Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-15

With the gradual growth of the CITY,
| the establishment OF homes for the le"
thousands of people connected Win e"'
government. mechanics and iaporins
people, taverns. business houses. e.
before the term farmer was opsoie.e '''
the District, schools were called INTO eA
istence and children We're sent TO lAe'li
for the double purpose of learning anu
to keep them off the streets, OF raene
the commons, thereby Tightening Iho
cares of the housewife in man. instances
In the first quarter Of the last century
there were but two public Schools anu
less than twenty private SCHOOLS Oh on
grades. in which the three Rs az least'
were being taught in the city 1heEe
were some CT a higher grade. in which
more favored were prepared for college,
one or two FRENCH schools. two scientihc
schools. as we'll as young ladies' acad-
emies. one of the latter being a bcaro-
ing establishment.
Nor was the white race alone interested
in education. For the colored people,
numbering $500, the majority slaves. III
a total population Of less than 1900 mad
established two or three schools in the
city.
Two Public Schools.
There were. between 1870 and 1880. two
nublic schools for those children whose
narents were unable to pay tuition. AS
early as 1904 the corporation provided In
a way for their instruction oy autnoli 1',s
tho navmen- for tuition in private schools
by trustees, who received the corpoi"
items appropriations and donations ifoiA
individuals.
Two school districts were laid out Anae
part of the city. west of first stree "es''
and north of + street. south, was the
first. The rest of the city formed the
second.
The schoolhouse for the latter district
then the most settled. was erected IN
1908 at the northeast corner OF so ai,o o
d streets southeast, and that Tor tne
first district on l street west or Itn
street, in 1916. These were known as
the Western and Eastern academies.
Henry Ould and E. d. Tippett were the
teachers, respectively. Boards OF SEE.
sight. Among the trustees were KEY.
Father Matthews of st. Patrick's Cath
Ole Church and Rev. A. l. McCornAcn
of Christ Episcopal Church. Navy 1aro.
1t is history that these trustees. pus.
men as they were, found time to give
personal supervision, and frequently were
TO be found in the schoolrooms.
The eight-hour law was then IN rorce
as to school hours, especially IN SUM-
mer. and Notwithstanding, there were
so manv classes of pupils ranging from
six years upward that 1t was almost
inopossible for a teacher to hear the
recitations of their pupils in oa!. -
number of these pupils lived as nuc.
as two miles from the schoolhouses' . a.t
showed such anxiety for learning that
.hey Travelled back and forth with their
lunches and books. Further accommo-
dations for the public schools were NOV
given until 1874. when the population
numbered 10000 and two other School
buildings were erected.
Georgetown College.
Georgetown College was closely allied
to Washington by reason Of its associa-
ton with the Carroll, Young. Fenwick
and other families of this section. and
having on its rolls some Washington
pupils Established in 100 by Father
John Carroll. the first Bishop Of Balti-
more. it was raised to the rank Of uni
versity In 1916, and in the twenties under
Fathers Enoch and Benjamin Fenwick,
with ten professors and tutors, over a
hundred students were in attendance.
Columbian College, for which forty-
seven acres Of land, north of the city
boundary and west of 14th street. was
purchased in 1919, received its act or In
corporation In 1921 opened that year with
but fifty-four students, under Iaeulty
Of ten professors headed by DIR. Staugh-
ton. Rev. Obadiah Brown was the presi-
dent of the trustees and Rev. Luther
Rice was treasurer.
A five-story brick building. including
basement. and attic with two commodi-
GUS dwellings, formed the settlement
known as College Hill. 1t was served
with daily mail.
One of the most noted classical schools
at that time was that OF Mr.. Plunley
streets northwest, in which were tn
small number Of pupils representing the
leading families of the West End and
Georgetown. Salmon p. Chase. Afterwards
prominent as Chief Justice. was associat-
ed with MIR. Plumley from 1875 to 1S29.
having charge OF the young men, dozen
or So Mr.. Plumiey taught the young
ladies.
Gonzaga College.
Washington Seminary. from which the
present Gonzaga College sprang. was
then the leading Catholic school for boys.
1t was located in threc-stOry brick
building on the north side Of street
midway between 9th and 10th streets. adj
joining the rectory of ST. Patrick 8
Church.
IneTe were tIel duoul IVJ pupiis, III
Guiding the preparatory school, being
taught by ten professors and tutors, Rev.
A. Kohlman being the president of the
seminary and Rev. Adam Marshall princi-
pal Of the preparatory school Many
pupils We're here prepared for Georgetown
College. a number appearing subsequently,
In the ministry and the professions.
Cotemporaneous with the above was
the neighboring Washington Academy OF
John Mcleod, on the west side of 10th
street between F and G. streets. in which
his brother, Columbus Mcleod, was his
assistant. 1t was widely known as Nc
Leods School, both ct this location and
q few years afterward at the northwest
corner Of Grant place and 9th street.
Over the door was a sign. Order Is
Heavens First Law" II there ever was
q school in which order was maintained
it was this one. Mr.. Mcleod was strict
disciplinarian, and spared not the rod nor
switch, but with all he was mindful OF
the morals and physical and intellectual
needs of the pupils.
athletic sports. supervising their plays
and accompanying them to the river
at daylight for bathing He believed
that Cleanliness was next to goodness.
Taking in school at sunrise. the hours
were long. No irrelevant word or sound
was to be heard unless in recitation or
through the infection Of corporal pun
ishment. Indeed, his character as
schoolmaster was such that a threat to
send a boy to McLeod's School from
any part of the city was sufficient to put
him on his good behavior.
AS may be ina eined, few bad boys left
the school untamed. More than one
character prominent in after years had