The Washington bee., 1910-05-28
BREAKERS AHEAD.

nlnSS are coming TO an alarming
pass in our schools. AS vacancies
occur in our Colored schools, con-
solidations are taking place, and no
new appointments are being made
in the vacancies. Two designations
in the teaching corps have left va
Cancies which have not been filled.
1t is said that should six vacancies
occur between now and the end of
the present school year, no new ap-
pointments would be made. In
other words, the colored schools
have two teachers less now than
they had at the beginning of the
present school year; and should ad-
ditional vacancies occur up to six,
there being no new appointments,
the colored schools would have
eight teachers less at the beginning
of the next school year than they
had at the commencement of this.
What is the matter with our
schools? Is the attendance falling
below that of previous years? Is
the present management of our
schools permitting matters to de-
teriorate and to run amuck? This
reduction of the teaching force
would naturally lead one to that
conclusion.
1t is said that the present
tendency to reduce the teaching
force in the colored schools is due
to the interference of Major Jud-
son, the Engineer Commissioner of
of the District. 1t is said Major
Judson thinks the teaching force is
too large by several hundred, and
that it ought to be reduced until
there are fifty scholars to each
teacher. Could anything be more
ridiculous? Major Judson is an
army officer. What does he know
about school administration and
pedagogy? If he knows anything,
he should at least want the schools
as we'll provided with teachers as
the army is provided with officers.
In time of peace a company OF
soldiers consists of sixty men, who
are controlled by captain and two
lieutenants, at aggregate salaries Of
$5,4oo per annum. And yet Major
hudson. so it IS said, would have
one teacher at a salary Of 5000 per
annum control fifty pupils. If three
officers are necessary to control
sixty men. two teachers to sixty
pupils is none too many. At pres
ent rates of pay the two teachers
would cost $1,000 less than three
army officers. Surely our schools
are at least of one half the con-
sequence of our army.
Besides, what has Major Judson
to do with our schools? !? Congress
took the appointment of the board
out of the hands of the Commits
sioners and put it in the hands of
the Judges to avoid this very thing
of meddling and debating to the
board about matters with which
the board is especially competent to
deal.
Our teaching force ought not to
be reduced at all. If the attendance
is falling off the matter ought to
be looked into. There are plenty
of children in Washington. Why
are they not in the schools:
CHRISTIAN HYPOCRACY
There are more white hypocrits
in this city than you can find
further South. The white Cath
olic Church IS condemned, but
The Bee has found more honest
religion in the Catholic Church
so far as colored Catholics are
concerned than there is in this
sO-called National Sunday
School gathering that made it
self SO ridiculous. recently in the
eyes of this civilized world.
There was one happy thought
that was uttered last Sabbath
morning in the 10Th Street Bap-
tist Church by one of the foreign
delegates when he said that the
Local Christian Committee in