Evening star., 1935-11-03
Curtis School Holds Tradition
Of achievement IN Learning
Georgetown Building Has Individuality
All Its O,cn-Only d. c. School Built
Without Cash in Treasury.

IcOI SctOWi, 10 lAlC PiSoSA' S~o"-H-
of the collection. With the Peabody
collection she has moved to new
quarters in the Georgetown branch
of the Public Library located on
the site of the old reservoir at the
corner of Wisconsin avenue and r
street.
Here in the Peabody Memorial Room,
where one instinctively wishes to
linger, with a special bookplate In each
volume, the Peabody collection is now
housed.
Wanted as Museum.
1t is the hope of the Peabody trustees
and of Miss Gilbert that the room may
also serve as museum OF George
townians. AS Ralph Thompson, Ii
brarian of the Georgetown branch,
and Mrs. Helen Steinbarger, the read
ers' assistant. who always know just
how to help busy people desirous OF ac-
quiring the intellectual wealth OF the
Indies in the least possible number OF
minutes, We're recently showing me the
way to the Peabody room. we met
Henry S. Matthews, the president OF
the Beard of Trustees of the PEABODY
Fund and secretary OF the Llnthlcum
Institute Board. His great uncle was
w. w. Corcoran., As We paused to view
from the librarys windows the gor-
geous Fall panorama and the Potomac,
we felt that through cooperative
vision the Peabody Library is to enter
an even larger field Of usefulness than
it has yet served.
l. Adolph ClusS was the architect for
the Curtis School, as he was for the
Wallach. Franklin and Seaton Schools,
and S. S. Hunt was its builder. the
total cost approXimating nearly $780,
900. The windows are of arched
stone, as is its doorway set in a
towerlike arrangement which carries
up to three tall stories, the last of
which is reminiscent of the French
Mansard effect. Long before the age
of electric clocks the two bells in the
schools belfry told time for the
neighborhood. Very proud, indeed, were
the Georgetown youths who were
honored by the schools janitor, Will
liam Budette, in being allowed to help
pull the ropes which set the bells
jangling.
Front Hall is Broad.
Massive paneled walnut doors
give one entrance to front hall so
broad that a platoon of cadets might
almost march abreast across it. At
the very end of the hall in gold
frame with red plush border lining
the encompassing mat is portrait
of William Wallace Curtis, presented
to the school by his widow on June
4, 1908. which was the anniversary
of the death of a beloved son, the
namesake OF his father.
A pink placard on one of the
schools front doors says Dental
Clinic Second Floor" In this clinic,
dentist in a white coat with modern
equipment may be seen working upon
youthful patients while mothers, often
with younger children beside them
who could not be left at home alone,
listen to such encouraging statements
as this one which I overheard:
"You haven't single cavity son,
your teeth show that you brush them
carefully every day. Keep this up
and it will be long time before
any one has to put filling in for
you. Next"
A far cry. indeed, is this dental
clinic of 1885 to that of a George
town school ordinance of September,
1858, authorizing the purchase of an
instrument for the pulling of teeth
by Mr.. Craig. the male principal of
the school, because "toothache was
such common excuse for the neglect
Of lessons and attendance at
school," The school trustee who
chronicled the action states, "Odontol-
gia became so fashionable that Mr..
Craig soon filled quart cup more or
less with the trophies of his den-
tistry''
Class Rooms Are Large.
The class rooms at the Curtis School
are so large that modern ones might
almost be set down inside them with
room enough over around the edges
for an extra one. In certain of them.
arched recesses originally held repro
ductions of classical sculpture which
have gradually given way with the
march of time to modern bits of
school room decoration.
AS for the cloak rooms. the archi-
tect had no idea of congestion there
in case of a fire stampede. In the
one which adjoins Miss Annie KeIli-
hers class room today there are
actually three carpenter shop benches
where fortunate pupils who have fin
ished their lesson assignments work
out all sorts of interesting projects.
What change from the days when
naughty pupils we're sent to class
room in penance for their misde-
meanorS.
The spirit of Georgetown still pre-
walls in the Curtis School. As I
wandered by chance into Miss Kelli-
hers grade in search of informa-
ton concerning great, round-faced
mahogany wall clock ticking away
the seconds, minutes and hours with
all sorts of fascinating hands indi-
eating the day, the month and the
year, a gallant little boy Immediately
placed a chair for me, and although
I hadn't intended to, I tarried a
while to listen to age-old facts taught
in such an interesting way that learn
ing seemed pastime.
Teacher Kin of G. w. BeaH.
Across the hall there is teaching in
the Curtis today, Miss Constance
Backus, whose grandfather was
George w. Beall, member of one of
Georgetown's early school boards. She
is also the great-grandniece of Mr..
Curtis, her father being the oldest
of family of 13 children of which
Mrs. Curtis was the youngest. To
her I am indebted for an interesting
pamphlet concerning the dedication
of Mr.. Curtis portrait which includes
a biography of Mr.. Curtis.
Even before my visit to the school
I had heard of the auditorium on its
top floor from that delightful encyclo-
pedia of Georgetown lore, Miss Bertha
Tnokor in uJhocn Iifafiy,,a a. h.. l.>-