The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-15

liam Cranch. John P. Van Ness, Elias B
! Caldwell Daniel Rapine. Butler Cooke
! Moses Dung, and Buchner Thurston. Z!
, the contributors: Samue ii. Smith, Gabrie
1 Duval. James Laurie, Thomas II. Giliiss
and Joseph MechIil.
In November, 1913, it was determined
| to build and endow two pubic schools in
| Washington, and to erect a peniten;iary.
, To this end lottery was provided for
| by the District corporation ard three citi-
zens from each ward appointed mana
gers as follows: First ward-John DAVID
! son, Thomas Munroe, and John Hewitt.
| Second ward-Washing;o Boyd, Andrew
Way, jr., and Joseph Gilliss, jr. Third
ward-Wiliiam Brent, John Law, and S.
n. Smallwood. Fourth ward-Builer Cooke,
William Brent. and John Dobbyn.
On June IS, 1915, the city was divided
into two school districts, the First and
Second wards constituting the First dis
trict, and the Third and Fourth wards the
Second.
Each district had a separate board OF
trustees, that of the first consisting OF
nine members, six of whom were chosen
by the joint ballot of the two parts OF the
city council, of which number three were
taken from the First ward and three from
the Second, the three remaining members
who had given SO or more toward the sup
port Of the schools. The board of trustees
of the Second district was chosen annually
by both parts of the city council, ana con-
sisted of seven members.
Up to 1887 Congress had not appropriated
any money toward the support of the
schools, but in that year the trustees CT the
corporation, by the direction of the coun-
ell, appointed a committee to bring the
Cd nf ha q Al q
National Legislature. The memorial pre-
pared by this committee was presented to
the appropriate committee of the Senate
during its session of 1861. Action was,
however, postponed TO the following ses-
sion, but the matter was dropped, to the
great disappointment of the municipal COM
mittee.
The condition OF education in Washington
in February, 1912, is shown by the follow
ing statistics:
The number of public schools was two,
and of private schools. nineteen. The
number of white persons under twenty
years of age was 5000; the number
between five and fifteen years of age, f.
SSS, end it was estimated that the number
between four and sixteen years of age was
1900. The number under four and above
sixteen, of school age, was 500, SO that
the total school population of the city was
5,i10. From official sources 1t was learned
that the number in actual attendance at
school was $50. leaving All as the num-
Der of those who did not attend school at
all. The cost of educating the 9S9 THAI did
attend was estimated at $4,000. and some
thought it was considerably higher.
These figures called attention TO the i'm
peIative need of an adequate system OF
public schools, which should provide for
general education at q reasonable cos.
Nevertheless, 1t was not until the :erod
from 1862 to 1866 that marked growth OF
the school system took place in the District
The gross appropriations for school pur-
poses within the District from 1895 TO 1865
a period of sixty-one years, were $685.
090.S9.
The superintendency of the city schools
has been confined TO but few men. The
first was Zalmon Richards. He was sue
ceeded BIZ Prof ]. Ormond Wilson, who IN
turn was succeeded by Prof. w. B. Powell,
of Illinois.