Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-19
PUBLIC EDUCATION
TOPIC DISCUSSED BY BRANCH OF
COLLEGIATE ALUMNAE.
"Traveling Libraries" Favored and
Suggestion That Congress Provide
Funds-Business Transacted.

At a meeting of the Washington branch of
the Association of Collegiate Alumnae held
at 1913 wyoming avenue Thursday evening,
| Mrs. John Milton Gitterman, president of
the Public Education Association of Wash
ington made an address, in which she said
the Public Education Association of Wash
ington is a voluntary organization which
aims to supplement the efforts of the paid
board of education of the District Of Co
| lumbia to develop and perfect the public
school system of the District.
1.-THE pressing needs of the District along
educational lines, said Mrs. Gitterman,
ARE more evening schools, increased man
ual training work, truant school in con-
nection with a more efficient compulsory
education law, child labor regulations, a
conservative and sensible curfew law, more
medical inspectors and the establishment
of a corps of school nurses according to
| the English plan, which is now followed by
the best public school systems in the coun-
try. There are now only ten medical In
spectors in the District, and they can, of
course, do justice neither to the children
nor to their own regulations.
Libraries Discussed.
From the first the Public Education AS
ISOLATION has stood for the Importance of
| travelling libraries in the schools and out
of them. Great strides being made
toward the placing of travelling libraries at
various points in the public schools and
elsewhere where they may be needed. Max
ing the books easy of access to the people
does not prevent visits to the central
library, but, on the contrary, it has been
found in Pittsburg, New York, Albany, Bos-
ton and many other cities, that the use of
books at the central library is increased
thereby, and that the class of books read
becomes much more serious and worth
while and full cooperation between public
school and public library in Pittsburg.
The Pittsburg Library's hope, expressed
in its report, is to make it increasingly
difficult for any child to go through the
schools without a taste for good litera-
ture. In 1901 the Pittsburg Library had
collection of duplicate volumes for the
use of the schools numberinf S,453, which
in 1904 had increased to 14.O7S all in ac-
tive circulation in various grades of the
public schools. Stupendous as these fig
ures are, they do not begin to represent the
full Importance of such work this to
the community as whole. The children
who have passed through the public
schools guided by the light of good iitera-
ture are going to become men and women
| with sane, moral, healthy ideas of life,
neither hysterical nor hard hearted but
with realization Of the true meaning OF
life and of the relative values of inteIec-
tual and physical pleasures.
Congress Should Provide.
"A large special appropriation for travel
ing libraries ought to be given the Public
Library by Congress. so that many dupli-
cate and standard works could be purchas-
ed, the use and value of such libraries hav-
Ing already been demonstrated
The Public Education Association stands
primarily for work involving legislative
appropriation. 1t stands for initiative ana
cooperation of the residents of the Dis
trict themselves. 1t has committees on
many subjects that may properly never
come before Congress at ALL such as conn
mittees on penny hot lunches for school
children, ON public bath houses, on stamp
savings, on instruction in prisons, on ma
ture study, whereby the children of the
public schools will be supplied from month
to month with the wild flowers growing
out of doors during that time. Corpora
ton between the parent and the school,
lending inspiration to the teacher and CIV
ing the parent needed knowledge of how he
can best aid the school, is oneiof 1he main
objects for which public education asso-
Citations are founded" 1877
Honorary Vice Presidents Chosen.
The honorary vice presidents of the Pub
lie Education Association of Washington
are: Secretary of the Navy, the, Secretary
of War, Mr.. William H. Taft; Senator Hen
ry c. Hansbrough. Representative Joseph
A. Goulden, Adds B. Browne, Mrs
Emily Young O. Brien, A: B.. NJ. D.; Senator
Mr. Simon A. Wolf. John Joy Edison,
Mrs. E. L. Burchard. A. B.; ]. NJ Glitter
man, A. M, Phi. D.; D. Percy Kicking. NJ
D.; Rev. S. NJ. Newman. D. D.; Max West,
A. M, Phi. D.; Miss Lois A. Bangs, prnc-
pal National Cathedral School; Representa-
tive Littlefield and Representative Marshall,
Mrs. L. B. Swormstedt, M. A.
At the close of Mrs. Gitterman's address,
Mrs. L. B. Swormstedt. president of the
Washington branch of the A. c. A, gave
report on the annual meeting of the Ma
tional Association of Collegiate Alumnae,
which took place in the education building
on the fair grounds at ST. Louis, November
8. and 5. 1904, and DR.. Magee of Wash
ington, D. c., gave interesting addresses.
Among those present were Miss Richard
son, Mrs Swormstedt, Mrs. De Caindry,
Mrs. L. White Busbey, Miss Madeira, Mrs.
Darwin of the D. A. R., DR.. Taylor Jones,
at which President Francis of st. Louis
and many of the most prominent colleges
of the District, to the number of forty.
inst the Thing