Evening star., 1923-09-16
BY GENE THOMAS.
School days. school days.
Dear old golden rule days.
Readin' and writin' and rithmetic


TOMORROW washington's TO-
900 school children and three
months of summer vacation
They Will fill 160 elementary
and high school buildings. each hav-
ing from eight TO eighty rooms. They
will overflow into seventy eight por-
table schoolhouses. over $500 school
teachers will greet them. To educate
them this year will cost $38 600 a day
How different from that morning
JIG years ago when Schoolmaster
Richard White led thirty boys and
girls into Washington's first school
house and, with brief religious serv-
ices. started the public school system
of the District of Columbia.
That schoolhouse, called Western
School. was located at 1900 1 street
tor Frank B. Brandegee of Connecti-
cut now stands.
1t was wooden structure, fifty
feet long, twenty feet wide and one
story high. There was plenty of play
space beside and behind it, and the
muddy roadway in front was little
travelled.
But when Schoolmaster White rang
the bell in the steeple at front of the
sloping shingIed roof play was over.
Boys and girls hurried to see their
schoolroom. Four rows of unpol-
ished, uncarved. non-adjustable desks
and benches. separated by narrow
aisles. awaited them.
Girls hung their wraps on hooks at
right of the doorways. Boys tossed
caps and hats upon hooks at the left.
At the other end Of the room, on a
platform, was Schoolmaster Whites
desk and chair. fianked by black
boards in easels. The wall behind
him and space between windows on
sides of the room were bare. Con-
gress necessitated this by limiting
cost of erection and equipment of the
school to $500.
As if to offset the meager appro-
priation. the Legislators became quite
generous in endowing the school with
aims. This little building, the act
creating it stated, was the foundation
of IAN institution in which every spe-
cies of knowledge essential to the
liberal education of youth may even-
tually be acquired"
j = -
VTTASHINGTON'S first school board.
w charged with achievement of this
goal, was popularity chosen. 1t con-
sisted of thirteen members, seven
elected by the city council and six
named by individuals contributing to
endowment of the school.
Thomas Jefferson. then President
of the United States. was elected grst
president of the school board. He
had contributed 5000 to the school and
showed his Willingness to give time
and thought to advancing education
In the National Capital
Accepting the school board presi-
dency, Jefferson wrote:
MONTICELLO August IA, 1905.
Sincerely believing that knowledge
promotes the happiness of man,
shall ever be disposed to contribute
nay endeavors toward it's extension,
and in the instance under considera-
ton will willingly undertake the du-
ties proposed to me, so far as others
of paramount obligation will permit
my attention to them. I pray you to
accept my friendly salutations ana my
assurances of great respect and es-
(Signed) THOMAS JEFFERSON"
TEEN.
The first school board meeting was
held in the Supreme Court room,
United States Capitol, in August, 1905.
From the beginning the school board
insisted on maintenance of the same
high scholarship standards which to-
day make a Washington high school
diploma respected by every college in
the nation.
Records show that on June 80, 1890.
an examination of the school twas
held. lasting six hours, which, not
being completed, was continued for
five hours the next day. School was
conducted every day except Sundays
from September 10 to July 81 School
hours were am. to 4:30 pm from
March 10 70 September Is, and the re-
mainder of the year from am to
p.m.. with a recess of only one-fourth
Of an hour.
There was no let-up in these long
school days, weeks and years until
about 1850. Then Saturday was made
4 holiday. Soon afterward the sum-
nner vacation was heightened and the
school day shortened.
TO encourage diligence in study. the.
school board, in 1925, offered as
Awards to such pupils "as excel in
literature. or by their uniformly cor
rect department and good molal con-
duct and behavior merit the approba-
tion of the teachers and trustees. a
full suit of clothes to each boy and
a full dress to each girl"
,ARA the 6eaxd die aeSSaiaGssasA4