The Washington herald., 1922-05-11
In an Educational Bootshop.


in economic progress where farmers devote
all their time to tillng the soil and shoemakers
specialize foot apparel. The product is crude
and clumsy.
.. Farmers in the United States cut, sewed and
pegged their cowhides fifty years ago. The
product was durable enough but neither neat
comfortable. Now the most backward Ameri-
communities have shoe stores. Madens and
in Maryland and Virginia villages shod
as fashionably the cosmopolitan throng
Pennsylvania We that much ahead
OF Russia.
Schools in Washington still are managed inan-
cislly a branch of the District government.
They considered in much the same light as the
street cleaning garbage collection departments.
Men and who control the dcstinies of
District education not considered because of
special qualifications for the work. The product
is crude and clumsy as Russian boots
Schools in enfrsnchised American cities are in
the hands Of education boards independent OF other
branches of the municipal governments. These are
made up of selected because of their proven
capacity to deal with problems essential training
children They include prominent business men
who understand school finances and able educators
who are familiar with technical details of nstruc-
tion and administration. The product is celebrated
= throughout the world American education has no
rivals. These cities that much ahead OF the
District Of Columbia.
The situation here is hopeless while we con-
-tinue to make shoes by hand. To nsur. reason
able progress in school affairs the first essential
is up-to-date machinery. Under the present plan
slight improvements be made here and there
Now and then dangerous building will be re-
placed. Fairgrounds will be added one by one
These in turn will have become antiquated before
-sRy~general Improvement is noticeable.
Why must Washington cling so tenaciously in
educational affairs TO the old family tool chest in
-hcrited from the forcfathers who thrived during
the first decade Of the present cent1ry? They
SECURED the best available in their day and ex-
rected those who took up their. burdens to provide
-Rcw instruments when the old became unusable
Those old tools dull and rusty now. 1t is no
pleasure to work with them The results we
sobtain unsatisfactory.
- The welfare of the Washington of the future
depends upon satisfactory answer to our school
problems. Because of the antiquated methods now
IN use District children not getting their due
share OF the benefits to which the new generation
is entitled.
To patch up the present system would be
tfruitess and thankless task. Ii would be as SEN
sble in many ways. recall the old horsecars
put them in such shape that they could be op-
Grated, and then use them to solve the Districts
traction problem.
A fresh start is needed The shop must be cleaned
out the rubbish burned and new equipment Sc
cured in order to compete with cities which already
have adopted more progressive ideas This need
not be such difficult task 1t would require
little extra bookkeeping for few months, per-
haps 1t would not disrupt seriously the Districts
business.
The change be brought about bv the in
sistent demand of citizens who are tired of the
home bootmakIng plan. Evidence accumulatcs that
District people ready to make this demand
that they realize the hopelessncss of Improvement
under present conditions. The mass meeting at
Central High School the other night, for example
when the policies advocated by The Herald for
months were indorsed by large number OF
prominent and representative citizens shows the
way the wind is blowing. District people are in
no temper to compromise with antquated educa-
tional methods. They have been ritated too long
with school problems We are hopeful that they
will not delay in pressing the fight for new
system.
There will be some expense. 1t cannot be
avoided But we confident that magnificent
dividends will be paid the necessary invest
ment-and nobody expects secure the best schools
for