Evening star., 1934-09-09
FIRST PRESIDENT
PLANNED COLLEGE
Washington's Will Revealed
Desire for National
School Here.
Continued From First Page.)

The SO-called BancaSterlan plan, de-
veloped by Joseph Lancaster in Eng
land, had stirred the imagination of
a small group and the contagion had
spread to their friends. A committee
was formed to correspond with Mr..
Lancaster himself and to solicit his
advice. The ensuing exchange OF
letters resulted in Robert Ould coming
to America to establish a Lancas-
terian school in Georgetown. He ar
rived in 1911. and his brother Henry
followed him at the request of the
Washington educational authorities in
1872. The latter filed on February
10, 1913. the first report of Wash
ington public school on record. This
day II months ago." he says, Il had
the pleasure of opening under your
auspices the second genuine LancaS-
terian school in America =. There
were 100 scholars entered on the list
during the first three months"
Mr.. Lancaster personally made the
trip from London to Washington in
1919 and was received in the Capital
with enthusiasm. A notable gathering
of citizens heard him lecture in the
Hall of the House of Representatives.
His doctrine. ne explained, centered in
the injunction: All that will, may
send their children, and have them
educated freely; and those that do
not wish to have education for moth
ing, may pay for it if they please. ="
But altruism of such a type was
far from popular with many. Pro-
tests against municipal endowment of
educational opportunities for pau
pers" we're frequent and violent.
When, in 1916, the school appropri-
alton for the year was announced at
$4,000, numerous critics united to
complain. Such sum, they argued,
represented per cent of the total
annual revenue of the town-alto-
gether too much.
In an effort to solve the problem
the city fathers again had recourse to
lotteries as early at 1872, and funds
were raised by the same expedient
from 1916 to 1921. Meanwhile, about
half the children enrolled In schooi
were attending classes in a recondl-
toned stable at the southeast corner
of Fourteenth and G streets north
west.
Paw pupils were charged $5 a quar-
ter. charity pupils nothing. But the
former were instructed in geography
and Latin by way of compensation
while their less fortunate fellows were
Obliged to be content with merely
reading. writing, grammar and arltn-
metic.
Thoughtful men and women, natur-
allv enough. were disturbed by condi-
Tn l22T large
company appealed to Congress TO
provide system of education open 10
all children" The fate OF their petl-
tion was illustrated by report,
dated 1910, showing that only 25 per
cent of the Capitals youth were at
tending institutions of learning OF
anv kind. For girls there was prac-
ticallv no opportunity and It was TO
correct that inequity that a female
charity school" was opened about 1887
at the Fourth Presbyterian Church,
Ninth street.
A fairer, better day, however, was
dawninp. A new school system
q was ordered established in 1874, the
Columbian Association of Teachers
was organized in 1849 and process
sion of $500 children, headed oy tne
mayor. members of the City Councls
and Board of Trustees. marcneo 10
the Capitol and presented memorial
to Congress asking aid for the schools
in 1852.
Object to Taxes.
Yet when the question of taxation
for education was submitted by Con-
press to the voters of the County OF
Washington, August IL, 1856, the
proposition was defeated, "as property
holders were unwilling to be taxed to
educate poor children" NO special
school tax was imposed until 1861,
when. according to a contemporary
guide book, there were but four free
public schools in the District.
It was the Civil War that brought
about the long anticipated correction
Washingtons population increased
vastly during the conflict, and the
problem became correspondmgly
acute. Congress acted at last, and
law recurring school attendance for
all children between and II was
passed June 25. 1864. An era Of con-
struction opened Immediately. The
Wanach School was built the same
year. the Franklin School in 1869, the
Seaton School in 1871. the Jefferson
and the Cranch schools in 1872, and
the curtis School in 1875. Before the
close of the century so other school
structures were raised. The Lrst
white high school was old Central
finished in 1883. western High School
was completed in 1890. Eastern in
1891. Business High School was or
ganized in 1890, Technical High
School in 1902.
The Board of Trustees, reorganlzed
in 1871, 1882 and 1895, finally gave
place to the Board of Education in
1900.
A municipal system of colored
schools had been inaugurated May
21, 1862, when it was agreed that
10 per cent of all taxes COL
lected from Negroes should be ap-
piled to education. A separate Board
OF Trustees was organized June II OF
the same year, and the first free col
ored school in the District was opened
in the Ebenezer Church, Fourth street,
near Virginia avenue. March /, 1864.
BY 1867 there were five colored
schools with 450 pupils, by 1875 the
student body had reached $500. The
first colored high school was built in
1890.
But the free elementary educational
establishments of the city constituted
only part of the story of the ad-
vancement of learning in Washing
ton. For several decades the private
schools were far more important.
They were more numerous, more gen.
orally attended and more influential
than any of the charity schools. 1t
was natural that they should be more
prosperous.
AS early as 1895 Rev George Ralph,
rector Of Christ Church, had had
means to purchase an expensive site
on East Capitol street, east of First
for an academy building in which he
instructed both boarding and day
pupils.
Private Schools Listed