The San Francisco call., 1899-01-29

people. the elements or plain sewing. Girls
are taught TO make their own garments
and this is a matter Of very great con-
Germ TO people of poor or limited means.
Every effort will be made by the poorer
classes, therefore, to induce the board to
retain the department of sewing. The
matter is now under consideration and
will be decided next Monday night by the
board
However commendable the motives of
the Board of Education in seeking to
overcome the financial difficulties of the
School Department, it is evident that the
closing OF the commercial classes OF the
Mission High School has raised a storm
of protests. The Mission is a large and
prominent division of this city, and every
single man, woman and scholar inhabit
ing that territory is working to retain the
abolished portion of the High School.
Each member of the board has been petit
toned to reconsider the matter until the
Directors have come to believe that the
question was of greater dimensions than
it appeared to be at first sight. Superin-
and the Directors voted on his recon-
mendation, so they say, without going
far into the matter However, the board
is assailed by protests which will be
heard.
The Directors state in one voice that Su-
perintendent Webster offered the Mission
High School proposition for the action of
the board, and explained that the Poly
technic at Bush and Stockton streets
could accommodate the commercial
classes of the Mission school, and by so
it was intended to be, an academy and
not a mixed or business concern. The
members accepted his explanations, rea-
sons and arguments and passed the order
closing the classes.
The executive committee of the Mission
High School Society yesterday detailed
certain of its members to interview the
Directors in order to learn their individ-
ual views on the question. Seven-StOw,
Head Holbrook, Cole, Brandenstein,
Conlon and Stafford-were favorable to
consideration, while Eells was strongly
opposed to such action. Bergerot and
Armstrong were not seen, and Kemp and
Gedge We're non-committaL
Director Stafford said that he voted
solely on the advice of Superintendent
Webster. He was in no position to ex-
anime deeply into the matter and took the
word of an experienced teacher such as
Mr.. Webster undoubtedly is He will vote
to reconsider if the question is favorably
received by the board.
Holbrook is willing to take up the ques-
tion again in the next board meeting. The
idea, which was Webster's. was to clear
all work out of the Mission Hight School
that was not purely academic, and that
appearing to be a good idea he voted for
II.
Stow was open to a change of heart,
but with him 1t was matter of economy.
The board was in deplorable state and
he will stand by any measure that will
save money.
Cole said the question was little con-
sidered in the board meeting. 1t was
ical measure and was simply moving the
commercial classes to their proper places.
He now saw there was joker in the mat
ter and was favorable to reconsidera ton.
EellS was unwilling to reScind any ac-
ton. He wanted to see the institution
High School ard not mere commercial
institution.
Head was very pronounced in favor of
reconsideration and resembling the order.
He did not understand the question fully
when he voted for 1t, thinking the change
course of study as the Lowell and Girls
High schools. The thing had been rushed
through without sufficient thought.
Conlon misunderstood the full import of
abolishing a department of 103 pupils and
expressed himself as favorable to recon-
sideration.
Kemp was non-committal and was dis
posed to stand by the action of the board.
Gedge wrapped himself in mystery and
answered his visitors question by the
irrelevant query as to the whereabouts of
that $4,000 worth of typewriters out in
the Mission High School," He could not
get away from the fact that his visitor
was not a newspaper man, and was asked
no more questions.
High School Society, at its meeting last
evening stated that he understood the
Polytechnic classes were SO crowded that
it was utterly impossible to accommodate
any more students He asked, if the Mis-
sion commercial teachers must follow
their pupils to another school across the
city, why make the change? The Poly
technic classes now number from fifty to
sixty pupils, as many for each as one
teacher could handle. Director Head was
reported to have said that he was willing
to vote that the commercial department
of the Mission High School be continued
till June 80, when the present class will
finish the course.
Over 100 petitions are being actively cir
culated through the Mission district for
signatures, and will contain several thou
sand names when they are presented in
protest to the board next Monday evening.
The alleged list of ousted teachers
which appeared in the Examiner yester
day morning occasioned considerable
fright to the owners of those names and
much amusement to the clerks in the
office of the Board of Education. A large
number of those teachers have been in
the School Department for dozen years,
and only seven were elected since August
/, 1878.
Director Holbrook, chairman of the FL
nance Committee, stated positively yes
terday that the board will not assume
any debts contracted by the Normal
School after February 1. He also stated
that as Judge Seawell has rendered no de-
cision the hands of the Directors are tied
up and no money can be paid out for sal
aries. The matter of this payment was
TO have been settled at the meeting set
for next Monday evening, but now all
must await the decision of the court
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