Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-10
CROWD|NG IN SCHOOLS
DEPLORED BY SPEAKERS
Means Less Efficient Teach
ing, Opinion Expressed at
Parents League Meeting.
Urged That No Change Be Made in
Plans for Central High
School.

Declaring that crowded schools mean
ing of the Parents League. at the Will
son Normal School last evening, pro-
tested against conditions which they said
exist in certain schools i'll the District.
That more buildings are immediately
needed was asserted by several of the
speakers.
Mrs. H. W. Melville, president of the
women's auxiliary of the Park View Cit
liens Association, declared that exist
ing conditions in this vicinity could not
be worse" She said the facilities in sew
eral of the buildings were poor, that the
buildings were poorly heated. and in some
instances were not as good as those in
the country.
j. c. McGrath, president OF the Park
View Citizens Association, after calling
attention to the crowding in some of the
schools, said farmer would not crowd
his pigs to such an extent.
Small Glasses Advocated.
Stephen Z. Kramer supervising prin-
cipal of the third division. declared
that the classes must not be too large
1T is more important that teachers
should know what the pupils who are
not reciting are thinking about than
TO know what the pupil who is recit-
ing has in mimi. 1t is possible for a
teacher to do this only up TO a certain
number" he said.
Judge Charles S. Bundy, representing
the Columbia Heights Citizens Asso-
citation, quoted statistics to show how
badly the school buildings were
crowded. Through Judge Bundy a
statement prepared by Dr. A I. RAM
scy was read. advocating that no
change be made in the building OF the
new Central High School. as has been
suggested In a resolution recently Of
fered in the Senate by Senator Lane.
The league unanimously approved this
statement.
Other Speakers Heard.
Other speakers on this subject were
William Cromwell. president of the
Petworth Citizens Association, and DIR.
Lyman kebler. A resolution was pre-
sented by Mrs. Franklin Wilson urging
that the Parents League and its
friends uphold the Commissioners of
the District of Columbia in their eff
forts to advance education and to pro-
vide more schools. with the view of
reducing the size of individual classes
to number not exceeding forty" 1t
was adopted. Mrs. William r. Loney
read a report on the work of the play
grounds committee.
The problems of a librarian were out
lined by DIR. George F. Bowerman, Ii
brarian of the Public Library, in an
address on THE Selection of Books. "
Or BoWerman gave much advice on
1.-the selection of books for children
Mr.. Bowerman' Suggestions.
Although We might wish that parents
generally would supervise the reading
done by their children. yet evidences that
in most cases they do not are too plenti-
full to admit of much doubt in the mat
| ter he declared. Since this is to a
! large degree true, so that many children
read without hindrance the co.ored ESQ.,
| called comic supplements of the Sunday
| newspapers, and the often sickly and I'M
! wholesome books secured from the Sun
! day school libraries. as well as more OIL
| less innocuous nickel novels, togethe,
! with nameless horrors from the news
| stands, 1t behooves the Public Library &c
| supply such books as will successfully
| compete in interest with the inferior ma
| literature should be circulated he said
| las will stimulate curiosity and interest
| and inform and develop taste, Naturally
and wholesomely. for the purpose of aid
/ ing in the formal education of the child
as well to secure his enrolment In g
| lifelong course of education through the
means of the library
| Musical numbers were contributed by
| Miss Hattie Swart and Mrs. Lorimer Mil
! Ter. Mrs. Frederick Leslie Ransome pre-
/ sided.