Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-14
NIGHT SCHOOL WORK
Fewer Teachers This Year,
But Course Unimpaired.
NO HEADQUARTERS CHOSEN
Foreign Glasses Open October 3 in
Thompson Building, Maybe.
NO FRILLS ARE TO BE TAUGHT
ShakeUp in Colored Night Schools.
Places for High-Grade
Graduates.
NO HEADQUARTERS CHOSEN
NO FRILLS ARE TO BE TAUGHT

While preparations for opening public
school classes are going along busily in
every school building in the District,
there is no less activity among the Off
Gals who have the night schools in hand
With the picturesque school for good
citizenship lowering unsteadyily between
the Franklin building and the Thomp-
son School. and small shake-up immi-
nent in the colored night schools, B. W.
Murch, supervisor in charge of night
schools, has his hands full.
Foreign Schools Open October 3.
The foreign pight classes will open Oc-
tober 3, along with all the other night
schools. Their home has not been decided
upon as yet.
Several rooms in the Franklin building
year. This year they may be shifted to
the Thompson building.
The night classes for foreigners are
conducted along lines different from other
classes. The whole aim is to make good
American citizens out of hundreds of
foreigners who find their way to Wash
ington and who have to work.
The classes are typical melting pot
into which strangers from every corner
of the earth begin the assimilation which
StTlpS tHeTn OF lHe1T HdtlNe
peculiarities and makes Americans of
them.
When the classes form it will be seen
that they have drawn students from the
ends of the earth. There will be Italians.
Hebrews, Russians. Germans, Poles,
Frenchmen and South Americans.
Americanizing Education.
In the lowest grade there will be found
students who have fine education from
their own schools. but who are igno-
rant concerning English and the ways of
an American city. Consequently the
great effort Of the educators will be to
teach them the things with which they
can become American citizens in every
sense of the word The correct speaking
and writing Of the English language is
one OF the things on which special stress
will be placed.
Congress allowed but $1,000 for the
night schools for the coming year. This
is about half what the board OF educa-
ton wanted originally.
Consequently 1t is planned that there
shall be more concentration of effort in
the night schools for the coming season.
There will be not quite so many teachers
as there were last year The thorough
ness of the course has not been impaired,
IT is believed.
Practical Studies Only.
The studies in the night schools will be
for the most part of the most practical
nature Any one who objects to what are
termed "frills'' in public school education
would find an ideal and entirely frilless
course of study at the night schools.
The bare probabilities are taught the
night students This is SO because the
people who attend night schools are the
people who have no time for anything ex-
cept studies which will help them to lift
themselves. Many night school students
have had to leave day school long before
their education is complete in order to
earn a living.
The night school opened three nights a
week for two hours furnishes Just the
chance TO learn something of English HIS
tory. geography and arithmetic. The tech
meal schools and the business schools
offer just the chance TO learn something
along the very line the young clerk or me-
chanic or houSeWorker is following.
At Mckinley Manual Training School
and the Armstrong Manual Training
School night courses in wood work, sew
ing, cooking. electricity, mechanical draw
ing. steam engineering etc. will be
opened Monday night. October ). Men
and women. boys and girls took advan-
taGe of these two big educational plants
at night last YEAR The hope of the board
of education was that Congress would al
low almost ~ much for night classes in
these two schools was eventually ap-
propriaied for the whole system.
All-Year Night School,
A plan Mr.. Murch has in mind. and
! which the board of education will ask for
| in the coming session of Congress- is
money enough to run one night school all
| the year. Mr.. Murch has I'm mind al
| present the business courses, believing
| more students would take advantage OF
this course during nine-month run than
| any other course.
| If the Business High School should run
nights for the entire school year IT would
| be possible, also. to close the other schools
gradually, the attendance fell off, and
| transfer all the students from closing
/ schools DESTROYS of keeping on their stud
| les AT nights, 10 this central, leng-termed
night school.
| small shake-up in the coiored night
school force is slated, on the recommends
| ton of Bruce Evans. principal of the
! Armstrong Manual Training School ano
! in charge of the details of the night schoo
! work in the tenth, eleventh. twelfth and
| thirteenth divisions.
| -Four teachers will be removed. In theil