Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-25

Music by the pupils and tasteful decora-
lions of flags and flowers together with an
exhibition of all The Star casts recently won
for the first division by the Franklin and
the Ross buildings, made the exercises pc
culiarly pleasing.
Services of Commissioner Ross.
Commissioner Macfarland congratulated
the neghborhood on the fine new building
and opportunity 1t offers. He spoke of the
high excellence of the public school sys-
tenn as shown by it's fruits-the success of
| its graduates. the acceptance of its high
school certificates by the best colleges and
| the demand for its teachers by other places.
He praised its teachers and said it was a
pity that the efforts of the Commissioners
the board of education and the community
to secure better salaries and better promo
| ton for them were being hampered by revo-
lutionary projects for recognizing the
school system and separating 1t from the
| District government.
Mr.. Macfarland then spoke of the services
rendered by Commissioner Ross in building
| up the present school system and then said ::
MY long friendship with Mr.. Ross from
| the time / was a boy makes it difficult for
me to publicly speak of his personal char
| acter, but fortunately he was one of the
| best known men in the District, and l do
| not need 10 remind you of his sterling in
| tegrity, his public spirit, his kindness of
! heart his charm of manner. In giving
| his name to this school the Commissioners
| commemorate his public services and hold
| them up as an example and stimulus to the
pupils who through all the years shall be
trained for citizenship in this place. Mr.
Ross was. above everything else, a servant
| of the people, proud and glad to labor for
| their best interests, and giving himself
| freely to the end in such endeavor. 1t was
| as a Commissioner of the District of Column
| bia the only one who served three full
| terms and entered upon the fourth, that he
did his greatest work and literally died in
| the harness The exacting complex and
ncessant demands of his office actually
wore out even his unusual powers
Praised School System.
Judge Bundy paid a high tribute to the
management of the public school system.
saying that as an officer of the Columbia
Heights Citizens Association his duty had
compelled him many times to transmit com
plants to the unwilling ears of the District
Commissioners, but that he had never made
complaint concerning the public schools
While the teachers need better salaries UNI
questionably. the association would certain
ly examine carefully the present agitation
for reorganization before it would report
upon its findings flor himself, he said. he
felt that 1T was well to leave a good sys-
tenn alone.
Superintendent Stuart, in presenting the
KEYS mentioned the names of the number
of schools which have been named for Dis
trict Commissioners, but said that the build
ing dedicated today is the first to be named
for one who was not only a Commissioner
but trustee of schools. Mr.. Ross intimat tie
knowledge, he said, of the teachers prob
lens causes him to be held in grateful re-
membrance by all teachers. No memorial
he thought, was more fitting for this man
than school building where little children