Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-06

especially call attention to the estimate
for the continuation of the Business Higl
School, for the extension of the McKinle.
Manual Training School, for the purchas
of a site for an extension of the Armstroni
Manual Training School, and for the in
crease Of the pay of the teachers.
The Commissioners are considering thu
draft Of substitute prepared by the boart
| Of education for the present ineffective
compulsory education law.
A vacancy in the board Of education
caused by the resignation Of James
Fitch. June /, 1904, on account of his re
! moval from the District of Columbia, wa:
filled by the appointment Of E. Southland
Parker, on June !, 1904. No other change
| has occurred in the membership of the
board Of education.
| School attendance.-The entire enrollmen
for the year was 97S9, an increase of l..
044, or PA per cent over the preceding
| year. The whole number of teachers pro
vided in the appropriation act was !, 425, SO;
white and 400 colored This number in
| cludes 78 kindergarten teachers, 50 white
and ~ colored, whose salaries were moi
| scheduled in the appropriation act, but were
| included in gross amount allowed fol
| kindergarten instruction.
| The number of male teachers, including
| supervising principals and directors, was
| 176, and the number of female teachers
| was 1,249. There can be no material In.
| crease in the number of men teachers until
better pay is offered.
The schools were in session one hundred
| and eighty-one days.
| The night schools enrolled / 500 pupils
| and continued seventy-four nights-a Longer
| term than usual, supplementary appro.
priation of 81 800 being provided by Con.
gress for this purpose. The age limit
which excluded persons over 81 years OF
age, served to reduce the attendance or
these schools and to manifestly limit theil
| best work.
| OF the entire enrolment Of the schools
1885, or $50 per cent, were in the kinder
| garten; 1878, or 5611 per cent. were in
| the first eight grades; 2,769, or $50 per
cent, in the high schools; 946, or 100 per
cent, in the manual training schools; and
| 1853, or O.33 per cent, in the normal schools.
| Centennial.-The centennial of the public
school system of the District of Columbia
has been reached and an appropriate cele-
bration of it is proposed
New buildngs.-The following school
buildings were dedicated and occupied
for school purposes during the year:
James B. Edmonds, Samuel E. Wheatley,
Edwin L. Stanton, Abby S. Simmons and
Henry P. Montgomery. The Reno and ad-
dltions to the Brookland, Cranch and Ia
Roma schools, were also occupied. With an
average of 40 pupils to a room these build
lngs add 2,O1O to the seating capacity of the
schools. Early in the school year 1904-5 1t
is expected that two new S-room buildings
VIII be occupied, namely, the Nathaniel
Parker Gage and the William Ludlow, af-
fording accommodations for 100 pupils
The new Business High School is well
under way. and will be ready for pupils
carly III tie ScHOOl year lJUO-O, Win an aD-
proximate seating capacity of 500
Needed Accommodation next serious
problem of school accommodations lies IL
relieving the conditions which exist in the
Mckinley Manual Training School. The
enrolment of this school has reached Co.,
with seats for $50. During the last year
the entire first-year class of over 200 was
housed in four rooms in the Central High
School, which that growing school needed
for its own classes. A temporary drawing
room and a physical laboratory occupied
rooms In two different rented buildings on
o street adjacent to the Central High
School.
Another necessary thing Is the purchase
Of ground east of and adjoining the ARM
strong Manual Training School for the fu-
ture uses Of that school.
acknowledgements having provided for
the appointment by the Commissioners Of
II medical inspectors who should perform
by the health officer and subject to the ap
prevail of the board of education and the
Commissioners, the work of medical IN
spection was begun in September. 1903. and
continued throughout the year. With so
small force of visiting physicians 1t is
evident that much depended upon the In
telligent cooperation of the teachers and
supervising officers. That this new work
ceptible friction IS tribute to the pru-
dence and good sense Of the medical In
spectors and the cheerful assistance of the
principals Of buildings. upon whom the
chief burden of responsibility rested.
Salaries-The Commissioners and the
community appreciate the steps already
taken by Congress toward better COM
pensation Of the teaching force, but they
desire very earnestly to recommend that
additional compensation which will give the
teachers more adequate pay, prevent their
tractive salaries are offered, and stimulate
a desire among the high school pupils to
90 to the normal schools and enter the
teaching profession.
Public Charities.
The Board of Charities has continued ear
nestly the effort to carry out the purpose Of
the act of Congress creating 1t, and with
considerable success. Congress has adopted
some of the recommendations made by the
board and approved by the Commissioners,
and there has been general tendency
among those engaged in public charitable
work to accept the principles which the
board has recommended The Commission
ers renew their approval of the policies OF
the board, with a view to greater efficiency
and economy in the public charitable work
of the District. They recommend that pro-
vision be made for the appointment of the
members of the Board of Charities and of
the Board Of Children's Guardians by the
Commissioners.
The Commissioners are gratified by the
favorable response OF Congress to the rec
concentrations in their special report to Con-
gress on the care of delinquent and de-
pendent children in the District of Column
bia, and especially the provision for the
preparation of plans for an industrial home
school for colored youth, the one important
institution lacking in the public charitable
system.
In its annual report the Board of Chari-
ties again emphasizes the Importance of the
coordination of the different charitable
agencies in the District of Columbia. 1t
calls attention to the lack of system and
uniformity in work due, in large measure,
to diversified control.
Attention is called to the fact that the
cost of the public charitable and correction
al work of the District of Columbia is one
of the largest items in the District budget,
and this fact, in the opinion of the board,
is in itself strong argument for an eff
ctent business-like management The board
is of the opinion that this can only be Sc
cured by the Capitalization of control of
ALI public charitable work in the hands of
the Commissioners of the District of Column
bia In this connection it recommends that
institutions whose functions are purely To-
cal and which are maintained at District ex-
pense should be placed under the direct
control of the Commissioners.
lions at the Washington Asylum as the re-
suit of the new administration.
The need of a municipal hospital for tu-
bercular, chronic, convalescent and inc
briate patients is pointed out. Special en-
phasis Is laid the fact of the lack of
nroyision for the care of tubercular ma
TENTS The need in this direction is so great
that during the year private benevolence