Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-09

lecture, may become q thing
INIT. pl.n Of the past in many COM
munities II the unit plan"
SCHOOLS. Of schoolhousing which the
federal bureau of education is looking
into receives a popular reception. The
plan. which substitutes for the single
large structure a number Of cottage
schoolrooms grouped about small
campus, had its birth in the west and
has already been adopted by number
Of communities in Colorado and Cali
fornia and by one school in Illinois.
The bureau Of education has not made
formal study Of the plan. but is dis
tributing general Information in regard
to it in order that interested communi-
ties may keep up with the developments.
The bureau has found educational off,
Gals in the communities that have
adopted the plan most enthusiastic in
regard to 1t. They declare 1t to be
preferable to the single building on
ficiency, safety and health. 1t is the only
plan they point out, that will permit
housing facilities to exactly meet needs,
it being almost invariably the case that
all space Is not used in large school
the unit plan, it is declared. single
room can be built for a single addi-
tional class or several can be added il
needed. the growth of housing facilities
of the school. This is looked upon as a
great factor In economy. At the same
time. 1t is said. architects can make the
school group much more attractive than
the single schoolhouse.
On the score Of convenience advocates
of the unit plan point out that 1t wholly
eliminates stairs. which are expensive to
construct and to clean. and which tire
young children and are source Of posi-
tive danger to the older girls. 1t also
does away with large halls.
Since each class is housed to itself I'M
der the unit plan its conduct and move
ments, 1t is claimed, do'not interfere with
other classes, as In large buildings. thus
making for efficiency. In regard to health
1t Is asserted that the segregation Of the
classes each in its own building also
makes sanitary measures easier and sub
jects fewer children to exposure to in
lection when communicable diseases
break out. The group plan also makes
risk Of fire less and greatly minimizes
danger to the children when fires do
occur.
group system provides for a central
building somewhat larger than the
class units to serve on occasion as an
assembly hall, and containing in addi-
ton the principals Office and a room
for the teachers On each side Of this
administration building are grouped
the individual classrooms One of the
great advantages claimed for these
over the rooms in a large building is
that. standing to themselves, they can
be lighted and ventilated much more
satisfactorily. The Inauguration of the
unit plan in the west has already led
to the development Of a special ven
tilating and lighting design. In ac-
cordance with this most satisfactory
cottages have been constructed. with
windows placed near the ceiling on
three sides OF the room. The ad-
to be that ventilation is perfect with
out drafts, that there are floods Of
light from just the right sources for
greatest efficiency and that the pupils
cannot have their attention distracted
by what is happening outside. Black
poards are hxed and pictures are hung
below the windows
Though advocates Of the unit plan
believe that II will find Applicant in
school districts of practically all types,
other educators are expecting the
greatest development to take place in
land values do not make the occupa-
ton Of considerable areas prohibitive
BY conquest inside his own borders
the conquest by the engineers of the
reclamation service
Agricultural over the forces of
T.nd ALL nature - Uncle Sam
"' added more than 50,-
900 acres to his agricultural domain
last year This means that he added
approximately a million and a quarter
dollars to the value of the country's
annual crop production, for figures
just compiled by the census bureau
that have been transformed from des-
ert into actual farms under the gov
eminent reclamation work crops of an
average value of $24 were produced
during the year. These crop values
reclamation ofiicials say. show that
getting whipped into good shape. for
the average crop values are so cents
higher than for the preceding year.
The highest crop values per acre
$50. 60-were produced on the Okanogan
reclamation project. in Washington.
principal crops grown. The next larg-
est value in acre returns-s46 7O-was
produced on the Yakima project. in the
same state. where fruits and truck
excess OF 1884 per acre were also pro-
duced in the Yuma valley of Arizona
and California and in the Rio Grande
valley near FL Paso
On his whole governmentally re-
claimed area Uncle Sam produced more
than $1S,O00.0O0 worth of agricultural
produce. This region already saved
and put to use for production is ap-
proximately equal to the entire area
Of one state OF the Union-Rhode Is
landrincluding in the state both used
and unused land. 1t contains more
farm land than Delaware and the value
OF it's crop production is more than
1--WE times as great as that OF Rhode
Island. or twice that of Delaware
While this is considered by the recla-
nation officials to be an excellent
showing. 1t does not take into account
the potential farms already reclaimed
and waiting for settlers to crop them.
When the pillow shall be placed in all
this prepared ground Uncle Sam will
have added to his farming land a total
Of more than 100000 acres-equal to
the cropped areas of the old agricul-
tural state Of Maryland.
The age of concrete" and the age
of Standardization" by both Of which
pseudonyms the present
Standards for era Is so m t ! m e s
known, are strangely
ete' incon gruous, the
bureau of standards has found. While
factories and mills all over the country
nip0 Ut al ND mo vi 1c,