Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-25
MIR. PAUL BOWEN APPOINTED
VIII serve Out Mr.. Woods Term nm
the School Board

AT d iate hour yesterday afternoon. after
the excise board had completed ito Wi,
commissioner Ross called the Comuissior'
ers III special board session. He nresanta,
the resignation of Mr.. Leonard G. Wood
as a member of the board of trustees of the
pubic schools This was in the nature Of
great surprise to the Commissioners a.
lhey had no intlmation that such a thing
was ABOUT TO happen. The resignation
however was accepted. and then the uues-
ton of a successor came up. There vera
any number OF applicants for the place
After some consideration the Commission
ers decided to appoint Paul T. Bowen. Mr.
Bowen Is clerk in the fourth auditors
of1ce and prominently associated with the
knights of Labor of this CITY, Mr.. Bowen
was highly recommended by a large num-
Der of prominent citizens and by Senators
German, Pasco. Call and Cockrell. Mr.
Bowen has been appointed to fill the un-
expired term of Mr.. Wood. which will con-
tinue until September Is. 1895.
During the agitation before Congress on
the subject of free books for the public
schools Mr.. Bowen was active and ener-
getic. His speech before the Senate sub
committee on the question was a mastery
exposition and is believed to have been one
of the main elements in securing the books
for the lower grades. At the close of his
speech the Senators present paid Mr.. Bow
en- a remarkable compliment for the able
and concise manner in which he had han
died his subject.
MIR. Bowen Surprised.
The new trustee for the second division
was considerably surprised by the action
Of the District Commissioners. He has had
an application on file for a place on the
board for some time, but did not expect that
a vacancy would occur so soon. He said to
Star reporter this morning: mo, 1 have
no theories about school management be-
yond this, that L believe in developing the
lower grades. 1 shall devote my energies to
an effort to build up the first eight grades
L think that that is where the system
breaks down. The great majority of pupils
who fail to finish the course drop out be-
fore they reach the seventh grade, and L
hope to see the whole course made SO eff
cient and popular that all will want to go
clear through. Then as to manual training.
Manual Training.
Il am heartily in favor Of an extension
of the syjtem so it will go from top to
bottom and be complete and thorough /
think that great good can be done in this
line by perfecting the plant that has been
secured Children may get a vague notion
of the meaning of mathematics. the value
OF lines and angles and solids from pure
textbook work, but they cannot obtain such
grasp on the subject in that way as they
can b. few hours of actual association
with objects and tools. | am heartily i'm
sympathy With this work, for l think IN
makes broader brains. Yet, 1 do not believe
We shoulu go so lar as to teach trades or to
turn out apprentices. That docs nj -
No, have little faith in the theory that the
manual training school tends to popuIarize
trade Nothing will popularize trade but
that is regarded as a last reSort
Labor is Uninviting in its most favorabI
and uncomfortable and poorly naiG
and nothlng can make it popular But the
manual training school can ha of - 'i.e
a community by turning out brighter and
more intelligent men," '1io