Evening Star Newspaper, January 29, 1930, Page 4

NGTON, D. C.. WED CHNY DESTIN, - | OPERASTAR,DES Two Uutra-Modern Buildings| . e « e | SCHOOL BUNTRASTS!- i 368 i H nd YELLOW Cabs MET. 1212 and Ten Old Structures in Use. This is the fourth of & series of articles describing the physical aspects of Wash- ington’s public schools. As in the pre- vious articles, there is no attempt here to portray the school sustem's faults in an exagperated light. The two reporters who visited each school building are merely presenting the conditions as they saw them, The Afth article dealing with another school system division will appear to- morrow, The fifth division of Washington's public school system presents its share of the Capital's strong school contrasts with two ultra-modern school houses glowing against a background of some 10 old structures and 2 more recent buildings. The 14 building units in this division are headed by the new Lang- don School, opened only a week ago, and the slightly older Burroughs School, each making modern provision for the children assigned to it. However, congestion is found in this division also ,with 54 of the 146 regular classes exceedihg the 35 agreed upon by educators as the ideal maximum. This total does not include the “platooned” grades at the Park View School. The crowded conditions are testified to alsc by nine portables, only two of whicn serve their intended purpose of provid- ing for school population in developing or outlying communities. These latter “justifiable” portables are those in Dahigren Terrace. The 14 building units in this division, which embraces generally the communities of the broad Upper Northeast section of the city, are possessed of five auditoriums. These are found at the Thomson, Park View, g:(::dx;!.‘m, Burroughs and the Langdon 0ols. Relief Due in Two Weeks, Despite the congestion from which this section now is suffering, and which it has borne with more or less patience for some time, rellef is believed less than two weeks off. The new Langdon School, which replaces the old frame structure adjoining it, will, adminis- trators think, eliminate all part-timc classes in the sections lying oetween the two main branches of the Balil- more & Ohio Railroad tracks and in- %udtnl the Bmkl‘lblz and Langdon- communities. But since all relief is in the future, even if only one week off, a glance at conditions as they actually are at pres- ent will convince one of the merits of that relief. Following is a description of the bulldings as one Star reporter saw them during the past two weeks: Thomson. Thomson School, Twelfth and L streets—Eighteen rooms, three stories; 15 classes, three class rooms fitted and occupied as offices; total enroliment, 542; total sittings, 619. This is a “demonstration” school, to which teach- ers of all white schools are sent as needed to witness expert teaching prac- tice. Eleven classes over the “ideal” 35 enrollment—1A of 36, two 2AB’s of 44 and 42, two 3AB's of 42 and 36, two 4AB's of 40 and 39, two 5AB's of 36 and 39, 6AB of 37. Only three of these exceed the maximum of 40, which school administrators here have been obliged to establish as the top figure. Class rooms used as offices are assigned to research department and the depart- ment of visual instruct are fairly well lighted, but fixtures; the entry by children neighborhood, under District of Columbia Playground De- partment. Henry, Henry School, Seventh and P streets. —Three storles, 12 rooms; 11 ¢'asses; total enrollment, 378 total sittings. 438. Three oversize classes—a 3AB, & 2AB and a 1 AB, of 40 each. A first grade has 24, a 6AB has 27 and a 5AB has 29; all others between 30 and 33. A vacant class room is used for sewing classes. There is a principal's office, a dental elinic under the Health Depart- ment for children of that section of the city, a store room, a teachers’ lunch room and a coaching room, all corre- sponding in size and fairly adequate. Bullding is possessed of four novel stairway, balconies used for exhibition pils’ work and class project exe- cution. Play room and toilet rooms of “vault” type; toilet equipment old fashioned. There is a tremendous attic, unusued; uses limited, probably, to storage. Playground needs surfacing and grading; reporter found puddles and streams cf water approximating running brooks. Polk. Polk School, Seventh and P streets— ‘Two stories, eight rooms. This building is in process of being turned over to sight