Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-31

highly educated in his own land and
tongue. but speaks no English word when
he applies at the night school. IL he Is
apt and quick, he will absorb the English
In a remarkably short time. and go on
through the school in record time. There
are four foreign grades. concentrating on
the teaching of the English language.
After that a student Is fitted to go into
what corresponds with the sixth grade
Of the day sci ,ools.
The "Atypical" Grade.
One Of the interesting foreign classes
is that taught by a remarkably capable
Young women, who ba the day teaches
a class In one of the "atypicar' schools.
An "atypical' school is school away
from the type" where mentally deficient
and other unfortunate children are taught
simple things. The night class referred
to is composed OF young Greeks, Italians,
German Hebrews, and perhaps one or two
others. One night the young woman was
teaching her young pupils to spell lis,
of about twenty words, write them ana
make sentences In which they were useu:
Some idea of what she has to contend
with, and at the same time keep a
straight face may be CLEANED from this !:
She told one young Greek. who in his
own tongue Is able TO write words tnat
Homer might have been proud OF; 10 write
on the blackboard THE wind has been
blowing today" He beamed with pride
when he had produced De wind Is dow
todi." Another one. whose sentence was
81 have walked five miles today, wrote
II have worked fl mills toda." Another
chance at 1t showed worked" for
walked" A young italian woman was
shown the word tube" on the black
board and told to say sentence contain
r wash-a da clo' in da washa-tube'
was her reply.
Another School Promised.
Just at present the only manual train
ing night course is conducted at the Arm
strong Manual Training School. but the
splendid facilities of the Mckinley Man
ual Training School will be opened for
white men and boys before long. At
Armstrong there Is very large attend
ance The sewing class crowds two or
the schoolrooms TO the very limit OF their
capacity. The girls are taught practical
sewing, and learn new and effective
methods In that line The hardest thing
of all Is to teach grown women to sew
correctly after lifetime of wrong
methods The course includes dressmak-
ing. So popular Is this dressmaking
course that 1t encroaches on the space
laid off by the officials who insist on
the study Of caterpillars and crawfish at
economy. As you walk into one of the
dressmakin. rooms there Is remarkable
sign I'm four-inch letters on the door:
BIOLOGY and dressmaking."
They teach the women to make hats.
also An experienced millinery instructor
attends to this. and she has large class
of young women; and. wonder OF won
ders, there is a man. forty years old or
so, who has been plodding away making
girls bonnets and merry widow hats for
two years. He is one of the odd things
about the night school, almost as odd as
the very old and very decrepit cOlored
woman in one Of the other schools who
insists on attending the typewriting
classes every school night. The machine
fascinates her. and that's enough.
Good Facilities There.
Armstrong; cooking class has a fine
kitchen to work in. but the school off,
Gals have hard time trying to get col
ored girls to study cooking. No matter
how much they need to learn to cook
right, they seem to have a falling for
dress and millinery and want to get into
those classes. II after earnest persua-
sion they take up the latter courses, the
teachers have good deal of difficulty
In controlling the tastes OF the extremely
loud ones, who want green parrots and
pink feathers. and the like.
There are carpentry classes. iron work.