Evening star., 1921-05-06
PROPOSES LARGER
AND FINER SCHOOLS
Claxton Tells City Club All
Small Schools Should
Be Junked.

| JunkinS of all the small school
| buildings in the city and a gradual
| building up of a school system con-
slsting of fifty twenty-room schools
was urged last night by Philander F.
Claxton, commissioner of education.
! speaking at the second anniversary
meeting of the City Club, on Farra-
gut Square.
With the installation of Edwin c.
Graham as president. succeeding j.
A Whitfield. who declined to be re-
nominated, Roy l.. Neuhasuer, secre-
tary, and four new governors, the
club last night began it's third year
! OF existence under its present name.
MT. Graham in Il short address.
, paid high tribute to the retiring
president. pointing out that Mr.. Whit
field had been a responsible factor in
building up the club to 800 men,
bership. and holding it for two years
on promises of the new building.
when labor and material made it i'm
possible to fulfill the promises.
Il took this job" said Mr.. Graham.
ito help bring these promises to
fruition. Through the work of Mr..
Whitfield and others. we are now in
the position to realize them. The
site is ready, the money raised and
the builders are ready to start. Ground
will be broken in two weeks In six
months I expect to see realized a
dream | have cherished for ten years
the establishment here of a per-
manent club home for a civic or
ganiZation. big enough to function for
all of Washington"
Cheer Retiring President.
A resolution by NJ D. Rosenberg.
the retiring president. was carried
with cheers.
Mr. Claxton in his address pleaded
for the adoption by the District of
l;~-" vision for future school facili-
ties. speaking, he said, not as a COM
missioner but as a citizen whose
children attended the local schools.
he urged junking small school build
ings and a gradual building up of a
school system consisting of about
fifty twenty-room schools, with at
least two acres Of playground each
and with facilities also for teaching
manual skill and self-expre ssion.
Such program, he said, could be
completed for $4,000. 900 and would
fulfill the educational needs caused
by changed conditions of city life.
'The natural Fairgrounds of the
earlier days of our civilization are
gone he said, ''and so also have dis
appeared the opportunities boys and
girls used to have to learn manual
dexterity and self-reliance on the
farms. in the small stores and shops
and in the home. If we are to con-
tinue breeding the self-reliant, ener-
getic Americans of the past. we must
give in the schools the chance for
work. study and play the trinity
without which no education. however,
elementary, is rounded out.
Plans broadening Education.
eve must have larger schools. so
that in each one we can afford to
have a supervising principal; an
auditorium where pupils can be
taught by movies and where they can
develop their personalities through
plays, concerts and so on, and
physical training. We don't need "a
seat for every child for by alter
mating our classes one-half of them
can occupy the seats while the other
half are on the Fairgrounds under
competent play leader or in the gym
nasium. the manual training rooms
or the auditorium.
tage schools can be built cheaply
near their homes; for the older a
hree-quarter-mile walk is lot bet
ter than tumbling out of the house
and into the school.
Washington has decided that it's
going to be a permanent city. We're
here to stay; the governmental de-
partments are sure to grow; indus
tries may come in. and the school
population will increase steadily.
Drop the idea of building more little
schools and adopt a program that
has vision. There is nothing better
that a city club can do than to get
behind such a program"
Mr. Claxton praised Supt. Ballou
for backing the junior college and
also advocated establishment here of
a municipal university.