conservation corps and classes. At present & special class of 12 boys, the Abbot Vocational School's electrical shop and a carpenter shop center for schools of the vicinity are quartered here. One room is fitted as a drawing class center. All others vacant. Tollet and play room of old vault type; equip- ment in former old-fashioned. Gage. Gage School, Second and U streets— M':WHA! in two joined units, 12 rooms, 11 classes; total enrollment, 315; total sittings, 534. No oversize classes; largest, a 3AB, has 31; smallest, a 5AB, has 22, All rooms fitted with 48 sit- tings. Building has a coaching room, & teachers’ rest room, two “vault” type play rooms and old-fashioned tollet rooms and equipment. Playground is . Principal uses desk in of office. Brookland. Brookland School, Tenth and Mon- roe streets northeast—Two stories, 12 rtables; total enroliment, in corridor 5AB's of 43 and 39, two 4AB's of 39 each and a 1A of 38. Building has pupll’s lunch room equipped by Parent- ‘Teacher Assoclation to provide hot meals, good principal’s office, teachers’ rest room. Play rooms, one of which is the cafeteria and the other a storeroom, have poor daylight; tollets of old type. Portables, housing one 6AB and one 3AB grade, lack boardwalk from main building and puplls walk through deep puddies of water and mud to enter them. One is lighted; the other, with- out wiring, was so dark the day The Star reporter visited it the class had limited its text book and blackboard work. Playground in adequate. ‘Two portables, a tollet outhouse, an un- housed bubble fountain and hydrant. A 2AB class of 26 and a 1AB class of 34 give this unit a total enrollment of 60 pupils. Both were expecting electric light installation when reporter called. leat in both structures as ample as portables provides, but typically un- even. " Bunker Hill Bunker Hill School, Fourteenth street and Michigan avenue northeast—Two regular classrooms and . | building. occuples a 51;-gere {| classes are: of this one-story bullding, are well heated, Playground is attractive in its woodland setting and unlike ‘“city type” cinder-and-sand surfaced and graded plot. Burroughs. Burroughs School, Eighteenth and Monroe streets northeast — “Bungalow type” building, with 16 class rooms on one floor; modern in every respect, from up-to-date auditorium and classrooms to well equipped toilet rooms and heat- ing plant. There are 19 classes, with total enrollment of 700; 4 parttime classes and 11 oversize classes, as follows: 8AB or 40, 8A-7B of 36, 6AB of 40, 6A-5B of 40, 5SAB of 42; two 4AB's of 43 each; SAB of 38; 2AB of 38; parttime, 2A-1B of 37; parttime, 1A of 38; part- time, 1AB of 34 (not oversize), and parttime combination, 1A - preprimer grade of 25. Two kindergartens have 44 and 50, and there is a speclal graded class of 12. Other classes range be- tween 31 and 35. Ground floor cantains an unusuglly fine manual training shop, with ample daylight and ventilation and extra rooms for painting work and storage, well equipped domestic science, domestic art and cooking class rooms. Besides its unique design, this school counts among its features an unusually attractive teachers’ room, which the Parent-Teacher Assoclation furnished; 8 brick-paved inner court, in which pu- pils carry on physical training work, and an ex nal Pllym The p pro- viding separate -play spaces for large and small children and a garden space. Eckington. Eckington School, First street and incy place northeast—Two storfes, eight rooms; total enroliment, 307; to- tal sit , 375. Five oversize classes: 6AB of 45, 5AB of 41, 4AB of 37, 3AB of 36, 2AB of 43. The kindergarten has 43. There is a small teachers’ room, an adequate store room and two “vault’- type play rooms that are decidedly damp. The toilet rooms are dark and damp, are poorly ventilated and are reu:R'ed through dark halls. Rest of building’s heat is ample. Playground is small, but surfaced. Langdon, Old and New. Langdon Schools (new and old), Twentieth and Franklin streets north- east—The Star reporter made two visits to these buildings. Two weeks ago 202 puplls in 11 classes still were occupying the old wooden school, which adjoins the recently completed building. Two of those classes—a 1A of 23 and a 1AB of 29—then were on parttime. Of the others, four were oversized—the 4AB of 49, the 5AB of 44, 3AB of 40 and the 2AB of 40. The other classes included: 8AB of 34, 8A and 7B of 25, TA of 34, 6AB of 30, and the kindergarten