This subject is one that Ii will be well for the
| people to investigate and reflect upon, and to
express themselves publicly. that no mistake
may De made. THos. w. PRoscH.
NJ n n a N