Evening star., 1925-11-08


theories of Pestalozzi. also. began to
mold primary education. Literary
ana 50 scientific societies were being
established; lectures prevailed; citizens
began to discuss educational con
dltlons and to turn eyes, first critical
then Mortified, upon the lamentable
state of the children in the Capital Of
the republic
IN 1910 homogeneous social life
was beginning. Washington had
The aspect of a country town. There
were no great fortunes, the average
OF means being moderate, and the sal
aries of Government positions were
ample for the current style of
living. The amount of crime also
was moderate, except when the
sessions of Congress attracted light
fingered gentry. When the Govern
ment departments closed at 3 o'clock
and the Marine Band played on the
west terrace of the Capitol the larger
part of the population turned out and
Pennsylvania avenue was q. gay place
of greetings and promenades. groups
dropping out of line TO drink tea in
various hospitable homes. With such
community Of social and intellectual
life. the neglect II public education
got the airing il needed
y
were worse than had been imagined
OF a population of more than % 900 in
the Washington of 1841 the children
# school age We're found to number
about $500. OF that number only 20o
we're entered in the Lanca strian char
ity schools. Only p per cent were in
any school at all The knowledge
shocked the Capital.
Church organizations were the first
. tn ha cit
with girls than with boys, various
female charity schools" We're opened
in churches, aided by money left from
/ the lottery after the support of the
Lancastrian schools. But the fear
arising that this might lead to denomi
national complications, these dona,
tions were stopped.
The movement however could nOr
/ he downed. Reform was in the air
Fortunately. at this point the first
: strong civic leader since Mayor Brent
arose-Col. Seaton, nine times the
/ Mayor of Washington u man of en-
ergy. personality and breadth of view.
whom even congressman respected;
above all, man of perseverance.
I With him were associated George J.
Abbott, Harvard graduate, after
ward private secretary to Daniel Web
Ster, and James +. Halliday. member
Of the City Council. Moreover lea ders
I of thought throughout the country
! had become interested in the question.
Our sixth President. John Quincy
Adams, rounding out a long life Of
service by representing his district in
Congress, took part in the discussion,
as did Edward Everett Hale. always
strongly contendinG for the develop
ment of man.
The government of the District dur
ing its first 20 years, it must be re
membered, was in form that of the
usual city organization. vested in a
mayor and council. But while
population of more than % 900 should
have constituted Washington city.
able to conduct its own affairs, the in
detiniteness of its fiscal relations with
he National Government. which owned
very nearly half the property, made
administration uncertain. Congress
could always supersede the city gov
ernment by iegislating in any local
matter that il conceived TO touch the
public interest. Special commissions
upset previous arrangements. The
most illogical divisions of responsible
. itY were constantly being made.
1t was 4 glorious situation for the
time-honored p2stime of passing the
buck. Therefore in this case the first
move was inevitably to appeal to Con
Eress and TO reDroach that body with
Counter-Charge was also inevitable
the city fathers had not acquainted
Congress with its need-and. anyway.
the only way OF raising money was by
cutting down civic expenditures or by
raising funds by iAcrea sed taxation.
Even apart from the fact that the
National Government itself refused to
pay taxes on its half. this retort was
not as reasonable as at first thought il
may seem. Washington ranked as
neither Il State nor Territory, nor as
a city of either. The public schools
throughout the country have had the
advantage of large land grants which
have been given TO meet just such
situations as confronted Washington
Under the law of 1895 the sixteenth
section of every township was set
aside for maintenance of public schools
within that township. Later laws have
increased the grants by an additional
thlrty-SecOnd. and the maSnificently
endowed school systems of many of our
( Western States have been the result of
carefully invested funds from this
source. The District had benefited by
no land grant. as was the right of
every other portion of the country II
is hard to see why il did not have a
right to make application for this
grant or for an equivalent, or why
Congress was not under obligation to
make it. The claim has been made
again and again. The first appeal was
in 1887. In 1852 procession of 2.50r
school children, headed by the mayor,
marched to the Capitol and presented
memorial asking this aid. Later on
the matter was revived when, during
the Districts brief experience as a
Territory, y. =. Chapman, the delegate
| TO Congress, made an appeal for an
appropriation of the Districts six
teenth. Whatever technical flaws
there may be in the Districts case, "
1t does raise an academic question as
TO the validity of the action of Con
SreSS. Also, as to the probable pres
ent-day value of one-siXteenth of the.
area of the present District,
=
A FTER this unsuccessful appeal to
Congress the agitation increased.
The .reorganizatio ton of the schools of
nearby Baltimore was an additional
Eoad. Citizens could not relapse into
their former somnolence. Out of the
Indignation, the shame, the distress
of parents. out of the determination
of the leaders. grew a coherent move
ment. Still several years debate
and effort had passed before a city
ordinance was enacted which estah
lished a progressive school system
on paper at least. 1t substituted one
school board for two; brought orde,
into the chaos of administration. and
adopted a program of building school
houses. But when the leaders pro.
posal to pay expenses by laying :;
special school tax came before tn,
council, the little men baked, although
the per capita was only between fivc
, and ten dollars.
There were years of delay, talk
about means of raising money-whal
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