of 44. ‘This old building is of frame construc- tion throughout, including stairways; many of the basement doors were A LOAN sheathed with tin at the fire marshal's orders in an effort to make what was popu‘ltrly known as a “fire trap” “fire- proof.” Yseterday the reporter visited the two buildings again. The 11 classes had been transferred to the new school building and the two part time classes were on full time. The new building of the same architectural design as the W. B. Powell and the B. W. Murch Schools (although the latter is still to get its second wing), is the last-word in elementary schoolhouse condtruction and architectural beauty. Its toilet fa- cilities are in bright airy rooms on the upper floors; its auditorium is ample, and its special rooms such as manual training and domestic science, although not yet completely equipped, are of the latest approved design. The building still lacks its lighting fixtures, but these are expected within the next 10 days. ‘The classes are not yet permanently or- ganized, but new semester (beginning Monday) will witness that. The play- ground is not yet developed and that work must wait upon razing of old structure, Lot is of awkward shape be- cause a sector of the abandoned Queen’s Chapel roads cuts an angular swath across its easterly end. That old road is the west boundary of a triangular lot formed by Twentieth street on the East and Pranklin street on the south, which real estate agents’ signs proclaim is for sale. If private parties buy it, the new Langdon School's grounds will be men- #aced by almost any lmdof construc- tion which would be p! upon it. Woodrldge. Woodridge School, Central avenue and Vista street northeast—Two stories, 10 rooms; total enroliment, 352; total sit- tings, 438. This building is the first ex- tensive unit of a building of the same type as the Brightwood School; it is modern in all its equipment, but sorely lacks an auditorium. There are three oversized classes: Two 1AB's of 42 and 38; 2AB of 36. The kindergarten has 45, while other classes range from 29 to 33. Bullding has no manual training or domestic science classes and children attend center in rented quarters near Langdon School. Next semester, how- ever, they will go to the new Langdon itself for this work; manual training room is used as class room. There is a sewing class room, which also quarterg coaching classes. Playground has been surfaced, but unretained and unsodded earthen bank permits clay and mud to wash over playspace in hard rains. Teachers’ room and storeroom all right. Emery. Emery School, Lincoln road and Pros- pect street northeast—Two stories, 16 rooms; total enrollment, 624; total sit- tings, 702; eight oversized classes: two part time classes. The oversized classes are: Two 6AB’s of 44 and 36, two 5AB's of 48 and 42, 4AB of 43, two 2AB's of 40 and 39, and 1A of 38; part time from This Bank Will Help You! “Small children, small wotries; large children, large worries,” is a well- - known proverb. As they grow mnew problems and perplexities thrust them- selves forward for solu- tion. . .In such cases a loan will “tide you over,” MORRIS PLAN BANK Under Supervision U. S. Treasury 1408 H Street N, W. ) Washington, D. G Upper: The riew Langdon School, il- lustrating the best side of Washington's public school system. This is the type of structure which is being used in virtually all school hoiises now being crected. Lower: Five portables at the E. V. Brown School, which are perched on a m across the street from lh: main lding, necessitating frequent crossing of the thoroughfare during —Star Staff_Photos. 1B of 20 and pre-primer of 27. Kindergarten has 45. Old domestic science room used for coaching classes; Bllyrooma, old type, us-d only as “vesti- | bules,” where classes 'mble before | proceding to class. A Yasement room | has been fitted up as club room by | Parent-Teacher Association for its use. | Teachers' room is falr but doesn't com- | pare with corresponding rooms in newer schools. Playground fair, but should be enlarged. Monroe School, Columbia road mear | Georgia avenue—Two stories, two con- | nected units, 16 roooms; total enroll- ment, 480; total sittings, 668; two over- size classes, 1AB of 39 and 6AB of 52. Other 12 classes range from 21 to 34 and kindergarten has 55. One class room is used for coaching. Toilets are badly lighted and have old-fashioned facilities. One play room is dark, while other, in newer unit, is better