Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-22
FOUR BIG REASONS WHY
INCREASE is IMPERATIVE
Dual System of White and Colored
One of Most Important.
CLASSES ALSO TOO LARGE
Copies of Reply to Criticisms Sent
to President Taft and to the
District Committees
of Congress.

To the President of the United States,
to the chairmen of the two committee on
he District of Columbia at the Capitol and
10 the appropriations committee of the
House will be sent copies of the reply of
the board of education to the charges
money for the education of the children
of Washington The reply has been pre-
pared by President oyster of the board.
and is today i'm the hands of the ways
which have been asked to consider it
thoroughly and to suggest way by
which the reply can he given the widest
publicity and be driven home with the
greatest force.
As the typewriter copy stands now. it
contains many figures in tabulated FORM
many quotations from the caustic report
q the recent schoolhouse commission ap-
pointed by Congress to find out what was
the trouble with the schools. and which
reported to Congress in 1905.
-Four fr1nc1pal Reasons.
The verbal part of this report was sub
mitted to the board yesterday. 1t men,
tions as four big reasons for the neces-
sity for spending large sums on schools
recently the following features of the
District school situation:
The recommendations and criticisms of
the schoolhouse commission and the
necessity for hundreds of changes in the
school building situation.
The dual system of schoolhouses,
classes, teachers and supervisors made
necessary by the fact that Washington's 5
population Is one-third colored.
The modern tendency to reduce the size
or classes so that- each teacher can give
more time to the individual
The ductuation of ,Washington's popu-
tation, due to the coming and going Of the
army OF people who arrive in Washington
with Congress and leave when the legis-
1ature adjourns.
The report claims that fully one-half of
the $4,jOO,O0O estimate for the present fis-
cal year is made necessary by neglect
OF buildings in the past, and to carry out
recomme ndations of the schoolhouse COM
mission. and. also, to get rid of 124
halliday schools above the first grade, to
replace eighteen portable schoolhouses
it possible to give up ninety-six rooms in
rented properties which are insanitary
and unfit for school purposes.
School Commissions Report.
The schoolhouse commission was ap-
pointed by Congress in 1905, and report
cd in 1905 1t was made up of the then
superintendent of schools, the architect of
the Treasury and the Engineer Commits
sioner The report of this commission
sheds some light on the large estimates
Tor buildings made by the board of edu-
cation for the past three years. and for
which ii is now censured. The money
asked for by this government commits
Sion Tor school buildings was far in ex-
cess OF that asked in any one year by
the board of education.
"A fair index of the condition and needs
OF the Washington schoolhouses is Iound
In these facts:
The commission promptly condemn
Ell and recommended the abandonment of
twenty-four buildings.
1T also recommended the erection of
new and modern high schools in place of
the Eastern and Central
III specifically recommended the apprO-
pTiation of Si,'J.5.p0 for buildings fully
one-half of which was to replace the di-
lapldated structures which were condemn-
ed as unfit for use
other features OF the reply are as fol-
lows:
Due to Racial Exactions.
1t is obvious that were it not for the
eXdctions OF the race question no city Of
Othe size of Washington would consider il
necessary or wise to maintain two deputy
superintendents. two normal schools, two
expensive manual training schools or a
sixth high school. Nor would there be
rcl
A study of the locations of school
buildings shows that TO meet the needs
"f tine white and colored children two
smaller buildings have been erected in the
same territory which under other condi-
tons would have been merged into one
larger building at greatly reduced cost
OF the original plant and of opera ton
1t is we'll understood principle that il is
cheaper 10 maintain one large building
than TWO smaller ones. Repeated exam
pies are found throughout where small
class of white children of q given grade
is in one building and another small class
or colored children of the same grade
Is IN nearby building. This duplication
~ small buildings and small classes has
been going on for the past forty years
and has been made necessary by the sep
aTaticn of the white and colored schools
Smaller Glasses the Modern Idea
= third local condition which adds. TO
the result of the efforts of the school
authorities for the past twenty five years
TO steadily diminish the number of pupils
assigned TO each teacher. The whole
tendency of the best things i'm education
is away from the traditional practice of
i1structing children i'm masses and toward
a nearer approach to the teaching OF in
dividuals
This has been the policy of the school
authority in Washington for quarter OF
"A century. and the wisdom of the policy
from the point of view of teaching is be
yond question Formerly it was the uni
versal custom to place fifty-six seats in a
graded school, with the frequent addi
tion of four extra desks, thus imposing
upon the teachers the practically impOs-
sible task of teaching sixty children. Nc
educational authority of any standing
would today defend such an imposition
:. upon the endurance and skill of the
teacher.
"A fourth condition in Washington