Evening star., 1923-01-28
|SAYS. D. c. SCHOOL
FUND |SASSURED
Senator Capper Tells Mass
Meeting .$1,460, 600 Should
Be Granted.
REC0UNTS LOCAL NEEDS
Ten Million Dollar Program Should
BE Adopted, He
Declares,
REC0UNTS LOCAL NEEDS

for schools. increased by the Senate
to i,46d.0o0 In the District apprepFi-
alton bill, would be retained without
objection from the House was made
by Senator Capper Of Kansas last
night at q mass meeting at Central
High School.
Senator Capper. who said he was
expressing a personal opinion, ven
tured his prediction in the course OF
short address on the school situa-
tian In the District. Mrs. Marietta
Johnson of Fairhope. Ala. delivered
an address on the new viewpoint"
in education. outlining methods EN-
ployed at her school of organic edu-
cation.
Summing up the sentiment OF the
enthusiastic meeting. resolution by
Or. ). j. Manchly was unanimously
adopted calling on Congress to enact
tne teachers' salary and the compul-
sory education bills now pending.
UrEes s1e.Ooo.OO Program.
Senator Camper declared the city of
his survey as chairman Of the Joint
committee on schools, was far behind
other cities OF it's size throughout
the nation in educational equipment
While expressing pleasure that the
senate had added large amount to
the District bill for the use of the
schools. the senator declared that
still the District was behind and that
In reality $4,000. 600 program should
De adopetd to bring this city up to
the front rank. with a model school
for the nation.
Senator Capper declared he had
found In his survey 10000 pupils in
ouiiolngs meant to house $4,000; 1000
or e,ooo boys and girls receiving an
average daily education Of three and
half hours. instead of the Ave hours
given In every adequately equipped
school; and series of school build
inGs, one-third of which had been
condemned. very Justly, years ago as
9nnt. Between 5000 and 1000 chill
dren, the senator said, were found to
be getting education In bie
buildings and in rented buildings.
fairgrounds, he said. were woefully
Inadequate.
owing to the restricted facilities. the
Of the District were obtaining onlv ahomt
w per cent OF normal education.
Inc teaching faculty in the Washing
Ton schools Senator Capper found to be
uhuerpaid in comparison with cities OF
similar size throughout the nation az
forty-seven cities, he said, Wasbin1,on
stood about forty fifth, paying an AVER
age OF only about $1,000 to teachers as
compared with Milwaukee. for instance,
paylns an average of s2.Soo. Most
paid the school superintendent from
$4,000 to $4,000, while Washingtn,
was paying $4,000. o'
| Would Abolish Desks.
Declaring that he represented an
agricultural and economical commun-
l.y, senator Capper explained that he
,no,,d u 10. IavoT an economy which
the education of boys and girls in
the District of Columbia. The sena-
tor 9eplored the attitude of certain
members Of Congress. who, he said,
mace nice speeches about a model
school system for the District, and
tion. ''e Appfopria-
One good reason why Congress
shoQld favor a generous school pro
s' sram' senator Capper said. was be-
cause the cltl2ens and taxpayers here
paid 60 per cent of the cost.
Mrs johnson. in her address on
educational methods, declared against
.ne use OF desks in schoolrooms.
sksins. ins s.e;gcesag percentage marks, and
cniid she pointed out. should be al
lowed to develop through learning
along the lines of his own eager
curious. growing nature, and should
not De inhibited by evercrowding his
of forced curriculum. Children in
her school. she said, progressed from
year to year, not by promotion, but
by simply being kept in classes Of
the same age and being developed
accordingly by the guidance OF a
human" teacher. No teacher she
said, should have more than twenty
pupils. She advocated cutting down
the District school classes to twenty
pupils to a teacher and doubling the
teachers salaries. Real education,
she pointed out. succeeded in de-
veloping sound, accomplished.
beautiful body; an intelligent, sym
pathetic mind, and sweet, sincere
spirit"
Promoters OF Meet
The mass meeting was arranged by
the following organizations: Pro-
gresatve Education Association, Dis
trict of Columbia Congress eff Moth
ers and Parent-Teacher Associations
League of Women Voters, Federation
of Women's Clubs. College Women s
Club. Anthony League. American AS
sociation Of University Women.
Twentieth Century Club. High School
Teachers Union. High School Teach
tion and the Grade Teachers Union.
The committee on arrangements
oonsisted of Mrs. Giles Scott Rafter
of the Congress of Mothers and Parent
Teacher Associations and Mrs. r. w.
MoReynolds Of the Progressive Educa-
tion Association.
Senator Capper was introduced by
DR.. Frank w. Ballou, superintendent
of District sohoole