Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-01-09
THE MARY JAMES
MISSION SCHOOL
To Be Erected Here
During Present
Year.
OVER $4,000 RAISED
To Bulls Institution For Ma
tive Boys, Companion
to Girls School.

building which Will be modern in
every particular and one of the finest
educational institutions in the city is
one OF the permanent improvements
the new year has in store for Santa
Fe. 1t will be erected by the Wo-
mans Board of Home Missions of the
Presbyterian Church and will be a
companion to the Allison Mission
School here which is also maintained
by the Presbyterian Womans Board
of Home Missions. The present
school is for the education of native
girls while the proposed one will be
exclusively for native boys.
The Mary James Missot School is
the name with which it has been de-
cided to christen the new school as a
memorial to Mrs. James who was for
many years president of the Woman's-
Board of Home Missions. Over fifty
thousand dollars was raised by popu-
lar subscription for the founding of an
institution of this kind to be con-
Quoted as boarding school for ma
tive boys on lines similar to the girls
school already existing in Santa Fe.
1t required some hustling on the
part Of the local committee to have
the boys school located here on ac-
count of an erroneous impression
gained by the officials of the board
1t is not known just when the actual
worl; Of construction on the building
will begin but indications are that
ground will be broken for the foun-
dation early in the spring and the edi-
flee completed before the end of the
year. A New York firm of architects
is now engaged in preparing the plans
and specifications. 1t is stated that
the new school will be better than it's
sister institution here and will cost
more than was intended originally.
So far little is known here definite
" as to how the building will be con
struated and OF wlaat material The
Allison Mission School is Of brick and
three stories in height. 1t is believed
that the new school building will aso
be built of brick and be at least two
stories high. 1t will probably cover
larger ground area than the other
building as more money has been
raised and the tract of land secured
is larger
Sight Selected an Attractive One.
The site selected for the new
school for boys is Immediately north
of the Federal building. Most of this
land is what is known as the gas site
and was donated by the Santa Fe Wa
ter & Light Company. Years ago the
gas plant which has long since passed
out of existence was situated there
The remaining four or five acres com
prising the tract were purchased for
about $2,400 and of this amount a
thousand dollars was contributed by
the citizens of Santa Fe. The place
is an idea one for the school and was
chosen as the most desirable Of sew
eral local sites offered. 1t has an ad
vantage also of being only a short dis
tance away from the Allison School.
Judge John R. McFie is member
of the committee composing the of
ficers of the First Presbyterian
Church which has looked after the
local end of the school proposition. In
an interview yesterday afternoon he
gave the history Of the movement and
what had been done toward having
the school located in Santa Fe.
How the School Was Named.
"The Woman's Board of Home Mis-
sions of the Presbyterian Church
which has its headquarters in New
York City determined some time ago
to erect memorial school and name
it the Mary James Mission School and
in that way honor Mrs. James who
has for many years been president
of the board. It was proposed to erect
this school at tSanta Fe and make 1t
a school exclusively for native boys,
and as a companion to the present
Allison Mission School for girls which
is now one of the fine institutions OF
Santa Fe.
"tLast year communication was re-
ceived here from the board intimat-
ing that Santa Fe had not complied
with its agreement to furnish site !
upon which the school building should
be erected and suggesting that the
board had about determined to erect
the school at Albuquerque. This was
surprising information to the people
Of Santa Fe who were aware of the
fact that several sites had been Of
fered to the board some Of which the
agent of the board had expressed him
self as satisfied with and lad also Of
fered to raise $500 and possibly 81 900
to be given in addition to the site.
Local Committee Did Good Work.
The officers of the First Presbyte-
rian Church of this city were appoint |
ed a committee to draft suitable |
protest against the erection Of the
school elsewhere than in Santa Fe and
a very strong document was forward
ed to the board covering the entire
situation and renewing the offers for
merly made.
"The board had arrived at the con-
clusi0n that more land was necessary
than was formerly deemed sufficient
and this document resulted in cores
pondence to the effect that the board !