Evening star., 1896-09-21
District Children Assemble Today to
Begin Work.
INCREASE IN FHE ATTENDANCE
An Interesting Talk With Super
intendent Powell.
n A L F AY s E S S SION S

The public school year Of 1S96-N began
this morning, and from all parts of the
District children were to be seen heading
toward the buildings where they are to put
In their allotted hours of work five days in
the week until the middle of next June.
1t seemed as though the advent of fall
was coincident with the beginning of the
school year. and the young people found
the temperature of the school rooms far
more pleasant than they would have done
had the scholastic year started week
earlier. With rosy cheeks and bright.
sparkling eyes, fresh from long and we'll
earned vacation. upward of forty thousand
rhildren have already reported for work,
with clear minds in healthy bodies, ready
to take up the thread of their education
where it was broken off some three months
ago. All the evidence goes to show that
In point of attendance the present year will
be the most successful in the history of the
District.
Increase in Attendance.
For a number of years past the attend
ance has grown at the rate of about per
cent, and has gone as high as per cent.
Figuring on this fact, and on the number
of pupils who have already signified their
intention of attending this year. it is esti-
mated tnat thG total number In attendance
on the day schools will he sully 43.OO0,
" nile the night schools will in all prob
ability carry the number up to 46,op3.
As a rule. but little was accomplished to-
day beyond receiving and enrolling the pu-
pllS VINO We're transferred from the lower
grades Pupils who are admitted by card
are expected to report tomorrow. so hat it
IS impossible as yet to give exact figures
IN some instances. however. work was be-
gun this morning almost as if there had
been no break This was the case in those
SCHOOLS where the capacity had practically
been reached by the numbers promoted
from lower grades, and where. as Il result
ADMISSION by card tomorrow could not ap-
preciably alter the situa lion. In sucn cases
the teachers lost little time in getting to
WORK, ana the sUpposition is that lots of
children know more this afternoon than
they did this morning.
Inc growth in the attendance in the pub
lie schools seems to be pretty well distrib-
uted all along the iine so .ha: the high
schoois are expected TO share in the in
crease IN ABOUT the same proportion as the
lower grades. Last zeal there were about
NV white pupils III The various high
schools Of the District. and the chances are
thai there VIII be in the neisfbor mood q:
I,"pU, or more, this year.
More Halliday Schools.
The school year opens with better pro-
vision for the accommodation of pupils
than ever before. There are more build
AHSS itstSiy IOI use anu 1e"er basement
and garret rooms used for school pur-
poses. and yet the fact remains that this
year Will a reSrettable increase in
the number of halliday schools. This
Is especially true in the northeast sec
ton of the city, where in a number of
cases the pupils even in the third and
fourth grades will he cut down to one
session day. This seems remarkable
especially in view of the fact that pro-
portionately more new buildings have
been erected in that section than in any
other Even SO. the increase in the num-
Der OF applicants for admission has out
stripped the increase in the accommoda-
tionS.
The suburban sections find themselves
better off than they ever were before in
the matter of schools. With the exception
of Benning they are all about as well pro-
Vlded for as is the center of the city. and
in the matter of manual training ard cook
ing schools they are not at all behind the
city proper. Heretofore the scholars from
the suburbs have been compelled to make
weekly pilgrimage to the city for les
son in manual training or cookery, but
this has now been practically done away
With The number of rented buildings
used for school purposes in various parts
of the city has been materially reduced.
Although there are very explicit rules
to the effect that all pupils must report
on the opening day of school by no means
all are back In cases where the parents
prolCng their summer vacations into Oc-
toher the children are, of course. prevented
from showing up on time. Then. too. the
opening of Congress always brings an
addition to the public schools. Provision
will be made for all these. and the super
intendent said today that in no case would
1t be necessary 10 refuse admission be-
cause there is no room Every child will
be taken care Of in some way, albeit many
of them will have to be placed in schools
where the teachers already have as many
pupils as they can properly attend to.
Even this is vast Improvement over the
conditions in some of the larger cities
this year. From New York and other
cities come stories OF hundreds and thou
sands of children who cannot possibly be
accommodated in the public schools. =
What superintendent Powell Says.
In conversation with a Star reporter to-
day. Superintendent Powell said:
Il sincerely trust The Star will keep up
its good fight against the system of half
day schools. That we are compelled to
have them at all is really the fault of no
one in particular. 1t simply means that
Congress has failed to make suitable pro-
vision for the increase in the number Of
school children of the District. To be per-
fcctly honest, Congress has done pretty
well in the matter. but the Improvement in
affairs is really more in the suburban sec
tions than it is in the heart of the city.
The Increase in the accommodations has
more than kept pace with the increase in
the number of pupils during the years that
/ have been superintendent of schools; but
even at the present rate it will be many
years before the one overtakes the other.
L presume the only real solution of the
problem Is for Congress to make one large
appropriation for the public schools which
will suffice to provide ample accommoda-
tIons for every child who desires to attend
The halliday school is really a farce.
Three hours day, even for the youngest
pupils, Is not d sufficient amount of time
to devote to study. They have not the op-
rortunity with such methods must be
adopted under this system to fully digest
what they are learning. 1t is altogether toe
much Il case of fpse dixit' or 'memoriter'
learning. and not the Scrt that constitutes
the best education. where the pupil gets In
the habit of study and learns how to make
the best of his opportunities. l hope that
the time is not far distant when halliday
schools will be done away with altogether.
Cookery and Manual Training.
Perhaps the most noticeable feature of
our school system is the attention which
is now given to cookery and manual train
ing. Starting some years ago with but one
teacher the success which has attended
this branch of our work has been so mark
ed that now every section of the District
is well provided for. 1t has formerly been
necessary for students in the outlying sec
tiOnS the ri n