, 1860-07-16

mendthle and intelligent interest," taken bT your
journal in relation to our public schools, It i
the tenor Of your recent advocacy ofthe "largest
liberty" in admission to the High School
In ai1 our cit,es there ara usually two classes
Of opinions, zealouslY supported-one for open
Ing High Schools a. freely as possible to all,
irrespective Of their standard Of scholarship,
and their influence fupou the lower grades Of
schools; the Other aGocatng the highest pos.
sibe staudard, consistent with the & .neral good,
and, as essential to this, such restrictions On
admission IS will not only keep up that stand
ard, but rdts<it.
against the board Of Education2 Il is essen
TALLY this-that, ha4inR accommodations for q
larger number Of scholars, they hare adopted
restrictions On admission which exclude many
meritofious grammar scholars, hnd thus dlmin-
ish the usefulness Of our highest Institution,
supported at large cost By our citizens; The
guardians Of that: school have placed their
staaka~d Of TIE &eaer too high: for, clearly, the
humber Of scholars can fnly be increased by
lowering the standard. The question then for
the public 10 decide in the present instance is,
whether they desire high school, founded ~
low one;-whether for tile sake Of members
they wiftopen their doors as freely as possible,
let the eAat . ter andinauence Of the school be
what "a ~; or whether, counting character
and scholarship before members, they
resolve to hare sehoo! Of the first c1ass, q
better education .Fln the rich can bny-w,th
money, q school thaSshall reflecs honor On the
ci4y, and by its constant improvement and ele-
yation draw up to itsievelthe graduated schools
which are t1ibutury tn and dependent On it.
!. Permit me TO remark, tha. the writer Of this
is not, and nereE has beer, member of the
Board OF Education; bat 90 experience going
back ever quarter Ut century, in the SUPER
vision Of schools, and these in a considerable
city, justides tile remak-iu which. it is be-
feyed, ail men oftxperience concur-that in
the organization aud successful management Of
city schools, the key to their prosperity, the
rery corner stone ofthe whole fabric, the prime
element Of vigor, hfs aud growth, is q high
standard Of Qualification far admission. As
yon rinse Jour Ei8h School. you raise your.
grammar schools, and in course your primaries.
1.ower the frat, and gil are correspondingly de-
pressed
Now, sucl policy does hare an appearance
Of e1cluslEeuess it may stut out many woE-
thy and deserving scholars whose attaiDments
fall short Of the. required standard But it
shuts cut the rich as well as the poor; there ia
no farorisism here. Lower your High School
and your city su1ara, its general culture falls;
your whole educational system relapses.
Raise up the School, you lift with it the tone,
intelligence and intellectual life Of the people.
Which is Of the greater monent, the conye-
nience and advantage Of the few excluded ap-
plicants, or the public good, present and en-
during Of our city1
Besides it il to be observed, that even the
poor arc most benefited by having High
School Of IN elevated character. Loaer your
| High School aad the rich will send their chill
drcn to private schools, and will cease to care
for your public schools. But will the poor,
even, long send to or care for High School
of low pretensions. Will they loae two or
/ &fraa rnnr, nf finno and Study i, o, inf
echool. Indeed It is fur the very reason, that
your High School is already raised to an hon.
orable place and vigorous life, that 80 maDy
press to enter it; and low that mAny Of these
petitioners for admission fail Of reaching its
conditions 0 membership, the cail is to lowtr
The sfand4,d. What is this, in effect, but au
appeal to our citizens to lot1er their High
| Schoolf
But our citizens, Justly proud Of TINT institu-
tion, will member, that it has been no easy
work 10 found a High School, reaching the high
character Of our own. 1t has cost the best wis
dem aad earnest labors Of our best minds; re
have called in the aid Of the most experienced
aud approved educators. The institution is still
new; ii needs time, thought, and prolonged ex-
perience to tix it upon wise aad lasting basis.
Stall re, outside OF their schools and commit.
tee rooms, sny to these gentlemen on the Board
deuce, "Gentlalnen. you are mistaken in your
views; you area aiming too high; We do no.
want in Chicago such school US you ha se pro.
Elected; open y4ur doors 10 the largest number
+ its cspacious rooms will hold put our teachers
to the utmost stretch Of their capacity in goE.
erniDE aud tesching numbers, let the character
and weight and benefit of thu school be wha'
they mny." We mistake the intelligence Of ou1
community ln supporting such to bs a common
sentiment. They hbFe not 50 fur raised up tais
deserving institution, but to cast it down. They
have not entrusted the charge Of its structure
| to the best and most skillful architects, vhe
hare already lifted up its walls iu htautifus pro
portions, aud enduring strength,-yet unfin
ished-J ct needing consummate skill for theil
full conlpetioa-to subject it to unskilltu
handling, md thee prices uf the hour. Let Ut
be content to val. Let IA us "leare vel
enough alouc:" aud not, yielding to casua
impulse, hazard tue prosperity Of a school
which owes the very honor in which it ia held
to the policy we ars now called upon to over
throw. FnASKI1S.
CoxuEs7.-Dut Mr. Nells, the Superintendent
Of Schools, sustains us in the assertion that III,
Board Of Education have "kept downthe mum
lers" in the High School by shifting thei
standard purposely to exclude many equal,
well qualified With those already in the school
Our esteemed and intelligent correspondent i.
his discussion does not meet this point, th'
chief objection We hare urged against the poll
cy Of the Board being that it has not kept faitl
with the pupils. We urge elsewhere otbe
reasons why modification Of their policy i
in our view desirable.