lighted. Principal's office and teachers' room are all right, but do not compare with newer types; storerooms are all 3 domestio science room is all right; play- ground is fairly adequate. Park View Platoon. Park View Platoon School, Warder and Newton streets—Sixteen class rooms and five portables; total enrollment, 947. The organization and operation of this school differs from any other white school in the District. All its classes above the high second de are “platooned,” which means they travel to different rooms during the school day for different studies. Of the lower grades operating on traditional class- T-room basis only two exceed the leal maximum of 25—a 1A class of 37 and a 1AB of 36. Other traditional classes range from 28 to 35. There are six traditional classes on part time, however—two 2A's of 31 and 32 quar- tered in same portable, a 1B of 35, 1AB (already cited as oversized) of 36, 1A~ pre-primer of 28 and 1A of 37. The platoon classes as they begin a school day appear excessively large, with such groups as 61 high eighth graders for one class room teacher and 53 high seventh graders to a single teacher. These groups, of which there are 11, however, are divided into two units each, and while one remains in the class room to take academic subjects the other unit is going through a pro- gram of special studies, including do- ERE is a dentifrice that will win you the moment you try it. I You will be delighted by the won- derful refreshing effect it has on the mouth—a feeling of cleanliness, in- vigoration and well-being associate with Listerine itself. Note, too, how gently swiftly it erases tartar and discolora~ tions from the teeth. Note how it penetrates into those hard-to-get-at crevices between teeth, and sweeps How refreshing + in with 69 les are rear of the Park View: bullding. Platoon Classes Not Crowded. “The Park View building has one do- mestic science room, one domestic art room, two physical training rooms and one manual training room in its base- ment, all adequate for the purposes; auditorium is good. When The Star reporter visited; this bullding he found every one of the special rooms, upstairs and ‘down, including the auditorium, occupied by classes of puplls actually at work under special subject teachers. At the same time every classroom on | the upper floors was occupied by work- ing groups, although these latter were, on the average, smalle; for ings. ' The platoon school in an experimental stage so far as the system as a whole is concerned, hence there are no nul al bases on which congestion may be scaled. The person- al observation of the reporter, how- ever, was that there were no crowded conditions among the platooned classes. MRS. ELLIOT C.'BACON WILL WED CHICAGOAN | By the Associated Press. NEW YORK, January 20.—The New York American sald yesterday that Mrs. | Elliot Cowdin Bacon, prominent in New York and Long Island society, will within -the next. few days marry Paul E. Gardner of Chicago. Bacon's husband, & member of the of J. P. Morgan & Co., died in 1924. Mr. Gardner is a widower, his wife, the former Ruby Small of Kansas City, Mo., having died about two years ago. They had one son, Frederick S. O, Bacon befors her macriage n rs. Bacon before her 1915 was Hope Norman, daughter of Mr. lndxun. Guy Norman of New- HE’S 103—BUT NOT OLD. Peorian Says It's Not Time Yet to Think of Home. CHICAGO, January 29 (#).—The age of Eli Ho% of Peoria :“;03 fiel;‘s. ‘When he to get r old, he sald, it will be time enough to think about the old folks' home. Right now he is too busy looking for a job to worry about his remote future. Hoffman spent last night at the Oak Park police station, where he had asked lodgings. He apologized, explaining that ordinarily he would be working, hututhn his arm was injured in a corn sheller. U. 8. Rail Head to Aid Soviets. NEW YORK, January 29 () torg Trading Corporation, officlal So- viet economic organization in this coun- yesterday announced that Ralph dd, president of the Great Northern Railway had been invited to visit Rus- sia and make a study of the Soviet flway system. away fermenting that you but how provement in the hygiene of your mouth and theappear- After you have tried Listerine Tooth Paste a few days, examine your teeth -and see how much more attractive they are. You will also perceive that they are beginning to have a delicate, lovely luster. This is due to the pres- ence of modern polishing agents, keep teeth looking their best. had re- 4 FORMER JUDGE HELD MENTALLY FEEBLE Counsel for Man on Trial for Mur- dering Girl Stenographer Ad- vance Plea of Insanity. By the Associated Press. AUSTIN, Tex., January 29.