Evening star., 1900-03-23

management OF school buildings except
construction, and shall make all naedful
rules and regulations which may be proper
for the conduct of the business of the de-
partment, and shall submit to Congress an
annual report of the operations of the de-
partment, together with the needs of the
service, and particularly the sanitary and
structural condition of all buildings in use
as well those in course of construction.
Power of New Board.
That the board shall have power to ap-
point one superintendent for all the public
schools in the District of Columbia, secre-
tary, disbursing officer who shall give a
bond in the sum Of $4,000 for the faithful
discharge of his duties, and two clerks, and
to remove said officers at its pleasure. The
superintendent, by and with the advice and
consent of the board, shall have power to
appoint and remove an assistant superin-
tendent, all teachers. officers and other en-
ployes connected with the public schools
not already specified, and he shall annually
submit to the board for its approval the
course of studies lists of the text books
and other apparatus to be used in the
schools.
That the board shall annually transmit to
the Commissioners of the District of Co.
lumbia an estimate of the amount of money
required for the department of public
schools for the ensuing year, and said Com
missioners shall include the same in their
annual estimate of appropriations for the
District of Columbia.
That the foregoing provisions under the
head of Public Schools shall take effect
Immediately upon the passage of this act.
and all acts and part of acts in conflict
Herewith are hereby repealed
For officers: For five members of the
board of education, 81 900 EACH 5000, not
more than s., 500 of which shall be used dur
ing the first half of the fiscal year; for one
superintendent of public schools. IS, 600; for
one assistant superintendent So 600; for one
secretary, s., 800; for one disbursing officer
5000; for two clerks. at 81 900 each, 5000;
one messenger, $500: in all, $4,000
The testimony TAX n by the committee
is very voluminous and sometimes conflict
ing as to the management, methods of in
struction. and condition of the public
schools The committee does not believe it
practicable to remedy the evils complained
of by detailed legislation. A lack of q
properly organized system is, in the opin-
ion of the committee, the principal source Of
very many defects and alleged defects in
the existing system Of public schools in the
District. The laws relating to the schools
will be found in the Compiled Statutes in
force in the District of Columbia" page 4S2
ct seq. 1t will be found very difficult to
determine from comparison of these laws
what are the duties and powers of the trus-
tees the superintendent and other officers
connected with the schools. On the 20th
of September. 1883, Mr.. A. 6. Riddle, then
attorney for the District of Columbia, gave
al opinion in which he reviewed at length
the powers Of the Commissioners of the Dis
trict OF Columbia, the board Of trustees, and
the superintendent Of schools. and pointed
out the many inconsistencies Of the stat
utes and the lack of power on the part Of
| the board Of trustees. His opinion is print
ed in the appendix.
The board Of trustees under the present
law is appointed by the Commissioners Of
the District, of Columbia and consists of
eleven members, who receive no compensa-
ton. The superintendent is also appointed
by the Commissioners. The powers and
duties Of neither the trustees nor the super
iutendent are definitely defined
Amount of Necessary Drill.
1t would be impossible to criticise and
decide all or any considerable number of
the disputed questions upon which the COM
mittee has taken testimony. There is a
vast preponderance of evidence, however,
tending to show a want of the necessary
drill in spelling. penmanship: arithmetic:
grammar and geography. This want Of
dril seems to oomds arise from the large number
studies taught in the lower grades. The
use Of object lessons, such as birds. insects,
flowers, fruits and the like, may be useful
and may interest children, but such object
lessons ought not to monopolize the time of
the schools to the exclusion of elementary
drilling.
The advocates Of the so-called mature"
studies very properly contend that some
variation from the old system is necessary
| to interest the pupils and make their school
life agreeable and beneficial. but the trou-
| BILE is, according to the testimony of the
| teachers, that so much time is consumed
with these nature" studies that they are
| compelled to neglect the necessary drill in
the elements Many Of the teachers COM
plain that they are constantly occupied in
investigating these nature studies to
| qualify themselves for teaching. and that
| their time and energy are exhausted in
studying and teaching nature" studies to
| such an extent that they are not able to
teach the children the primary lessons
which are Indispensable to the great mass
l of the neOOle In the ordinary ofgo
| life.
There is another matter which seems to
interfere with primary training in the
schools. and that Is the disuse Of text
books The children are compelled to reiv
almost entirely on oral instructions by the
teachers, without the use Of books, Ysex