National Republican., 1875-06-29
A TOPIC FOR DISCUSSION.
Public Examinations and Priss-Giving in
Schools

n the Editor Of the National Republican:
SIR: Many thoughtful and experienced teachers
have Of late asked themselves the pertinent ques-
tion: "Pubic examinations - should they be
abolished :" and their answer has been In the af-
hrmatiVe; but owing, presume, to the fact that
such an innovation on time-honored practices
would be touRhly resisted by the old 'dOmInies,"
they have simply eontented themselves with feel
ing their way tsmoDg those, especially parents
who have the only real interest in the matter and
the result has been sufficiently satisfactory to
title them to agitate the question when every
meantime however, thIs expression is simply for
the purpose of drawing attention to the abolition
OF senooi t nG ad e.ssibIHg an inson.
siderable number Of parents, will toughly oppose
It, for 1t is rarely indeed, that professions will
ly out, even when these practices or customs are
very obviously, even to them, in the nature OF
abuses. Examinations serve no useful purpose;
results commemorate with the waste OF teaching
power and the waste Of the pupils time in pre-
In practice the annual examination or exhIbI-
tion includes as q prominent If not essential fea
tuTe, the award Of prizes t. the pupils; am am
good teachers, prizes are in the nature OF neces-
sary and legitimate aid to the instructor, mas
much as without them he cannot readily awaken
SUFFICIENT emulation among his pupils. And
doubtless there Is something to be said in support
OF that view, although It has always appeared to
this respect is not more than counterhalanced BY
the evils flowing directly from the system. Few
anxious attention to the subject will, believe,
uphold the system as being other than one Of
mixed good and evil, the latter greatly predomi-
mating; while some Utterly condemn It. In the
first place, 1t often occurs that while prizes are
professedly the reward Of merit, the natural en-
SeTt If r. Sos % lnpO.sbi. g 10 dsseImins ns' Wits +
whom the merit lies. The pupil with superior
natural er doWments may carry OF every prize in
of his inEeriOrly- gifted classmates who, according
to their talents. have applied themselves more
who, BY virtue Of superior natural abilities has
outstripped them. Then comes inequality Of cir
cumstaDees-one set Of pupils having careful su-
vantage which another set totally lack; yet, in
the field of competition for prizes the two sets are
held to be on an equal footing, and the awards
The professed Intention is of course to reward
merit, but in reality it at best rewards oRly GER
by force OF natural endOWments, is attained by
one set Of competitors running free against
other set more or less heavily weighted. Children
discover and feel the inequality of all this;
and the school gets divided into eXpectants and
non.expectapts-the latter class, who never enter
ing to their side not few really meritoriOus pu-
pils, who, starting with the hope of prizes, soon
feel that they are being distanced in an unequal
race; and pTiEe-gaining being the chief motive to
dill ence, they who feel conscious Of all attempts
on their part being hopeless, actually pay less at
tent1on, and consequently make less progress In
their studies than If prizes had never been held
out as an inducement. And this is by no means
all the evil of the system. Apart from the fact
that It Is frequently not the priZe-winning pupil
who turns out either the ablest man or soundest
scholar, to the extent of his requirements, the
moral effects OF the system are bad. There is no
getting ever the fact that selhshness and vanity
are unduly excited and fostered in the prize gain
ers, while disappointment, envy, and in many in
stances hatred and malice, are engendered In the
minds of the unsuccessful. Nor are the injurious
effects Of prize giving confined to the pupils them
selves. Many instances could be Rdduced in which
the cordiality of neighhoring heads of families
has been temporarily disturbed, sometimes broken
Up-and all this mischief clearly traceabIe to the
tfme-honored practice Of prize-gfVing. Some pa
rents cannot see how their children should not be
as deserving of prizes as their neghbors children,
and being unable to find any such reason, they
frequently suppose one, and ten to one they hit
upon the teachers partiality or faVoritism.
On the whole. therefore, the sooner that exam
nations and prizes are numbered with the things
that were the better the first are merely got-up
shows for ''the eoccasionn-mere decoration" days
and the second are in nowise evidences of the
receivers superior abilities, but are rather too
often awarded in the direction where they are ex-
pected ito do the most good" A. W.