Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-22

so large an amount that the District S
one-half cannot be paid out of current
revenues. 1t must therefore be treated
as an extraordinary project of improve
| ment, handled separately from the cur
rent expenditures and by having the ma
tional Treasury advance the District
share, to be repaid gradually with inter-
est at per cent. Otherwise either this
item must be badly cut or the items of
current expenditure must be badly cut,
as has been done in the attempt to make
us repay too rapidly the advances for
extraordinary improvements. If we all
work together We shall have success in
this erdeavOr''
Vice President Cox's Address.
W. v. Cox outlined some interesting
history In connection with the District
schools. saying in part:
1.-THE public schools in the District Of
Columbia were established in 1904. Thorn
as Jefferson, President of the United
States, being the first president of the
board. In those early days two kinds OF
pupils attended the schools. those who
paid for instruction and those who did
not. Nothing could have been devised to
promote class distinction more effective
~ than such a system The civil war
changed it and made the public school
public school, where all pupils stand on
the same equality. that of worth.
The awards of merit in those early
days suggest the poor boy and girl as
winners, for under action of the board In
1926, a suit of clothes was authorized to
be presented to the most proficient boy
and a frock to the girl.
The first real effort to establish public
schools in the county was under the la"
of August IL, 1856, which provided for
primary instruction of white children out
side of Washington and Georgetown. "A
dislike on the part of the property owners
to be taxed for the education Of the
poor and to avoid having their children
associate with their interiors In wealth
caused the plan to fall. -
THE first Brightwood school was built
in the early sos, on Piney Branch road In
the rear OF George Browns residence. II
was a frame structure and Thomas cram
dali was the first teacher. This one-room
building was destroyed by fire, and In
1859 another was constructed. Inc equip
ment was in great contrast to yours. Ola
pews from Emory Chapel served as seats
for the twenty pupils, half pew elevated
on loose bricks was used as the Ounce
bench and the unfortunate culprits had to
remain most passive to maintain their
equilibrium.
"The board insists that all new school
buildings shall be properly ana scientlnc-
ally constructed, with as little danger
from fire as possible. We also insist
that they must be sanitary, properly 10
Gated and have sufficient space LOT pNS
grounds. ! congratulate you In having
grounds around your puilNih6' 49,
trast to Brightwood. Petworth and nearly
every suburban and urban scnool
AT one of it's first meetings the BOARD
Of education placed itself on RECORD IN
favor of school grounds by asking the
commissioners when buying sites, to al
low thirty square feet of space per pupil
| exclusive of the building site. Had Tor
mer boards adopted such rule mere
| would have been no occasion LOT tnis
campaign for municipal Playsrouhus.
necessary, OF course, III cIo"ueu p"A' Va
| Washington.
with Capt. James F. Oyster, the great
| commoner of the District OF Coiumpla
| and successor of Thomas JEFFERSON as
president Of the board we are de!eInineo
that our schools shall be equaled by few
and surpassed by none. NO sonoois are
| more democratic and none has more IN
| tellgent pupils than ours: rev nave
better instructors. as is SHOWN py tHe
high standing of our graduates. who enter
| the universities at home and ABROAD
Support of Parents Desired.
I'VE want the support of the parents
| to maintain, under our able Supt. stuart
Mr.. Thurston and a corps of 1.6OO splen-
did teachers, our high standard in schol'
arship and good citizenship.
| "This board is exact and demands gooc
service and obedience to the law and Its
rules. Its endeavor is to be fair to tax
| payers, patrons and employees II Is MOI
| inhumane as shown by the bill before
| Congress to retire teachers after lone
| and faithful service and for disability
The Commissioners have promised then
support to that BILL and we want yours
we must have it If we are to secure this
beneficent legislation. which will do more
for the uplift of the schools than any
measure thus far proposed, and with little
| cost to the taxpayer.
| In accepting the new structure in be
half of the Brightwood Park Citizens AS
| ISOLATION. Mr. Clayton expressed appre
citation of the efforts of the Commission
| ers of the board of education and espe
cially of w. v. Cox. resident of the
| section, in securing money for the bulid
| ing.
II wonder sometimes. in looking ovel
the District educational SYSTEM" sale
| Mr.. Clayton. IF it is not topheavy. II too
much attention Is not paid to the higf
schools and not enough to the grade
schools. In my view. education rests still
| on the three RS. And another suggestion
II should like to make Is the need fol
moral training in the schools"
A Word for the Teachers.
! Supt. Stuart, in the concluding remarks