Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-01

year just closed. 1t is thought, however.
that the value of these improvements for
the preceding year.
During the year the work on the new Con-
gressional Library building, the addition to
the government printing Office and the new
Corcoran Art Gallery building was rapidly
advanced.
Real Estate.
While there was not a great amount of
activity in the real estate market during
the year. yet as compared with the pre-
ceding year the improvement was marked.
The investor appeared in the market and
the volume Of transactions was fairly
good. Prices remained firm, and although
there was no great demand for property of
any kind, yet there was no disposition
manifested to dispose of holdings at a sac
rifice. Property holders, especially those in
the suburbs, and citizens generally. re-
garded the action of the Commissioners
in completing their plan of street extern
sion as an important step toward the dis
position of this important matter A re-
vision of the building regulations, under
direction of the Commissioners, involved a
number of changes which were of i'm
portance to property holders.
The Public Schools.
The principal feature Of the past year as
regards the public schools Of the District
men by the Commissioners as members of
the board Of school trustees. This innova-
ton occurred in September, when Mrs. L.
r. Stowell and Mrs. NJ. c. Terrell (colored)
were named to serve on the board. Later
all the members. whose terms expired,
were reappointed as follows: James W.
Whelpley, president; ]. ]. Darlington, Geo.
II. Harries, Mrs. L. r. Stowell, D. H.
HaZen, Jesse H. Wilson, A. H. Wilmer.
II Mvc IT,,
rell and L. A Cornish. with ]. G. Falck,
secretary. The board has under coIsidera-
ton number of important changes in the
rules governing the schools
During the year new cutting and fitting
school was established in Georgetown and
new manual training and cooking schools
in Mount Pleasant An eight-room steam
heated school building replaced a four
room stove-heated structure at Bright
wood and new two-room building was es-
tablished at Ivy City. At the close of the
year additions to the school buildings at
Brookland and Tenleytown were well under
way, as was q new four-roDm building at
Congress Heights, which is to take the
place of a two-room frame building. A
new building in the southwest section of
the city was also well under way. The
ings demonstrate that the increase in at
tendance over the last school year was
marked.
Directly related to the schools was a big
UdZdaT, uHueT the auspices OF the Ieacn6rS'
Annuity and Aid Association. This was
held in Convention Hall during the first
two weeks in December, and proved an I'M
precedented success, 1t being necessary to
close the doors every evening, and thereby
shut out thousands who sought admission.
About $4,000 was netted by the enterprise
The National Guard.
The twelve months since January 1, 1895,
have been marked by more incidents of in
terest and importance than any other year
in the history Of the District of Columbia
National Guard. In February possession
was taken Of new armory building, spe-
c,ally erected. at 446 L street northwest, and
the troops. with the exception of the first
battalion and the first separate battalion,
were removed there from the old Center
Market armory and other armories scat
tered about the city. Convention Hall has
been used as a drill ground a bridge con-
ne citing the auditorium with the armory
building. In the order providing for the
removal to the new armory, the designations
Of company B and company D, second bat
TALON were changed, respectively, to COM
pany A and company d, third battalion.
A long felt want was filled by the estab-
liehment of an outdoor rifle range, fully
equipped, at Ordway, near Magruder sta
ton, Md.
The reputation of the District Guard in
interstate competitive drills was fully sus-
tanned at Memphis, Temp, during the con-
tests there from May II to q. Company A.
third battalion-the Morton Cadets-and
company c, second battalion-the National
Fencibles-attended from this city. The
Morton Cadets carried on second prize in the