Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-18
ilding and Repar PROGRAM Fits Schools for Opening

was sometimes styled, unconsciously
acquired another claim to fame when
Chief Justice Chase and Rufus Choate
Joined it's faculty while studying
law in Washington.
In one respect the schools seem to
have been surprisingly successful.
The "pay" students and the free
students apparently mingled without
any class distinction and even with
out consciousness among themselves
as to which pupil had his tuition paid
by his parent and which by the city.
shortly after 1900 new educational
theory, known as the Lancaster plan.
was brought over to this country from
the Old World and introduced to the
capital by Henry and Robert Ould
This system was based on the idea
that teaching what one has just been
taught reinforces learning" so that,
by using student-teachers. one in
structor could take charge of classes
much larger than he could handle by
himself. However. this scheme failed
to take into account the fact that
teaching skill is required to sow seed
thoughts in undeveloped minds. an
achievement far beyond the skill of
the average child, and it was doomed
to failure.
But the people of Washington, and
of the neighborng town of George
town, gave it a fair trial. It's popu-
llrity, at first, is easily understood. for
it promised to supply just what was
wanted--a system of education for the
boys and girls of the city at low cost.
| Small wonder that the schools of the
| District were willingly turned over to
| the Ould Brothers. The corner stone
! for the first Lancastrian school, at
pio6 n OF laid i'm ItIpa 1911
Goods" were not popular at that
| time-at least, not with the trustees
| and IT is amusing to read the recon-
menda tions made to discourage the
| attendance of girls for fear of the
immoral tendency of minsling great
number of the two sexes together,
both in and out of school,
| ** u ):
In the days when the local public
school system was at its lowest
! ebb. a stable once used by Thomas
! jefferson to house his riding hon ses
was converted into a Lancastrian
school, known by the descriptive title.
Jefferson Stable School," successor
to THE Western Academy" The
| only renovations made at the time OF
| the structures conversion were the
| cutting of a few windows in the walls
| dIlu tIe lUSldiidtlOu VI OH nun FiPC
and stove in lieu of a chimney and
furnace. Here Henry Ould attempted
! to apply the principles of the Lam
castrian method.
| The financial needs Of the schools
! of this period were trusted to lotteries,
then a most popular and approved
method of raising funds. Washington
himself is known to have purchased
| at least one lottery ticket, and be-
tween 1912 and 1886 Congress author
| lied a series of lotteries for the sup
port of such public schools as ex-
| listed in the Capital City, most OF
which had by that time deteriorated
| to mere charity institutions. Alto.
gether. a sum of $4,000 was secured
! in this manner.
| Finally. in 1S41. the citizens awoke
| to the disgraceful condition of their
| schools. An inquiry brought out some
sensational disclosures. Out of a total
population of $4,000 over 5000 were
found to be children of school age.
OF these, only 200 attended the Lam
castrian charity schools. Some others
whose parents had means" were en-