Evening star., 1934-11-22
Superintendent Urges Need
of Parity Between Mind
and Physical Rating.
FEDERAL CASH URGED
TO FUND HEAT PLANTS
Board of Education Acts to Back
Hazen's Suggestion for
Deficiency Aid.

venting promotion OF a pupil from one
grade to the next, according to DR..
Frank w. Ballou, superintendent of
schools.
He advocated today a broad pro-
gram of physical instruction and
training throughout the school system
which would place the health of chill
dren on par with their mental at
tainments.
This idea was expressed by the
school superintendent at yesterdays s
meeting of the Board of Education.
The expression was evoked by receipt
of a recommendation of the Mount
Pleasant Citizens Association that 'all
remediable defects be remedied before
pupil is permitted to pass from one
grade to another
Nature of Defect Factor.
DR.. Ballou said this went a little
further than he considered practicable.
Whether the parents of a child should
be required to have physical defect
corrected before promotion should de-
pend upon the nature of the defect,
he explained.
He used as illustrations cases of
children with poor eyesight and de-
fective teeth. These should be cor
rected as a qualification for promo
ton, he said, adding that dental
treatment is available at free clinics
and that examination of eyes is be-
ing financed by number of private
charitable organizations, such as the
Parent Teacher Association and the
KiWanis Club.
In response to a suggestion that
many poor families would not be
able to afford to buy glasses for their
children, he said:
Il don't think that any mother or
father who can't afford the cost of
necessary glasses will find any diff
Guilty in getting private organizations
to help"
Ideas Not Accepted Before.
: DR.. Ballou said he suggested these
ideas eight or ten years ago, during
the course of several addresses before
citizens associations. At that time,
he declared, his contention that the
remedy of physical defects should be
required for promotion was not &C
ceptable to portion of his audiences.
The present concept of physical edu-
cation goes further than producing
athletes or having teeth filled, and in
cludes all means of building healthy
bodies and healthy minds, DR.. Ballou
asserted.
The recommendation by the citi-
zens' association was referred to DR..
Ballou by the Board of Education,
but he did not say today what action
will be forthcoming
Furnace Fund Needs.
The movement for a deficiency OF
supplemental appropriation for the re-
placement of all hot-air furnaces ir
District school buildings was given
additional momentum by the unani-
nous Endorsement of the board.
The suggestion first was made by
Commissioner Hazen Saturday that
the Commissioners submit an estimate
to the incoming Congress for between
100000 and s150,O0O to finance the
work. About 25 schools now have the
antiquated hot-air equipment.
This action by the board admittedly
was prompted by the agitation and
threatened strike by mothers Of
children at the Blair School, Seventh
and I streets northeast, for a new
heating plant. The strike was deferred
Monday upon promise by the Commits
sioners to thoroughly renovate the
present equipment and replace it next
Summer
Mrs. Philip Sidney Smith, board
member, made the motion for a
deficiency appropriation recommenda-
ton. She said
There is no doubt of the desir.
ability of replacing these hot-air fur.
naces with modern heating equip
ment. The situation at the Blair
School emphasizes the fact that the
present plan of the Commissioners oi
replacing three of these heating plants
every year represents too little prog
ress towards providing proper heat
ing facilities for these schools. At tht
rate Of replacing furnaces in three
schools year, it will take approx
mately seven years to complete the
program. Undoubtedly many of these
plants will become much less efficient
than they now are before they are
reached for replacement under the
existing program" The motion was
passed without discussion.
The bitterness of the fight over the
recent discontinuance of the current
inter high school foot ball series was
recalled by the presentation of letter
from the mother of Mckinley High
School boy in which she castigated the
board members and expressed the
opinion that all but Henry Gilligan
who opposed the cancellation, should
resign.
The writer. Mrs. Frederick c. Lusk
OF 1882 Otis street northeast, said she
excepted Gilligan because he is the
"only member who can retain his
sanity when pressure is applied"
THE so-called riot at the Tech
Western game was a matter of such
inSigniflcance that it should have
been passed over with reprimand for
the participating players" she stated
'"The errors that DR.. Kramer and the
Board of Education have since made
are so fragrant that they quite over
shadow any fault that the pupils may
have committed"
She characterized the actions of DR..
Stephen E. Kramer. first assistant su-
perintendent of schools, during the
controversy as Childish attempts to
justify his poor judgment"
Board Members Silent.
This communication and the SUBJ
mission of a series of petitions signed
by 246 Mckinley High School students
asking for continuance of the foot ball
series, were received in silence by the
board.