Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-18
SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

followed by several musical numbers, the
exercises closing with a piano solo by Miss
Henderson.
Lectures to the people for the coming
week will be given in four eenters Monday,
March 10, at the public library, by Granville
Hunt, subject, China Tuesday, March
20. at the Eastern High School, 7th street
between Pennsylvania avenue and C street
southeast, by Rev. c. H. Butler, subject
From New York to Jerusalem" Wednes-
day. March p, at the Zion Baptist Church.
F street between Sd and ~ streets south
Sunrise Land" Thursday, March ~. at the
Armstrong Manual Training School,
street between list and Sd streets north
west, by Mrs. Mary Church Terrell. sub
The members of the alumni association of
the George Washington University have
learned with much pride and satisfaction
of the recent formation by the nniversity's
graduates of an alumni association In
southern California There is large num-
Der of George Washington men In Cali
fornia and the university authorities are
glad to extend to them at times the priyd-
ieges of fellowship.
The officers of the California association
are: President, Mr.. James C. Rogers; sec
rotary and treasurer. Mr.. George Russell
Duncan; historian, Mr.. Harrington Brown
DR.. H. C. Yarrow has presented the IL
| brary OF the George Washington University
| with collection of about one hundred
scientific books and pamphlets. Among
the volumes. which are all very handsome
ly bound in half leather, are the Proceed
angs of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science" THE American
Journal of Science and Arts Academy
of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia AS
ISOLATION Franchise pour Advancement
des Sciences" Annals of the Lyceum of
Natural History of New York. and The
Popular Science Monthly for 1s72-1Sso."
For the past three days the work of the
office at the Franklin School and of super
visors and directors has been confined to
procuring detailed Information and the
| compilation of the same for the House Dis
trict subcommittee on education.
The work being done is in consequence of
questions sent by the committee inaulring
| into present salaries. the salaries at time
of appointment average salaries, degrees
and courses taken by teachers. residence
| and place of citizenship of teachers. cost
to each teacher or officer for transporta-
ton by the common mode of travel, In
high school, the size of classes. the aver
age time per week in passing between build
ings and many other questions pertinent to
school management. 1t is expected that the
reports and digests will be ready for tho
subcommittee by next Wednesday.
The committee on honorary membership
oil the Teachers Aid and Annuity Associa-
ton met yesterday at the Franklin School.
Reports as to the progress of the move
$40 each In the effort to reach the desired
100000 for a permanent fund showed
great activity on the part of members OF
the association.
In several divisions teachers are promot-
| Ing a movement to secure memorial honor
| airy memberships for deceased teachers one
gentleman already an honorary MEMBER
| has promised $40 yearly for HE. Iaoy
| also already an honorary member has done
| the same A prominent business man al
ready an honorary member, has donated
| $50 to the association.
The greatest announcement Is felt by the
members of the association in the progress
OF the permanent fund movement.
discussion of far-reaching interest, says
| the Maryland Educational Journal has
| taken place in the French Academy of Med
| ictne on the subject Of class books as dis
| seminators of contagion in schools, espe-
| cially In the case of such diseases as scarlet
| fever measles and diphtheria. Paper mas
| long been recognized as dangerous agent
| OF Infection. even In tuberculosis, owing to
| the habit among children OF turning over
| leaves with fingers wetted with saliva. DR..
| Lop In order to test the extent of danger
| in school books. made long experiments to
establish the duration of infective power IN
| various bacill finding 1t to range from
| forty-eight hours for some to fifty days for
| the Ebertle and 103 days for the Koch bacll-
| lus. General agreement was expressed as
| to the Importance of thorough disinfect1on
| of school materials. Forme aldehoyd is de-
| clared to be better than sulphur.
The schools In Montgomery county, Md.
| have been overcrowded during the past VIM
| ter. Mr.. B. H. Warner presented the high
school with a beautiful silk flag. which will
| be raised May II with exercises to which
| the governor of the state, Edwin 9. War
| field, has been invited. Mr.. Warner has
| also offered $50 gold piece to the pupil
who excels In defamation oratory. The
contest will take place IN the court hall
| Rockville. May 10, 10 am
| Preparations are being made to celebrate
Maryland day at the Maryland State Nor
NAL School. Baltimore, In a manner to make
| 1t notable event In the history Of the
school. The governor. members Of the
state board of education, members Of the
legislature, county superintendents and
pected to be present .'Maryland's Inf1u-
ence In Founding a National Common
| wealth will be the main topic Of discus
sion. DR.. Bernard g. Steiner. professor Of
American history at Johns Hopkins Uni
verstty will be the principal speaker
A comparative study Of results in SPELL
ing and arithmetic in the common schools
| Of Springfield. Mass. in the year lS46 and
| at the present time has been made recently
| by a grammer school principal. Riley Prin-
| cipal Riley says there Is only one way Of
| settling these questions. namely. by giving
| to pupils of today the very examinations
which were given in the schools of half a
| century ago. The school records at Spring
| field compared by Mr.. Riley show exactly
| what questions were asked and how the
| pupils answered them In 1s48 The tests 10
| spelling and arithmetic which were given
| to $50 ninth-grade pupils during the past
year on the questions used In 1916 showed
| 51.2 per cent of correct spelling. as COM
| pared with 1915 per cent for eighty-five
| pupils of the high school in 1846, and 65.5
| per cent, as compared with 29.4 per cent
| IN arithmetic. The comparison in geog-
| raphy is equally unfavorable to the old
schools. The average age at which pupils
entered the high school was as high as 1t
| Is today. The evidence Is therefore indfs
putable that the schools of half q century
ago were inferior in precisely those re-
speets for which they have been SO much
lauded.