The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-04
THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
Much Routine Business Transacted
at the Weekly Meeting.
Revision of Histories Not Discussed
Plans for the Vacation school
A Change in the Readers for the
Higher Grndes-Neyr school Named

Plans for the Vacation school
A Change in the Readers for the
| Higher GrRdes-Neyr school Named
| The regular weekly meeting of the
| Board of Education took place last night
| at the Franklin School building, and con-
| siderable routine business was trans
| acted The question of the revision OF
| the civil war chapters of the histories
now in use in the public schools of the
| District was not discussed Neither was
the poor quality of the coal provided the
schools touched upon. This matter came
up at the last meeting of the Board. and
a report was submitted to the Commits
sioners of the District Since that time
| there have been no consignments of coal
| delivered at the schools.
/ In connection with text books. the
committee on that subject. of which Mr..
| j. Holdsworth Gordon is the Chairman,
recommended the Introduction of the Mer-
| rill Readers into all the grades of the
public schools. This work is published by
| Maynard, Merrill 4, Co., of New York
| They are now used In the first four
grades of the schools, and inasmuch as
the recommendation was endorsed will
! hereafter be used in the higher grades.
! There they will be studied in connection
| with Stepping Stones to Literature" the
! introduction of which was recently au-
thorized. The latter is a publication OF
! Silver, Burdette & Co, of New York The
/ Merrill Readers will supersede the Frank
lin and Normal Readers in the higher
| grades.
Preparations are now being made for
| the vacation school which will be con-
| Quoted during the summer at the Green
! leaf School under the direction of Mr..
Raymond Riordan. Mr.. Riordan has con-
| Quoted the vacation school for the past
two years and it has met with great sue
cess. Pupils of all grades are taught and
many are enabled to advance themselves
a grade during the summer months, while
| backward students can make up lost
ground In former years Mr.. Riordan
| has conducted the school practically upon
his own responsibility and has betrayed
| all the contingent expenses himself The
Board recognized the value OF the work
| being done and at the last session of Con-
gress asked for an appropriation of 81 600
| for the maintenance OF the vacation
school. The appropriation was granted.
| Mr.. Riordan IS gEsduate of the Wash
ington high and norn2I-schools and ls one
of the best teachers fn the public schools
His position at present is that of teacher
I
Greenleaf School.
The Board was in receipt of a communi-
cation from the Lincoln Emancipation
League, of this city, which made the re-
quest that the battalion from the Colored
High School be permitted 10 parade with
the League and other colored organiza-
tions on Emancipation Day if they SO de-
sired. The Board decised to refuse the re-
quest. E3.I 9l
Mr. Franklin v. Smith. curator Of the
Halls of the Ancieifts, addressed a COM
municatiou to the Board, inviting them to
view the Halls Of the Ancients at ds te
deemed convenient. The Board decided to
visit the Halls next Wednesday evening
after the adjournment of the regular meet
ing Of the Board. The invitation was is
sued with a view to familtarizing the
members of the Board with the features of
the Halls of the Aneients. There has re-
Gently been considerable discussion re-
garding the a, qulsition of the Halls of the
Ancients by the United States Government
for use as an educational and historical In
stitution.
OF late the employees of the public
schools have fallen into the habit of rem
dering bills for extra work to the Secre-
taTy of the Board and other officials. In
consequence the bills were some mes paid
and sometimes they were not. and there
was considerable confusion resulting from
their often being presented to officials who
had no right to order payment IN order
TO prevent this practice resolution, which
takes the form of an order was last night
adopted by the Board providing that no
employe shall be paid for extra SERVICES
without the consent of the Board.
Permission was extended to the Teach
ers Aid and Annuity Association to give
an exhibition of the school work which
will be displayed at the Pan-American
Exposition. This exhibit will be of espe-
cial interest and will form one of the at
tractiVe features of The educational por-
tion of the exposition. The exhibit will
lie made by means of the biograph il
Illustrating the work in the manual train
ing and other departments OF school work,
through which recitations will be repro
duced. Experts have been at work with
the photograph and biograph in the
schools for a week or 50 past and the
exhibit is now complete The exhibition
OF this work by the Teachers Sid and An
nuity Association VIII probably take place
at one of the downtown theatres on an
afternoon before the 18th instant.
1t was decided that the school now be
ing erected at Washington Height>should
be given the name of Morgan in honor
OF ex-Commissioner Thomas Z. Morgan.
1t was also decided that the next colored
school should be named in honor Of the
late John +. Langston.
Mrs Mary Hope West made a motion
authorizing the President of the Board TO
prepare biographical sketches Of the per
sons in honor of whom the schools OF the
District We're named. Phese sketches will,
according to her plan. be printed and post
ed in the schools bearing the name of
the respective men. Mrs NESTS motion
was carried. DO
DIR. Kingsman, Chairman of the Com
mittee on Buildings. Repairs. and Santa
tion, recommended that appropriate cere-
monies he carried out in connection with
the opening OF the various school build
ings when completed The recommended
tion was adopted.
The resignation Of Miss Julia Ball
teacher in the second grade at Brent
School. was accepted. Miss Agnes T.
Hessler was appointed teacher of the first
grade at that school. and the present
teacher Of the first grade was advanced
to fill the vacancy in the second grade.
James Hanrahan was appointed janitor
of the Blair School. to ill the vacancy
caused by the transfer of the present
tanitOr to the Harrison School. jeremiah
Brown was appointed jantor of the
Bunker Hill Road Colored School near
Brookland. TO fill The vacancy caused by
the resignation of the former janitor
W right Hinton.