Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-09-08
DISTRICT SCHOOLS
OF HUMBLE ORIGIN
Funds for Beginning Were
Raised by Sale of Lottery
Tickets.
BY JESSIE FAINT EVANS.


school community is not an actualitv
for the opening of the school year on
September % should count your bless
ings when you consider the lot OF our
public school system with its SILL
462.050 appropriation for the coming
year in contrast to the city's early
struggles with educational financing.
Whatever may be our difficulties
with regard to inducing Congress ana
the director Of the budget to be SUI
ficiently generous in the matter Of
appropriations for school sites, build
ings and teachers salaries, at least
we may congratulate ourselves we are
not dependent upon such precariouS
means as the sale of lottery tickets to
finance our children's education.
Yet 100 years ago the raising OF
school funds by lottery seems to have
been an eminently respectable pro-
ceeding. countenanced and duely au-
thorized by Presidents James Monroe,
James Madison, and even the austere
John Quincy Adams.
Madison O.K.'d Lottery.
Pursuant to a resolution of the
school board of November %, 1912,
we find President Madison authorizing
the raising of $4,000 by lottery Tor
the establishment and endowment OF
two public school houses on the Ian
castrian system, one in the eastern
and the other in the western section
of the city" Another resolution OF
November 10, 1918, appointed IL
managers of lottery to raise money
for a school and penitentiary."
How successful were the efforts to
produce money by these means is not
known. Evidently the necessary
amount for the penitentiary was not
forthcoming, since in 1917 President
Monroe was unwilling to sign bill
passed by Congress for the erection
of new public schools, City Hall on
Pennsylvania avenue and a peniten-
tiary," on the grounds that they were
for the use of municipal and not
Federal buildings.
However, apparently undiscouraged
by the city'S miSadventure with its
lottery schemes, private enterprise en-
deavored to finance this strange
grouping of worthy objects" by re-
sorting to the establishment OF "a
Grand National Lottery" National
in name only. despite the high hopes
of its organizers, it was destined to
early shipwreck. The successful anti
gambling agitation sweeping the
country resulted in the State Legis-
latures of nearby States passing laws
to prevent the sale of lottery tickets
within their domain. And the crown
ing blow was the unceremonious de-
parture of the District of Columbia
lottery manager, who left behind him
not only deficit, but an unfinished
City Hall. Into the latter, Washing
tons mayor. undaunted by the turn
of events, Immediately proceeded to
move, thereby considerably allaying
the general public CONSERVATION.
Pay Pupils Barred.
In 1920 an act of Congress forbade
the trustees to receive pay pupils in
the public school system, the schools
for the next few years consisting only
of those children whose parents were
unable to pay for their tuition. This
gave them the odium Of being in
fact pauper or charity schools.
By 1910 the increase of children of
school age in the rapidly growing Ma
tion's Capital was so great that the
citizens themselves were becoming
aroused to the necessity of adequately
meeting the educational needs Of their |
children.
Mayor Seaton, one Of the owners
with Joseph Gales of the National
1ntelligencer, leading newspaper in
washington and one of the most DOW
erful organs for the formation of
public opinion in America at the time. |
boldly carried the situation to his city |
council in his message for that year,
but without immediate result. In
1841 he returned to the subject with
the startling statement that of the
$500 white children of school age in |
the District of Columbia, but 200.
according to a door-to-door canvass
conducted by his newspaper, were at
tending the public schools.
Four Districts Created.
In 1S45 Washington was divided into
-FOUR school districts. Coeducation
was. OF course, not countenanced. bows
attending one school, girls another. |
The principal teacher of the first
district male school was Mr.. Joshua
Henshaw. His stepdaughter. the
well-known American novelist of the
sentimental era, Mrs. E. D. N. South
worth, was also for some time a
teacher in the girls public school. A
commentarian of her time feels that
she seems to have been more success
iul as novelist than as a disciplin-
arlan and teacher" The frame house
where she lived in GEORGETOWN.
perched as 1t was nearly over the
Cliff above the Potomac River at the
point where change of cars WAS
made from Georgetown to Glen Echo
and Cabin John Bridge, was long a
mecca for tourists. DR.. Tobias wat
kins combined the practice of medi-
cine and the principalship of the
second district male school. Hugh
Mccormick was in charge of the third
district and Henry Hardy of the
Aoul1hs Slci 6yHlCu OlUtIl ekeQ OUT Llelr
slender salaries by acting as assistant
teachers when the enrolment de-
manded.
Not until 1848 was the importance
Of the schools sufficiently recognized
to assure them of consistent support.
A regulation in that year provided for
the laying of "a tax of 81 upon every
free white male citizen of 81 years or
upward in the District of Columbia"
was the precursor of definitely better
school conditions.
1t was In this year, too, that high
school was first authorized to be es-
tablished, which was not, however,
Immediately done for fear of arousing
public opposition to what it was felt
might be considered luxury edu-
cation.
With school taxes cat a dollar a
head" as they were referred to, the