Evening star., 1921-12-07
Labor Secretary Asks Land
Be Bought for Great Build
ing Project.
PHYSICAL development
AND FARM SKILL SOUGHT
Plan Presented to Congress Would
Turn Present High Schools
to Lower Grades.

purchase of tract Of land of a
thousand acres or more at the edge of
| the populated northwest section OF
the city, on which to erect buildings
Tor centralized high school to take
| the place of the present high schools
| of the District of Columbia, is urged
| in letter sent today by Secretary of
Labor Davis to Senator Capper of
Kansas. chairman of the joint COM
| mittee investigating the schools of
Washington.
The plan contemplates the use of
the present high school buildings for
the elementary schools to relieve
crowded conditions in the lower
| grades. This was the result of the
Secretary's investigation of school
conditions in Washington at the sug-
gestion Of Senator Capper.
The Labor Secretary also suggests
| an agricultural curriculum in the high
| schools which will take the pupils out
doors and give them practical training
in farm work
In the group of buildings which the
Secretary recommends would be erect
ed modern auditorium in which
questions of the day could be debated
"
students. Not only would this audi
| torium be available for school work
but II could be used as a public audi
torium or convention hall. which tn.
Secretary says is now badly needed in
Washington.
Physical conditions and development,
OF the student should be watched care
tuily, the Secretary says In this con-
nect.on he recommends erection of a
building equipped with all the latest de-
vices for physical examination, where
/ students would report periodically for
! examination of their physical condition.
Erection of stadium which would
combine the facilities offered by the
! stadium on the Greek theater plan,
| which would be available for reviews
and games ard in which could be held
| great pageants and ether displays which
| go tc make up well rounded education
is urged by the Secretary.
! Now Very Inadequate.
! Facilities of the high schools at
present are highly Inadequate. the
Secretary adds. pointing out that In
the immediate future Congress will
| be called upon to appropriate con-
| siderable amount of money for in
creasing them.
affords a splendid opportunity for
the government to inaugurate
permanent program for a modern
system of high school facilities, one
| which will not only meet the present
needs of the city. but which will al
low for expansion of the city for the
next hundred. or even more years.
| The plan which ! have in mind is
| radically different from any now in
| use and would make available for the
| grammer grades the buildings at
| present used for teaching of high
school subjects"
A farm equipped with a dairy.
stables. si1o and stock and properly
fenced would make the studies of the
! students beneficial in all regards.
Agriculture in truth will make
farming gainful occupation" the
letter says But the farm must be
| a real farm, with cows and chickens,
horses and swine and many other
! things that go with them. In this
way only will IT be possible to teach
! considerable share of the expense of
| maintaining the farm would lie de-
| frayed by the sale of products
Present Courses Of study.
The excellent courses of study Of
| fered by the seven high schools of
| the District include academic, voca-
tional and business subjects. They
are taught in different schools. and
| these schools are in the various sec
tions of the city, widely separated.
Under this system, with different sub
| jects taught in different schools,
there cannot be an absolute co-ordi-
| nation of the courses given. My
thought is that the whole system of
high schools could be operated at one
| point.
Under. the present method the ma
! jority of high school students do not
walk to their classes. and conse-
, Quently there is no argument for
| having the schools scattered about
| all over I he city. Capitalization
| would result in increased facilities,
greater efficiency and smaller op-
Grating expense. If the schools were
! suggestion would be that this point
| be on the outskirts of the north
west section of the city-an arrange
| ment could be made with the street
car companies for reduced fares to
] students.
| There would be no loss to the
street car companies in doing this. for
at the hour of beginning school,
o'clock, which is also the hour at
| which the government departments
going out to that section are now
practically empty. while those coming
| in are full and even jammed. The
empty cars would be used to trans
situation would be met in the evening,
for, under the plan outlined below,
school would keep until the closing
! time of the government departments.
The situation would. of course, be re-
versed.
Program in Concrete Form.
In concrete form the proposed pro-
gram is as follows: Congress should
appropriate sufficient funds to pur-
chase a large tract, thousand acres
or more, at the edge of the populated
northwest section of the city. This
would be a campus on which would be
built all the buildings necessary 10
, meet the present needs - the city.
| There would be buildings for aca-
demic and business courses: shops and
| laboratories for vocational courses;
an equipped farm for those studying
agriculture, horticulture. botany and
animal husbandry: auditorium. libra
ry, gymnasium, stadium for athletic
| tournaments, etc.
'sThe Department Of Agriculture now
| has a number of small tracts about
Washington which are being used for
J experimental purposes. With a model
| farm included in the high school
system. the experiments now made
| by this department might well be
| carried on at the school. and the stu
| dents receive the benefit. The eX-
pense TO the government of conduc-
ting the present experiment stations
about Washington could be reduced
or the appropriations made available
| to the use OF the high schools.
l "WaShington Is noted for Its won.