, 1860-07-13
THE CHICAGO HIGH SCHOOL,.
WHY Is 1T HALF FlLLED3
4 Letter from the Superintendent Of
Public Instruction.

MEssas. Eu1roRs: During the four vea.s of
my connection with the public schools OF Chi
cago, they hare been very cordially sustained
and encouraged BY the press Of the city. Erro.
their way into the papers, but have uniformly
! abstained from attempting to correct them.
| Oa reading your article Of yesterday, found
that your Information respecting the capacity
Of the High School Was so entirely erroneous,
that departed from my usual courae, and sta-
suit, as It appears fn your article this morning,
shows how difficult it is for one man to repre-
sent the views of another, Will you allow me
to state the case in my own language?
Tue utmost capacity Of The High School
building cannot exceed accommodations for 800
scholars. This would leave only one room to
be used for the library, chemical and phiosoph-
ical experiments, French and German classes,
ETC., and would assign furty pupils to each of
the other rooms. In the High School Of Bos.
ton the rooms are similar to ours, only little
longer, and each division is limited to thirty Elk
pupils.
at the organization of the Chicago High
School. the standard Of admission was necetsa.
rily placed very low, with The understanding
that it would BE- advanced a8 fast as the supplv
Of well.qualiied pupils would permit The
standard Of admission, after allowing for the
comparative difficulty Of the questions em.
ploJ red. is still lower than that adopted in Bos-
the pupils already admitted wouId probably
have studied quite as prottably at the Gram
mar Schools one OF two terms longer. This il
no n Election upon the character Of the Gram.
mar Sehoo g. They hare been continually ad-
vancing with the advancing standard Of trans.
fer, and during the last year sent a larger nun
bsr Of pupils TO the High School than during
any previous year since its organization.
have from the first felt strong desire to
see the seats Of the High School filled, just as
fast as it could be dune without drawing too
closely upon the Grammar Schools. 1t IVES with
sions in q year instead Of one; and there have
been one or two Instances in which should
have been gratifed if the number admitted had
been little larger tim it WAS.
In January. 1858, the whole number Of pupils
in the High Srhoof was l48; in January 1859,
the number WAS 245; in Ja1uary, 1860, the
number was as6. It will be seen By this scale,
that the Board have proceeded in accordance
with their original plan, and that continuance
ofthe aame policy will soon fiji the building to
reple,ion. ". II. WELLS.
NE. Wells does entire and ample justice to the
press Of the city. Without exception, the news
paoers of Chicago have livery cordially sustain~
ed and encouraged" the Pubic Schools. What
ever hare been the dissensions md chickering's
on other questions public policy, in whatever
heat Of parties, under whatever pressure Of
panic times, not one word has been uttered by
ajournal ofthis city, not complaint has been
heard in this community that we we're going too
fast and too far with our expenditures for Public
Schools.
Splendid buildings have gone up in various
parts Of the city, and not murmur that they
cost too much, though money was hard, and
business stsguant. No expense or pans has
been spared to bring men Of experience and
possessed Of q zeal, and intelligent training, to
fill the various posts, from the Superintendent
at $500 per year, to the Principals and their
assistants in the sere1al grades of schools. The
Board Of Education bave enjoyed an immunity
rare among public officers from criticism or
eren comment. We feel that perhaps in the
last respect it we're better to have been other
wise.
We thank 1fr. Wells for tie tone and matter
Of his letter as enforcing his expression Of views
on this matter, given US in personal interview,
and referred to in ocr last issue. lie is not
alone in an honest difference of opinion with US
that the High School building cannot accommo-
date si1 hundred pupiis. Others Of cur prcmi-
rent citizens who warmly second our position
as TO the High School, do not accompany us
quite as big h AZ our estimste Of capacity. We
maintain our position, however, from present
conviction, that if there are six hundred
pupils in the city, suitable candidates
for High School training, they should 60
to the High School, and let that building bear
its share in the pressure upon our Public School
facilities. We are not erroneous" nor mis-
taken, nor even hasty. We utter calmly The
views OF the majority Of the INTEL gent and iu-
terested friends Of education in our city, inter-
ested because they are taxpayers and parents
Of pupils. But let us hare no quarrel over the
capacity of the High School building. Fill i.
up, and when full, let us have another, aud then
another.
Those, however, who DO not sgree with us
that the building will hold Geo pupils, do con-
cede [and am7ng them Mr. Wells) that it may
and should have more pupils than it ever has
had. We are sorry Mr. ". did not touch upon
this point in his letter as frankly as in his late
conversation with US, and allo1 that the policy
Of the Board Of Education had purposely been
to i<fp doon tie numbers Of this school, and that
this policy he himself did not sustain. We know
the Board arc not an unit in this matter. We
trust wiser policies will prevail, aud that the
building will be flied to repletion at an early
day.
We are anxious to be fully understood in our
position. Are the $50 pupils il the High School
all that a judicious discrimination Gun Gull out
from tho $4,000 pupils Of our city as suitable
candidates for such advanced training7 Nobo-
dy avers that to be the case, but the Superin-
tendeut Of Public instruction himself says the
Board feared the public might complain Of The
expense, It the number were not kept down."
1ll-timed timidity, base1ess apprehension, which
has led them throughout the history of The
high School to "keep the numbers down. BY =
continually shifting system Of "terms IF nd.
mission," which We have characterized Us an
unwarrantable breach Of faith witk pupils.
throug ghout the city.
We are willing to look the thing squarely in
the face. Our Board Of Education we're chosen
for Chicago, and not lot Boston or New York.
The gentlemen comprising our Chicago Board
were chosen and appointed to take things as
thy arr, and make thtm, BY jndicious process
of management, what they should be.
Our system Of Public Schools at the West is
comparatively a new one. Scholars in the sev-
eral grades are not to be compared with those
who have passed through gradAsions in estab-
lished generations Of sehool-children sirce,
which, for instance, car1y the pupil from the Bos-
ton primary school Up 10 graduation At the Bos-
ton Latin School, higher point than gradua-
ton In most Western colleges. Our Priuar.
Schools arc now nearer what they should be-
than they we're ten years since, and their pro-
duct will in few years ill the higher grades
| of our schools with better trained pupils than
We now have. AL our teAchers will bear ua
| cut in this view. II
What we ask is that the High School >Ahs Il
keep its relative and proper place in the ga1sds.
ton Of our schools, and cid in the gen<ral tkk,
ra&;on. Fill up The High School, il 1t can ba
filled Is readily IS to be half full. There ars
plsnty Of scholars fully qualified to be the spst-
mates Of present members. Keep the High
School full and let US have no mora of this deen
but not doubtful policy Of our Board of Educa.
cation, Of " keeping tho number ,,oxnu
| "e 2'o Az --."est in this matter, aud there
/ are thousands with Us that are equally earnes..
upon whom the conviction has been orow;no
for long time past, that the utility and 7.1ue
| of our High School vas narrowed and re,tr;cted
from motives that should never have had v.;ob+
with the Board
WASHINGTON PUBLIC ScHooL.-The CLOSING ~.
ercises Of the Washington School, BENJAMIN r.
Gutter, Principal, corner Of Oven and s.nos,