The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1904-02-25
TOURIST HOTEL SITE FAVORED
FOR new HIGH SCHOOL BUILDING

Yesterday afternoon, at an open meet
ing of the school board, the question of a
new high school building was discussed.
After several hours of animated talk on
motion of Director Plass, Secretary Whit
ty drew up the following resolution, which
will be submitted to a vote of the people
at a special election in April:
First. That the board be empowered
to issue $l50,000 in bonds for the building
of high school.
Second. Shall the board build the high
school on the present site?
''Third Shall the board build the high
school on the Tourist hotel site?
Fourth. That the board be given au-
thority to sell the Tourist hotel property
and the present high school site"
Superintendent Warner gave an inter
esting address, in which the inadequate
condition of the present high school for
thorough work was explained. At present
there are 20 teachers in the high school,
and it would be to the advantage of the
pupils to have more teachers if there was
room for more classes. The school has be-
come so crowded that the assembly hall
has been taken for use as a study hall.
Consequently the social life of the school
suffers, as the pupils can never be called
together in body to participate in school
programs or listen to instructive lectures.
The halls of the old building are so narrow
that they are an interference with the
passing of classes. "What would be the
result of such state of affairs in case of
fre% asked Mr. Warner
Superintendent Warner further stated
that he did not consider it possible to
construct modern high school by remod-
cling the old building without considerable
expense. He stated that he considered the
Tourist hotel property an ideal site for the
new school.
DR.. H. f. Wegener, principal of the
high school, stated that the arts and sci
ences of the school were badly neglected
because there was an insufficient number
of class rooms. Practically all art and
music study stops in the eight grade at
the present time. Manual training, which
is one of the most important branches of
the schoolboy's education, has been forced
out of the school through the lack of room.
Several years ago citizen of Tacoma gave
to the school a complete set of manual
training tools, but during the last four
years these tools have been locked UP to
rust for lack of use.
The classes in the sciences, such as chem
istry and physics, are so overcrowded that
classes entering in February must lose a
half years work by waiting for the begin
ming of the next year in September or
else begin with the advanced classes and
work backward, to their own disadvantage.
County Superintendent l.. L.. Benbow
said that the school library is too small to
accommodate all the pupils who wish to
use reference books during the study
hours. Although there are enough books
in the library to supply the demands of
hundred pupils, there is only room for
forty pupils to use them. In consequence,
such studies as history, science and litera-
ture suffer from lack of daily library ref
erence reading.
Mrs. e. A. Henderson, president of the
City Federation of Women's Clubs, gave
a very enthusiastic talk in favor of erect
ing a new building on the TOURIST hotel
grounds. She gave several practical rea-
sons why this should be done The popu-
laton Of Tacoma is rapidly growing, and
for this reason it would be as impractical
for the city to endeavor to expand the
old building for the large attendance as
it would be for a parent to try to keep a
growing boy in infant clothing by patching