Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1902-04-14
AN ANSWER.
School" Given Some Point
ers by a Citizer.
THE SCHOOL SUBJECT.

wi IN 6lNto oolilC lnttItSIl0R ue-
tails.
Before final action by the Board of
Education is taken on the matter. it is
to be hoped that all the facts will be
given to the public. The people are to
be trusted especially where the health
and comfort of their children is CON
concerned. The referendum is desira-
BILE in these matters.
The writer of the article. perhaps
unintentionally, does the members of
u Board of Education an injustice.
lie seems to think that they regard
themselves as infallible and the en-
bodiment of wisdom and hat they re-
sent anything like advice. He writes
as though they were merely the adven-
titious bubbles on the scum of politics
which, when foisted into office. become
officially bumptious. Public School,
places the present members of the
board In a false position. They are
public spirited citizens, acting for the
public. and to the utmost extent of
their knowledge and ability for the
best interests of the public. They do
not regard themselves as inerrant and
gladly invite and receive suggestions.
They will profit by information and
will not be hostile to it, even if it
should come from outside their own
body.
Public School, admits fully the con-
tention of Citizen" School houses
need ''roomy" grounds, he says. He
claims, however, that because former
boards made a mistake in not securing
them, the present board is justified in
making the present grounds still
smaller. He defends this action be-
cause it saves money. If the board
needs more land, it can get it either
by gift or purchase. 1t can be conf
IDENTIFY asserted that sufficiently large
grounds for four new school buildings
will be presented to the board by pub
lie spirited citizens. If not, the board
can purchase land. The people will
not hesitate to vote $40 900 in bonds if
necessary. The board asked for $685.
600 and the people voted in favor of
the issue of that amount. They would
have granted whatever the board
asked. Even now a new election could
be held if the board wanted more
money. The people want good educa-
tional facilities for their children.
Public School, attempts to show
now necessary. The efforts made to
give the children exercise to take the
place of ample grounds are commenda-
BILE. In cities they are driven to all
sorts of expedients to supply the great
lack of space. But to claim that their
devices can take the place of good
healthy play in the open air is to
champion a city gutter full of water
rather than a babbling brook in a
mountain dell or a root garden on a
sky sCraper rather than the Garden of
the Gods. sp tong
Physicians all agree that children
are healthier when not crowded or
massed together in large numbers. If
the good of the children is the consid-
Grafton. instead of one, there should be
four school houses in each ward. In
fact it were better for each grade to
have a building of its own. .,a
Undoubtedly the teaching force
could he utilized to better advantage
and the schools could be conducted
with less expense, if all the children of
the city could be gathered into m
large building. but it would not be for
the highest good of the children.
The present board has before it the
problem of utilizing its means to the
best advantage. They should look to
the future and to the certain growth of
the city. The people will not scrimp
them if they are satisfied that the in
terests of their children are being o m
sidered.
Another important consideration is
the architectural features of the ques-
ton. Public officers too often, from a
mistaken notion of economy, or other
wise, erect public buildings that are
utterly devoid of architectural beauty.
An effort should always be made to
beautify the city by public structures
and to educate the people by their at
Effectiveness. 1t is economy of the
right kind to spend some money to put
these piles of brick and mortar into en-
during forms of beauty and graceful
ness.
1t is of course possible to add to the
present school buildings so as to make
them desirable from an architectural
standpoint but it will not probably be
done with the mean at command.
They will doubtless serve the pur-
pose. but will look like the old fash
Toned factory building without a line
or feature of beauty about them. Com
pare the new brewery building with
the old ones. The few extra dollars
that the new one cost was well eX-
pended, for it pleases the eye and is
admired by all who visit our city.
Ii can be asserted without fear of
contradiction that if the Fourth ward
building gets only its legitimate share
of the $35, 900 it will be impossible TO
put a second story on the present
building so as to produce as good an
architectural effect as ii does now. 1t
is now regarded by all as the handsom-
est of the school buildings and it would
be a shame TO mutilate it.
The question of the form aud shape
of the buildings to be erected is, of
course, n of detail and will undoubt-
edly be left by the board to a compe-
tent architect and it is only referred
TO here because it is conceded that
buildings are not as a rule improved
by additions.
The first plans of the present ward
buildings contemplated additions but
they were placed differently from the
original design. owing to the smallness
of the lots and it is doubtful now if il
is practicable to carry out the original
plans.