Evening star., 1925-04-19
Fifty Years Ago
La The Star

In the preparation of plans for the
centennial exposition at Philadelphia
in 1876 many questions arose which
caused general discussion. In The
Education at IsaF ssaF Of }f April ILL., r.
the Centennial. rial rial under under the
Education Be Represented?" as fol
lows:
That the representation Of Ameri-
can education at the centennial in
1876 is exciting the deepest interest
among educators is evidenced by the
TACT that thousands Of this class all
over the country are writing to the
United States commissioner of edu-
cation to inquire What is to be done
and how shall it be done?' Various
suggestions. all looking to a proper
representation of educational inter
ests, have been made, and aided in q
measure by these and experience
gained at other .expositions, the Bu-
reau of Education has proposed for
transmission to such as desire to CO.
operate in the exhibition "a SYNOPSIS
OF the proposed Centennial History
OF American Education, which, while
comprehensive, is designed to embody
in succinct form the experience Of our
best educators and to evoke. such ex-
hibits as will show at a glance not
OiAAS NiiC llASlOiN anu NlldIdCloT OI euu-
cation, but its influences and results.
The most important feature Of the
exhibit, perhaps, will be statements fol-
lowing each educational period show
ing the influences and results of that
particular period as attributable to
education. For instance, among these
results are specified. under their ap-
propriate headings, such notable
events as the Revolutionary War, the
adoption of the Federal Constitution,
printing of Webster's spelling book in
1888, Whitney's cotton gin, Fulton's
steamboat, acquisition of territory by
the United States, abolition of the
slave trade introduction of canals and
railroads, the Missouri compromise,
McCormick's reaper, the electric tele-
graph, the Mexican War, emigration
and immigration, the panic of 1857,
Atlantic cable, the war and abolition
of slavery, panic of 1873, etc. The
synopsis seems to meet the necessi-
ties Of the case pretty fully, but, of
course, is subject to such modification
In the future as may be deemed
proper
Two ladies'" says The Star of April
ID, 1875, who fell into a polite dis
pute yesterday while looking at the
north fountain of the Treasury and
who know The Star to be
AAions VI an authority on art, have
WHAT written to ask whether
the sculptor has faithfully
carved the heads of lions, or whether
he Intentionally modified the leonine
phiz with a touch of grotesqueness
usual in gargoyles. 1t places us in a
delicate position. We can give but
one opinion, we must satisfy both par
ties, and we always tell the truth.
These spouting beasts were good, con-
ventional lions in the beginning, but
have imbibed Potomac water till they
are turning into dragons"
x X
Comparison of the taxation rates and
levies in Washington with those in
other cities which has been necessary
in recent years to show, contrary to
congressional declara-
AaAatlon tions, that the Wash
r.-z..5 ingtonian is not under
ooAnPoA0o' taxed, was in vogue
half century ago. The subject of
taxation was then one of acute inter
est here because of the enactment of
a new law, which included a personal
tax feature decidedly obnoxious to the
local taxpayers. In The Star of April
16, 1875, is an editorial which sets
forth rates of taxation then prevalent
in Baltimore, and then says:
"It will be seen that Baltimore, with
population nearly three times that
of Washington, and with more than
10 times the wealth of Washington,
pays for both city and, State taxes but
81, ,206, a sum much less than is
levied upon our city under the oner-
Gus construction put upon the recent
law of Congress. 1t appears evident
that the rate of taxation is not only
less in Baltimore than in Washington
but that the rate of assessment is ex-
ceedingly lenient there; otherwise,
even at the moderate rate of taxation
there, the amount realized would be
much larger In that wealthy and popu.
lous city than the amount named.