Evening star., 1941-09-21

Would it not be nice if you and 1, and
thousands of other oldsters, as we'll could
start going to school all over again, to-
morrow. and mingle with the multitude
Of children who in time will take our
places as Washingtons oldest resi-
dents? Naturally, we would be housed
In better school buildings than we had
so or more years ago, and We would have
better Fairgrounds and would not have
to buy our own school supplies as we
had to do. Nor would we have to walk
mile or two to school as many of us
had to do in ye olden days. But what's
the use of dreaming about the impossible,
for time and tide wait for no man"
and though we may turn back the clock.
the time remains just the same, and we
find ourselves just as old.
But there is certainly vast difference
between going to school six or seven
decades ago and the conveniences af-
forded the children of today, for then
we had for school houses buildings for
merly used for hospitals, churches and
Just ordinary dwellings. Indeed, if we
go back Just a few years earlier, or to
1860 We will find there were just 81 build
ings in the city being used for public
school purposes. Of these II were reg
ular school houses, churches,
dwellings, a library building, public
halls, l engine house. indefinite, and
lastly, the old brick Capitol.
Original School
The first school the writer attended
was in the old Grace M. E. Church, still
standing at Ninth and S streets NV.
The lower portion of this building has
slways been used for religious purposes,
but for about 10 years from 1873 the
upper part was used as a public school
for boys. However, even before this the
site was used for public school purposes,
at least as early as 1871, when Wesley
Chapel had a mission on this corner.
1t was a one-story. one-room wooden
structure 80 feet wide by 40 feet long,
and similar to many of the early
churches still remembered by any num-
Der of our older citizens.
Old Grace M. E. Church was COM
pleted in 1873, and at the meeting of the
Board of Trustees held July 29 of that
year, John Randolph offered the follow
ing resolution, which was referred to the
Committee on Schools:
Resolved, That the subboard of the
second district be authorized to lease,
for five years, the church building on
the corner of Ninth and S streets NV,
furnishing four school rooms, in lieu,
of those on Ninth street between P and
@ streets, at rent of 1000 per annum."
Externally Grace Church looks about
the same as it did in 1873, when the
writer first knew it, with the exception
that two entrances were provided to
the schoolrooms, one on the north side
and one on the south. To these en-
frances a long flight of crude wooden
stairs led. They were without any
covering and, of course, ran from the
ground to a platform at the second
story. Here a door led into hallway
the four schoolroonls. Everything then
was typical of the present day country
school-no running water, no plumbing
and no heating apparatus, except the
large round stove used at that period,
and which would get red hot and burn
UP most everything around it while the
boys in the far corner of the room would
be having difficulty keeping warm.
The rooms were large and airy with
nearly 12-foot ceilings, the floor dimen-
sions being % feet inches by 81 feet
3 inches. There were accommodation
for go pupils and it is needless to say
there was seldom a vacancy.
The first grade was taught in the
southeast room by Miss Mary Malone,
who was temporarily succeeded in 1877
by Miss Mary Celia Jones, Miss Harriet
J. Drury subsequently taking the latter's
place Miss Susie E. Porter taught the
second grade in the northeast ROOM
From the beginning, Miss Kate T.
Brown taught the third grade in the
northwest room, Miss Virginia R. Get
tings taking her place in 1874 and con-
1Ol SCfCldi yCoAS CiCdAeSAs
Did Whipping
Emma F. Quinlan taught the fourth
grade for several years. She was, quite
likely, widow. She was nice looking
woman, though her face wore a sad
look, as I recall it-a sort of Madonna
face. She was stout and did all the
whipping for the building; and she could
do it to a queens taste. Her experience
was no doubt largely gained in connec-
tion with her own son, Frank, who was
one of her pupils by the time entered
her grade. Not like some thoughtless
teachers, who would box the boys over
their ears, she never forgot just where
to administer the punishment, and few
boys were ever able to squirm out of her
grip 'once they were doing the jack
ksife over her knee.
Ons character connected with the