Evening journal., 1921-01-25


"a years OF age enrolled in school than
there were In the city. obviously, |
there must have been an unusual in
crease In enrolment In the autumn OF
1920 or else there was some error in /
the returns from these parOchlal and |
private schools, or the census figures |
were not accurate
"There were only 1902 children In !
the white high school. although there
were 60O6 children from ~ 10 iS years
OF age In The city. There were go chill
drcn from - 10 IS years OF age In The
city In parochial schools, and tj In
private schools.
Eighty per cent. OF an negro chill
ircn % IS years of age. were en-
rolled In the public schools
ITO sum up. Of the 23O93 children
Of 6 To rs years OF age In The city.
t9.ii9 In 1920 were enrolled In public,
private or parochial schools, 39ii or
n per cent. were not enrolled Ia any
school
schools Badly COnacsted.
School congestion Is 30 great that
| In 1920 there was a shortage of over
sixty classrOOms In elementary
schools, that Is, there were about
300 children without seating accom-
Imodations.
"The heart OF the school-buildns
problem In Wilmington is the ele-
lmentary schools. There are only ito2
children In the white high school. and
/ if the ninth grade Is taken out of That
school. and Junior high schools devel-
loped, there Will be no congestion In
the hlgh school for years 10 come.
q The chief question. therefore, In the
building program. ls what the present
congestion Is In elementary schools,
and the rate Of increase In enrolment
In these schools during the past ten
years.
I'm the year iaO9-i0. there were
1864 children enrolled In % white ele-
mentary schools In i9i9-20 there
were i0,T0s. The original seating ca
pacity Of these 21 schools, however,
on the basis OF 40 TO a class is only
$500. That Is. there were fewer seats
IN 1910 than were pupils. In 1920 there
were 23sS pupils without school seats
What Congestion Means.
's1'he average citizen probably does
not realize. certainly does not visual
lie, what school congestion means,
lIt meant In the % white ele-
mcniary schools that 7i3 per cent. OF
the Youngest children were attending
schools less than four hours a day
that ~ per cent. Of an lhe children In
me nrst two grades were attendln.
school only three hours a day; ant
that 23S per cent OF all children if
the elementary schools were attend
ing school less than five hours fivl
hours Is supposed TO be ihe length o.
the regular school day. In othe
words, nearly one-fourih Of The chil
dren In the elementary schools wcr'
J schooling.
, But CONGESTION means more thai
this. 10 means that the children Il
J the nrst two grades have their da'
I 50 divided that some come only h
! the morning. and some only In IN
\ afternoon. This means that som
I teachers teach from 10 TO ~ an
e ! from 1890 to $50 OF 4 y. NJ. Will
others teach from 10 ~ and from
D u % 3.
Furthermore. congestion means iha
even In the grades above The frst tw'
where there ls no part-timc eNil, "
j. the children are In oVcrcroWde
J. rooms. rooms with as many as
3 children and with only 40 seats.
+ means that sometimes they do nj
II have any room az all. There were
p. number of schools where the childrs
y were being taught In The ball. In OF
e case thirty children were packed inl
n a nall 50 closely that they could M
II rise 10 recite.
= Teaching even a normal number
(, children IN rooms which are poorl
y ventilated and poorly hflited ls 81
u flclcutly diflcult, but when an al
b. normal number on children are crowd
cd into poorly ventilated and bldl
u lighted rooms. the teaching proces
:. becomes almost impossible. Childre
u whose heads are heavy with the ba
3 cir OF an OvcrcrOwded room are
y no condition 10 absorb knoWledg
IL The chief problem OF the school a
o WAYS IA 10 get children into a cOnd
u ton In which they want 10 learn N
y things that the school has 10 teaci
r Studying In old. badly veniilaie
j. poorly lighted, crowded rooms ~
d exactly the opposite effect. II ~
r children are healthy. the one thil
J. they edslre Is 10 get away from schO
q 10 fresh air and freedom:-if they a
J. not healthy they should not be
y such rooms under any circumstance
Old Unsaniiary Buildings.
7, school congeS lion, In such DULL
3 lngs as exist In Wilmington. not on
4 makes satisfactory teacling almu
n impossible but 10 Is also a posltl'
e menace 10 the health OF the childre
j. "The school buildings IN Wilmlnl
h ton are by far uhe worst that the su
vcy commission has yet seen. on q
j. score or inadequate light. ventilatC
Is and satitatiOn alone. The use OF sue
school buildings as now conslitu
" the school equipment for the cnildrl
4 OF the city Of Wilmington would
Is prohibited by law In a number
n states.
v. with The exception Of one bulldin
Al there has been no new school bull
M ing for fourteen years. Nineteen
N the twenty-five buildings were ercct'
" thirty OF more years ago, Addihoi
!. were put up 10 eight Of these bull
ings, but the old buildings are ST
= used. Five buildings were built
the sos, OF over slXty-tNe years ag
,-gin two c0ses there was no scwerai
l. system connected with the buildin
~ and one building Is on such 10
N ground that 20 is flooded each sprin
In Last year. so the commission was i
~ formed. the water came up to q
4, blackbOards In The first story, 50 IN
q the books were floating about and q
"a children had 10 be moved. They r
- turned. however. 10 this school
II three weeks. This school has no sey
>, eraRe system. There are toilets in q
-, yard.
,,s Waste in school buildings.
W mot only are these buildings
oi menace 10 the health on the scho
, children. but their continued use
IL an econmic waste 10 the city. tn
= are so old and worn out that II Is n
oi worth while 10 spend a single doll
" upon them, yet, during the ye
u i9ig-20. Sii5.7O2 % was spent on or
y ration. unkeep, and outlay for the
N old buildings.
10 Moreover. the maintenance or n
ce IS small buildings is as great an
" travagance as would be the main