The herald., 1896-01-12
HAPPENINGS AT LONG BEACH
Unnecessary Legislation by the Board
of City COunciImen
Excellent Condition of the Public Schools,
Some of the Intended Improvements
About Town-News Items


increasing we cite the fact that twenty
eight new pupils we're last week en-
rolled in our city schools, the grammar
school getting all but three Of this
number, the high school receiving the
remainder. The enviable reputation
our schools have gained, through the
efforts of really meritorlous and COM
potent corps of teachers, for the excel
| lence of the instruction impair ted has,
with our splendid climate and b, gienic
advantages, been the means of Induc-
ing many heads OF families TO come and
locate here, ard the consequence is that
there are more pupils attending orr
grammar school than there are suff-
cient accommodation for. However,
as we stated above, we have cape-
BILE and efficient corps of teachers, and
Mrs. Hattie NJ Willard, the principal,
has in Miss Harriet BJwles. her assist
| ant, Miss Lima Lishtburn of the fifth
and sixth grades, Miss Jane Harnett of
the Intermediate, and Miss Belle Town-
send of the Primary department, four
| co-workers who, in their different
grades, have no supsriors. There are
now enrolled in this school 213 pupils,
divided as follows: Mrs. Willard, sew
enth aud eighth grades, 63; Miss Light
burn, fifth and sixth grades, 53; MISS
Hartnett, intermediate, 43, and Miss
Townsend, Primary, 54. Every Friday
afternoon Mrs. Willard has some one
of practical experience come and give
the classes talk on things and events
which they, the speakers, of their
own knowledge and observation
are thoroughly familiar with. These
Friday afternoon "talks" embrace
wide range of subjects and are gen.
orally very interesting. The scholars
take deep interest in this pleasing
form of Instruction and are closely at
tentive to all that ia told or shown
them, and as the persons who address
them only speak from personal knowl-
edge Of the subjects presented, the
beneficial effects of this lyceum course
cannot be overestimated.
Trustee e. E. Moore. in confidential
matter-of-fact way, told the classes
last Friday afternoon Of what he saw
and learned on a trip he with num-
Der of other school boys once made to
London. Mr.. Moore made a very in
teresting and instructive address, his
vivid word painting and happy faculty
of expression making the objects and
things depicted appear as plain and
clear as mental photography could pre-
sent them.
Besides the high and grammar schools
there are the Signal Hill school. with
thirty-three pupils, taught by Miss
Brown, aud the Alamitos school with
the same number OF pupils, taught by
Miss Neville, making the numoer Of
! v,uy,j0c onrOl1o5 n 40 fonr nm
prising the Long Beach school district
$50.
The high school is in charge of Pro-
fessor W. S. Bailey, with quarters at
| present in the M. E. chapel, and roll
! of membership tnat is steadily growing.
The problem Which now contronts us,
and which we must provide for, is in
creased school room for our children.
/ The new school house, which is now
being built on the Alamitos, will only
| be a temporary relief, es the require
ments Of that rapidly growing townsite
will soon require all the space the
building affords for its own children.
So nothing remains but for us to meet
the emergency and build an addition
to our present school house large
enough to accommodate double the
! present number Of pupils.
A specimen of the kind of legislation
the people of this place have and are
being afflicted with is the proposed
ordinance regulating the height OF
hedges to six feet in the fire limits,
which passed it's first reading at the
session of the city trustees Thursday
night. We know of no hedges in the
city-with ths possible exception of
two or three belonging to absent own
ers which through neglect have not
lately been trlmmsd-that are allowed
to reach the pro scribed height, and as
| the ordinance is mum ou the subject
! of windbreaks its introd uction is a
silly piece of business. However, tho
thing will go through as per schedu ule,
and be printed the legal number of
times, the printer will present his bill,
which the council will audit, and the
ordinance having been put to all the
use it ever was intended it should be
put to, will, like the bicycle, chicken,
stock and every other ordinance in our
books relapse into innocuous desuetude
never to be disturbed until it's mate,
San ordinance regulating the color
and cost OF window shades" shall
crowd in to roost alongside of it.
Here is another business which de-
serves watching. We quote: "Ths
city engineer instructed to investigate
and report to the board for considera-
tion the cost nd msintenencs of a
water system to be operated and con-
trolled by the city Of Long Beach, also
water bearing lands. ETC." We believe
ia the municipal ownership of water,
but as there are now three different
water systems in our city, any ex-
pected relief from such source seems
hopeless especially as this same coun-
Gil neglected the chance to economize
the public funds by utilizing ocean
water for street sprinkling purposes
last summer, preferring to buy at a
much higher cost, water from the Long
Beach Development Company.
The new yacht that Johnny Nevin is
having built is a beauty, and will be a
decided acquisition to our feet of
pleasure craft.
The Improvement society will have
public meeting Monday evening at the
council chamber.
The committee in charge of the -ee
reading room, establis she'd January 1st,
will meet Tuesday evening at the coun-
Gil chamber for the appointment of
librarian and the transaction of other
business in connection Herewith.
Poles for the wire which is to trans.
NIT the electric fluid to light our sister
city of San Pedro from our Long Beach
plant, we're distributed between here
and that place by the Terminal Rail-
Evi1