The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-10-13
PHYSICAL CULTURE
IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS WILL BE-
GIN WITHIN FEW WEEKS.
MISS S. CHARLTON DIRECTOR
OF THE WORK TO BE DONE BY THE
BOARD OF EDUCATION.

titiOn from Residents of West Sn-
vnnnah for New School Presented
to Board of observation-disclosures
Report of superintendent Ash
mOre-Bright Outlook for the
Observation-Disclosures of Teach
crs Accepted.
! The most important action taken by
! the Board Of Education at it's October
meeting last night was the election of
a director for the physical culture de-
partment which has been Incorporated
into the school system. The work will
| begin at once and will be one of the
! required exercises of school work.
| A full report on this matter was made
| by President Mercer at the meeting of
the board last month. and the details
were left in the hands of Supt. Ash
more. Mr.. Ashmore. corresponded
with several teachers and at the meet
| ing last night Miss Sara Charlton. 0!
| this city. on motion of Judge Adams,
was elected director. She will be noti-
| fled of her selection for carrying on the
work, and will begin her duties as soon
as possible. On motion of DIR. Dunn.
the salary of the director was fixed at
$725 per year
| The director will have full charge of
the work in this department. subject
only to Supt. Ashmore. She will give
| instructions to all the teachers and
| they in turn will instruct the pupils.
| Twelve minutes each day will be de-
! voted to the work in each class. Until
| the work has been fully started and the
! teachers become acquainted with their
! work, Miss Charlton will be compelled
| to do much of the work of instruction
to the pupils herself. Real work will
not start before two or three weeks.
The exercises will consist of the sim
| plest forms designed to develop the
body and strengthen all the muscles.
The board has felt that the need in this
| line was great, particularly among the
| girls, and have at once made provision
for remedying it. The exercise known
in the army as the setting up" exercise
will be the one first used. No exercises
involving any straining of the muscles
or of any violence will be placed in the
course of instruction.
Petition from West savannah.
! A petition was read from the resi-
! dents of West Savannah asking that
| the board establish a public school in
| that suburb. lot has already been
| donated for that purpose by the resi-
| dents and they are anxious to be given
the facilities for educating their chill
| dren.
On motion of Col. EstiI the petit
ton was referred to Supt. Ashmore
with instructions to investigate the
! conditions and report to the board at
| the November meeting. Supt. Ash
more will visit West Savannah in the
| near future. If conditions warrant
such action it is probable that the new
school will be established.
Superintendent AshmOre's Report.
The monthly report of Supt Ashmore
was read to the board. The report
stated that more than 200 pupilsfn ex-
cess of the enrolment last year had
been enrolled this year. All the work
has been started and everything is
running smoothly in all department..
The outlook for the coming year is very
bright. In speaking of the aceommo-
| datiOns for the children and the gen
erai conditions Mr. Ashmore said:
Il regret that after the most pains
| taking care in the distribution of
! classes and pupils there still remains
| a sufficient number of children on the
waiting list for the first grade in the
vicinity of Chatham Academy to form
this exception all of the white children
of the city and county are provided
for. With our present accommoda-
tons l see but little prospect for adj
hitting this excess.
The problem of forecasting the
school conditions in a large city and
providing for the educational needs
of the children in the wisest and most
economical manner is one of the most
important and most complex in the
work of school administration. Reliable
data must be obtained before the close
of the schools in the summer giving
the number of pupils promoted in each
grade, the number left over the num-
Der of new pupils that will proba bly,
apply, the number attending school out
of their district, the number who have
moved during the summer, the proba-
bic number who for various reasons
will not return to school, and many
others facts essential to the best So
luton of the problem. After all this
is ascertained then the work of fore
casting the grades must be under
taken. Nothing must be left to chance.
Every school has its own problems to
be solved separately. but with due
reference to other schools. The needs
and conditions of every school should
be foreseen and provided for in such
manner that upon the opening day
no confusion will arise. So thorough
lY and so carefully have all these de-
tails been considered and worked out
in our schools that not a single change
in the forecast of classes has been nee
essay. and the distribution of classes
pupils and teachers is such as to Sc
cure the greatest economy in the op-
eratlonS of the schools and do the
greatest good to the greatest number
OF pupils. In the case of the transfer
or pupils from one school to another
as often becomes necessary in every
school system on account of fractional
classes in overcrowded grades, it has
been so planned that these transfers
should take place in the case of the
older children, rather than with the
younger ones, for very obvious reasons
OF convenience and safety
In every school system some pupils
must of necessity attend school ont
of their district, and one important
work of school administration Is To
get these children back into their own
district schools as soon as possible.
These and many other problems re-
quire much tact and thorough knowl-
edge of the educational conditions Of a
city. In dealing with these questions
nave endeavored to be guided by JUS
tice in all cases, and 1t is not often
that dissatisfaction is expressed by pu-
pits or parents at the ruling made"
Report on Physical Culture.
In reporting on the selection of a
teacher for physical culture Supt. Ash
more stated that he had corresponded
with several instructors in this line of