Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-15
CAUSE OF EDUCATION
Annual Report of Board Sub
mitted Today.
FOOT BALL CONSIDERED
CHECK ON TENDENCY TO "RowDY-
ISM AND sAvAGERY."
Steady Advance Of School System
Noted - Encouragement to High
Scholastic Enrolment.

The board of education. through its pres
| ident. Gen. II. v. Boynton. today sub
| mitted to the Commissioners its annual
report for the year ending June 80 last.
Among other things. the board urges the
Importance of additional school room. While
| the board has been ready for the past two,
years to present to Congress bill for COM.
pulsory education. It has seemed useless
to press such a measure while the school
facilities are inadequate to meet the
| increased attendance which would result
| from the enforcement of such law. Ad
ditional Fairgrounds around the school
buildings are also recommended and an
| arrangement for elective courses in the
high schools is advised.
With regard to athletics In the schools
the board makes the following interesting
note:
1.-THE board has had its attention directed
| to growing strenuousness and careless
| ness influencing injury in the foot ball
| games between the schools. While highly
| approaching the value of all reasonable
| athletic sports, the board will aim to
sharply check all tendencies toward the
rowdyism and savagery which characterize
the play of many of the prominent tnst-
| tutions of the country. The statistics of
| the game for the year show startling
| list of players killed and the serious maim-
| ing of many more. No self-respecting
school organization should tolerate such
| manslaughter in the name of athletics, and
the board will not fail to take notice of
| brutality in play, and. If need be. in order
| to stop 1t, to prohibit the game in the
| schools.
The Night Schools
| In referring to the night schools in the
| District the board says:
| 1.-The night schools present the most pa
! thetic feature of organization, minis
| tering as they do to a large class who work
| through the day and give their nights to
study. Formerly these schools were at
/ tended by many men and women in middle
! life, and not unfrequently by those with the
gray hairs of age. 1t is to be hoped that
Congress can be induced to repeal the pro-
| hibition of an age limit of twenty-one years.
| by which this class of earnest seekers after
| knowledge are now debarred from the
schools
The report in part follows:
1.-THE schools of the District, for a long
| time worthy of the national capital. ~are
| making steady advance toward a higher
degree of excellence. The progress Is due
| in the largest degree to the devo,ed aJten-
ton of the school force whole and the
intelligence which has characterized It's
| work. from the superintendent at the head
| through all the grades Of workers. The
board recognizes its responsibility, not
| only to the citizens of the District. but to
| the country, which pays half the large total
| of our school expenditures-now requi. ing
/ over annually. 1t IS with gre 1t
| satisfaction that the board observes the
| high communication of the schools, as
| shown by the fact that they patron
| lied by the President Of the United States,
by a large number of senators and repre-
| sentatfyes, and generally by the officials
! and employees of the government of all
| ranks. W.
Reforms Kept in Mind.
THE reforms insisted upon by Congress,
| as the result of an inquiry by the Senate
have been kept steadily in mind, and suffi-
cient time has now elapsed for their whole
some effects to be manifest. The school en-
rollment has increased about 5000. AL
| though Congress has been liberal in its APP
| preparations for new buildings, the school
| accommodate have not kept pace with
the Increase of school population.
| Elective Courses in High Schools
1.-The board is in full accord with the
| superintendent in the very important mat
| ter of arranging more elective courses in
| the high schools. 1t is held that these are
| the peoples colleges. and that the large
| majority of the pupils end their school life
with graduation. The records of these
| schools show that only about five per cent
| of high school students prepare for college.
| The rest go Immediately from these schools
| to their life work. For several years past
| the proportion here indicated has obtained
| Of the few fitting for college. and the great
| ton before beginning the work of self
| support. 1t becomes, then, most important
! that each class of students should have the
| course of study so arranged as to enable
! them to elect what seems best to assist
| them in the special lines of employment to
which they are looking forward.
The Cost Of Buildings.
1.-The cost to date of the school buildings
| Of the District, exclusive of high schools
has been S5,112,3 0S. The high school build
| ings have cost $122696 or about one-sev-
enth of the grade schools. When it Is con-
sidered that the United States pays half of
| this, the District, thus far. has only in
| CURED an expense for high school buildings
| of 1851 .34s. The District has paid for only
| 6S high school teachers, the total number
Being 135. While the United States pays
half the total expense of our splendid school
| organization, criticisms from our citizens
| based solely upon the item of cost would
| seem to be somewhat out of place. In en-
! couraging the high school system here by
| liberal appropriations for it's support all
members of Congress understand that they
are in full accord with their own constitu-
ents since at present, the high school sys-
| tenn, which for years has been extending
in all sections, is now developing more rap
idly than ever. and is receiving everywhere
| more and more cordial and substantial SUD-
port
1.-THE Business High School and the man.
ual training schools are great credit to
the capital. The fact that all are crowded
| beyond their capacity shows with what
eagerness the youth of the city are seeking
| the advantages of thoroughly practical
education. both in business methods and I'm
preparation for all industrial pursuits
Thus far all graduates of the Business
| High School nave found prompt employ
| ment 1t is the policy of the board to utilize
| as far as possible the graduates Of the high
schools, the Business High School and the
| manual training schools In such branches
Of the school force as they prove them
selves competent to undertake. Thus the
| high schools should be able to furnish many
4 OF their teachers. The normal schools al
| ready for the preference in assigning
| graduates as teachers In the grades The
manual training schools can supply ali
| 1anitors who require a steam engineers
| license.
| Women Teachers Predominate.
| There are only 173 men In the teaching
| force The number of women is ,19S When
| the excellence of the schools is under con-
sideration these figures will serve as an aid
| In distributing the credit due The dim
Guilty In obtaining male teachers of expert-
1 ence for the higher positions results from
| the much higher salaries paid almost every
| where else in cities of even the second and
tta