—With the defendant pictured by initial defense Hi witnesses as an intellectual man who, through excessive drinking, had become enfeebled, physically and mentally, the murder trial of former Judge John W. Brady was resumed today, with con- tinued efforts to build a basis for a plea of insanity. That counsel for the former judge of the State appellate court would base their case on an insanity plea became obvious when it was revealed that Dr. Joe Wooten and Goodall Wooten, alien- ists, would testify for the 50-year-old man who is accused of stabbing to death Miss Lehlia Highsmith, 28-year- old stenographer. Four defense witnesses were called to the stand yesterdsy after the State | DS rested with the conclusion of testimony from six witnesses, two of whom wit- nessed the fatal stabbing of the stenog- rapher, One of the defense witnesses was Brady's wife, who described him as a man once remarkably brilliant, but who, through excessive drinking, had become enfeebled and had abandoned a lucrative law practice. Brady wept when his wife broke down and cried as she described their married life and events preceding the slaying of Miss Highsmith on the night of November 9. ‘The girl was stabbed to death in front of her rooming house and Brady was found standing over the body. V. F. W. Chief of Staff Named. LINCOLN, Nebr, January 29 (®).— D. Dodd of Des Moines has been appointed national chief of staff of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, it was learned here Monday, and will direct a country-wide membership campaign from headquarters in Lincoln. - , | A ‘Prima Donna Expires in Czechoslovakia at Age of 51 Years. By the Associated Press. BERLIN, January 20.—The prima donna Emmy Destinn died today at Budweis, Czechoslovakia, She was 51 years old. Mme. Destinn became one of the most famous figures of European opera of the first quarter of the century. She was born at Prague, Bohemia, Febru: 20, 1878, the daughter of Emanuel Kits tel, and began her education as a vio- linist under Lachner. From 1892 to 1898 she studied under Maria Loewe-Destinn, whose name she adopted. In 1898 she joined the Royal Opera Co. in Berlin, She appeared first as Senta in “Flying Dutchman” and as Nedda in “Pagliaccl” at Covent Garden in 1898, later creating the title role in Puccini’s “Madame Butterfly” and Tatiana in “Eugene Onegin.” Her other favorite roles were Alda, Santuzss, Nedda, Armide, Venus, Elsa and Maddalens in “Andrea Chenier.” Her hobby was writing and versify- lnl:'d ‘;ullectlnx rare books and beautiful ) b 5 In 1910 she participated in the then new production of Puccini's “Girl of the Golden West” with the Metropoll- tan Opera Co., New York, an opera re- vived only this season by the present Metropolitan management. She took out her first citizenship papers in the United States shortly be- fore America's entrance into the World War. In 1923 she married a Capt. aisbach, Czech aviator, who was much younger than herself. Her voice was a soprano of’ extraor- dinary range, § LORD GLADSTONE ILL. Son of Famous Statesman Reported in - Serious Condition. LONDON, January 29 (#).—Condition of Lord Gladstone, youngest son of the famous statesman, who has been 1il for nearly a fortnight, gave cause for anx- lety last night. A bulletin issued from residence at Ware, Hertfordshire, said he was very ill. His illness began with a chill, which developed. into acute bronchitis. He was born at No. 12 Downing street in 1854, when his father was chancellor of the oxchequer. TIN ROOFS PORCHES BUILT b 1 - v ow cleansing + How safe this modern thrift dentifrice ance of your teeth, Moreover, Listerine Tooth Paste is safe for all types of teeth. Its cleans. ing ingredients are the most costly obtainable and are selected because of their gentle action. They simply can- not harm enamel. Get a tube of Listerine Tooth Paste, You will be delighted by its results and by its economy. Lambert Pharmacal Company, St. Louis, Mo., U. S. A. food particles. LISTERINE Tooth Paste 257 Buy things you want with what you save which There are so many things you can buy with that $3 you save by using Lis- You will discover an immediate im- ~terine Tooth Paste at 25¢ instead of dentifrices in the gof class. An atomizer is mere- ly a suggestion.