The San Francisco call., 1898-03-06

In Alameda City there are this year eight schools including the High School- Of this number two are ungraded. one school of sixteen pupils being situated on Bay Farm Island Besides the siXty-nine regular teachers employed Tn the oePait- ment the city boasts of four speclaI teach- ers--two of penmanship, one Of drawing and one of music In regard to the sub stitute teachers, we find here diver gence from the ordinary course III EoSu ,le Sue fin other places. Besides the usual ISi 1i of substitutes employed by the day III all . the cities, the Alameda Board or bdu- cation annually elects two ',stuuent tedci- CTS " who might be called special SUD- stitiitcs These teachers are paid reg uar salary of $35 per month ana must be graduates of some normal scnool, or possess q suitable teachers certncate livery regular teacher in the city IS gwen a visiting day once month Tn Whlch to watch the progress, or education III the other schools of Alameda, or aprQau Tn this way and in others the services of the student teachers are In constant
 MT. D. J. Sullivan, the genial City Su- , perintendent, Is 3 man of large experi- ence in school matters and well quail fled both by natural gifts ana eoucaIion z for the important position ne mas so faithfully held the last sixteen years. Tn speaking of educational affairs Tn Ala ;ieda MT. Sullivan said: "Our most press ing need at present is new high school, so that we could separate the Haight school from the latter. Besides the Knight ninth-grade pupils in the same pulIdlng and they receive instruction on the prin- ciples of high school work Ih9s the number of students In the High School, including the ninth grade, has been swelled to 320. and this does not inciude the pupils of the Haight School. In order to nccommodate the latter in the Hlgh School building it was found necessary 10 transfer the children Of the sixth, seventh and eighth grades elsewhere, thus bringing about q very crowded condition iu these other schools The only remedy Is 10 build a new high school as soon as possible. and then allow the pupils or these grades in the Haight school to re-
 | he system of the purchase and distri- button of school supplies in Alameda seems particularly successful. In Iuly all the school and ianitor supplies for the entire year are bought at once and then distributed monthly on requisition made bv the principal of each school. Lists are carefully prepared and the supplies are taken to the various schools by a speclai delivery wagon. T--4s proves an econom- ical system, and may well be recommend. ed to the notice of other cities. We get just what we pay for said the Superln- teudent and we see that there IS no fraud or waste. We are enabled to pur- chase supplies more cheaply than any other department in the State, because we buy in large quantities and pay casn. Everything is weighed and examined as soon as the supplies are brought to the storeroom. Composition books for sci euce work are furnished free to the pupils"
 One of the most progressive schools in Alameda is the Encinal. whose principal is Charles C. Hughes. one of Stanford brightest graduates. At a recent parents and teachers meeting in the school, the subject of the introduction of sewing into the curriculum was discussed. Mrs. Mor- row read very interesting and forcibly written paper on Teaching Sewing to Young Girls one great error of our modern mothers Is that they themselves do so many things for their chi4uren in stead of taking lne required time and patience 10 teach the latter to accomplish their own work. Ten years Is early enough for girls to learn to sew. One lady was greatly in favor of the school system of sewing, because while she her self had both the time and knowledge to teach them, she found that her girls learned more readily and sewed better when instructed by an outsider.
 After discussing the matter pro and con, Mir. Hughes appointed q committee of ladies to visit the sewing classes in the San Francisco schools and learn the methods there, and then the meeting ad journcd until the third Friday of the present month. when report will be made and the subject further discussed.
 A CATTLE COUNTRY SCHOOL.
 Hamilton there nestles in the wooded spurs of the coast range a tiny valley whose existence is almost unknown to all save a few hunters. The Journey up from San Jose may be easily made in a day by staging to Mount Hamilton and then on by horseback over a rough coun- try road Several high ranges He be- tween the mountain" and the San An tonic Valley, as it Is called, and through