Evening star., 1902-04-29
SCHOOL PRIVILEGES
LETTER REGARDING LAW FOR
COMPULSORY EDUCATION.
Alleged That 5000 Children in the
District Are Neglected-Statis-
ff zs
tistical Showing.

Inc District Commissioners have receiv-
ed from Senator Mcmillan, chairman of
the Senate District committee, and have
rererred to the board of education for re-
port, letter from the Civic Center alleg-
Ing non-enforcement of the laws for COM
pulsory school attendance in the District
OF Columbia. It Is declared there are more
than 5000 children in the District from
eight to fourteen years of age, who are not
enjoying school privileges It is held that
neglect OF the education of children Is one
OF the chief causes of incompetency and
distress, and the Civic Center has petit
TONED Congress to make provision for the
enforcement of the laws relating to COM
pulsory attendance
A report of the committee on nubIic
schools of the organization is forwarded
with the letter of the Civic Center. In it
II Is stated that the whole enrolment of
cnlioren OF the age of compulsory attend
ance' namely, from eight to fourteen years,
is 2o,2o2 white and 9,7S9 colored. Seventy
one and one-half per cent of the eight
year-old children, white are in the second
ana thirG grades and 10 per cent of the
colored children of the same age are in the
ilrst and second grades. The second and
thlrd grades, colored. contain "a per cent
OF the e1ght-year-old children.
The White Schools.
continuing, the report says: ''The whole
number of white children in the public
schools is 45,7SS. The number under eight
IS ~ per cent of this total. In other words,
class not provided for at all by law COM
pr1ses one-fifth of all public school pupils.
% II LIS Is a fact that in the year ending June
~ 90, lyoi. tnere were 354 halliday schools in
the District. 1t is fair to assume that
there are not school accommodations for
these 627S children who are not attend
ing schooi at present. Two methods Of
pro4ldlng the necessary accommodations
suggest themselves. One possibility is the
rapid building of a large number of new
school buildings, sufficient to hold these
6,27S. pupils between eight and fourteen
VINO are out Of school. The present finan-
cial condition of the District does not war
rant expenditures Of the dimensions re-
CURED. 1t may be truthfuly said that the
little children, five, six and seven years
Old are In the public schools at the ex-
pense Of the older ones.
Do Not Apply.
"The other alternative suggests itself. 1t
is true that no child that presented him.
self at school was denied admission, as
claimed by the former superintendent of
schools: Children probably do not apply.
The 6,21S children between eight and four
teen should be brought to school by a
truant officer from the police department
detailed for the purpose If necessary.
Room should be made for them even
li!oush II must result In dlSplacing many
or the children who are in school, but are
under school age. Many children twelve,
thirteen and fourteen years are rapidly
nearing the end of their possible school
period. These are the children who should
be in school. On the other hand there are
those who contend that the hardship to
five. six and seven-year-olds consists in
putting them into school instead of taking
them out.
THE dangers involved in too early con-
finement to school routine, the loss of pIay
freedom to grow, have been presented be-
for the Civic Center. There is in early
school incarceration positive tendency to
overstrain developing bodily cells of var
ious organs and particularly Of the brain
and nervous system. If half-formed cells
are overtaXed they may fail Of complete
development and defective function attends
imperfect form"