Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-03-14

the ihterestS OF the students them.
selves deserve consideration. m
the individual, the culture to be sa
cured by this course should ont.
weigh any considerations of advan-
tages to accrue to the public, impor.
tant as these may be.
There is also another reason WHY
the school should attain character
for more thorough and extensive
work. The Faculty of the Stats
University, in their last annual cat.
alosue, make the following PROPOSE.
sition:
"Any High School in the Stale
whose course Of instruction covers
the branches requisite for admission
to one or more of the colleges of the
University, may make application to
be entered on Its accredited list. On
such application, the University will
send a professor to examine the
course and methods of instruction in
the school, and on his favorable re-
port will enter it in the accredited
High School list of the University.
The graduates of the High School
will be received by the University
into any of its colleges for which
they have been fitted without fur
Their examination. = The
accredited list will be published each
year In the catalogue of the tnlver-
bity."
The course of study to which I
have called your attention prepares
students for either uf the colleges
constituting the University. But in
order to secure favorable report
from any member of the faculty
commissioned to examine the school,
it is necessary that work in the high
er branches should come under his
inspection. No one, | think, viii
deny that it would be highly advan.
tageous to the High School to have
a place on this University list.
1t should be understood that the
course of instln ction that has been
adopted will, with such slight modi-
fications as may be found necessary,
be adhered to until the Board OF
Education are persuaded of the ne
cessity OF enlarging it. TO do less
work than is here marked ont would
be simply to forfeit entirely the char
acter vi a High School. 1t should
be stated that Latin and one or two
other studies will be allowed in cases
where pupils are willing to devote
the necessary amount of extra time
to them. 1t may not be clearly I'M
derstood by ali that the work of any
year is completed by the student
only when each study set down for
that year is SO thoroughly mastered
that he can pass good examination
in it, wherever or by whomsosver
that examination may be conducted.
The fact of having spent prescribed
length of time in the study of cer-
tain subject, and having read and
recitea "a specified number of the
textbooks, or the other fact Of
having been a member of the class in
which this subject has been studied,
should have no weight in determine
ing the pupils acquaintance with it.
The only proper test of his knowl-
edge of the subject, aud his conse-
quent readiness to relinquish it for
some other study, is careful exam
ination. This test he should be
prepared for, even if four years in
stead of three are occupied in the
work of the High School.
| have limited, in what precedes,
at the necessity of regular, uninter-
rupted attendance on the part Of the
pupils. This may justly be placed
second among the needs of the school.
An absence of q single day is often
perceptible Tor many days in tho
subsequent work of the pupil. 1t
will readily be perceived that the
loss Of few weeks, Oh term, must
result in the irrecoverahle loss Of
place in class. 1t is true that cir
cumStnnceS, IN some cases, compel
absence for an entire term; and it is
but justice to the pupil, in these
cases that as little hindrance in his
course be occasloned as possible.
But no pupil of only ordinary abili-
ties can expect fully to regain q
ploce in his class after such absence.
Diminished attendance during the
summer term is a characteristic OF
MANY other HIGH Schools thnn that