The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-09-11

| * SeE0nd etIOOT. 4 runt.: II BE8fs GE
I.ehigh University.
Washington and Leo University.
Richmond College. tia -. MI III !.
Rnndolph- Macon Woman's College Of
| Lynchburg. 4 .gIg! III ~
These scholarships have proven, a strong
| incentive TO the moro ambitious students
and have been productive O. excellent ana
| far-renchlng results. " I'll b,.,,y h,7 Il NJ
IS 1t can be stated with exact truth, that
no city in, theUnion has done nor Is doing
| more in proportion to her school populia-
ton, for public education, than is Rich
mond The extraordinary progress that
! has been made in other directions by the
| city has not left public education lag
| g1ng III the rear nor has a ack Of great
money endowment retarded tho onward
| movement. The advance indeed has been
so steady and convincing that the out
come has been taken more sns g mat
| ter of fact than a stratlng achi9yement,
4 and for this reason deserved qpraisef has
| not been bestowed upon the School Board
/ and its officers in proportion to the meas
! urc of their deserts, despite the fact that
no branch of the cityss affairs has, been
more carefully or competently admins
tered. d, Ia. II .. f.s5 ss 81
What Major Capers Says.
81 Major james H.aiCapers. chairman OF
! the SCHOOL, Board, awho'ils known from
| one endiof the.lcitE1to the tother!as tine
| children's frlcnd,,a has this to say about
the public schools:
"Replylng to your request to furnish
/ an article on the Improvement of the
i public schools of this city. I herewith
submit the following. which ! trust VIII
! be interesting to the many readersfaot
your valuable journal. s,t5 A, ..H5
i "The recurrence Of the period for the
resumption of public school work natu-
i rally calls up a consideration Of the
work OF the past decade, and q com
p-.rison Of the efficiency and equ1p-
4 ment OF the system during that period.
''If we look bnck to the session or
|1so4-'95, we find that there were open
eel 255 schools, 152 white; 1913 'colorcd.
s These were managed by 240 principals
Il and teachers 40 white. 70 coored. The
pur,ils enrolled numbered 1At31S-7,417
white 4.9o1 colored. The city at that
time controlled 16 buildings, valued at
s434,5Oo.
, accommodating and l,stauctine 'tho
. children Of the city have been greatly
! enlarged and improved The build
r ings then used have been modified
, kept in good condition, and equlSped
( with better furniture and appliances.
! Three new buildings have been erect
cd, meeting fully the best and most
, modern ideas OF heating, sanitation
, seating and general adaptability to
school purposes. The health and com
i fort of the children have had the 'unrc-
/ hitting care and attention of the school
authorities. 81 The Chimborazo rSchool
t tho building just completed, Is regard
G cd as model In Its arrangement ane
in its adaptation to the complete worn
: OF a school group. An. LIZ! !.
IN "Thcrc arc now in the system ant
owned by the city nineteen school build
lngs, two high schools. one white ant
0 one colored; seventeen district build
inps. OF which eleven arc. white ant
70 six colored. The district buildings are
In. the main well located. In good con
dition andAwell ! equlnned for their pur
pose. The iestimatedatavalu Of IN
buildings and furniture Is 1919 poo.
Buildings Enlarged.
70 The constant growth OF the system
a and the consequent oYercrowding
1s many Of the rooms. and 4 the exclusion
. OF number Of pupils for lack OF &C
commodation have Y neccssitatcd ire
- mcnt additions TO the number Of build
ings. The two high schools, j one 10
n white children and the other for color
" cd, though enlarged from tlmefto,i tins
and modified as, ioccasions:nln dsSt ieces
: sary are old IN bad condition land W
g terly Inadequate to- thcS demands mac J
.. upon them for the accommodation
: niInils. Each has an honorable his
,. torv md each has bcen mainly nstru
mental In furnishing teachers for IN
y, white and colored schools respective
- 10 The outlook Is bright for the cree
il. lion in the near future Of we'll cquiI
A ned, up-to- date high school for Whi'
ad children ne h1fst
all ,'!Additlons have been built Mt Nl s,
tn olson, making inll gr Il.1 lou' y.
H. ing; also small ddltoNtir ~ 3sl'll''t
EST field, Bellevue and Leigh. which are
n: prcatS advantages to these buildings.
NJ S,,,lding for manual training frben'
worl, has been erected Mt Bellevue, ~
IN: kinderenrten building at West IN
~, mrhe board has given much time q
'nl thought to the physical welfare and Co
ll' fore of the patrons OF the schoois. sa
81, tntion has been carefully constpeff
within eight years modern sanitary cle
IT, cts have been installed inEnearly al
the buildings, which, mas pceii dore
great expense. Slate black poards M
taken the place OF wood cloth and OFT
ch devices, which were not satisfactory. i
'ed furniture has b,x,n greatly Improve
on Comfortable, modern school desks ha
tn' taken the place OF tho stralght-bnck. ,
ets '"N'n nv 49,. .,a,,omont NJ tho ma
Within the past ten years, the boz
~, has expended for furniture about
~ 900. Eleven buildings are now suppl
90 with steam-heating apparatus,
ne within the decade important cham
III. have been made In the curriculum of
I,,s schools. 1t has always been character
,uo tic of the school authorities Of this {
ma TO watch carefully the development
on, educational thought, and to modify
courses of study in accordance with
development as rapidly ms their 1ndgn
49, justified, the and means at their @
Wy mand allowed, The wave OF educato
enthusiasm, which Tor me past
years has swept over the State, hea