New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-07-06
BOYS AND GIRLS IN THE SCHOOLS.

CLAIMS OF SUPERIORITY FOR THE GiRlS-AHoo-
MryTs BY ADVOCATES OF THE BOYs-REsULr OF
THE RECENT EXAMINATIONS.
When the results of the examinations TOT auH,s-
sion to the College of the City OF New OK anu te
Normal College announced II was lound enar
the percentages of the boys averaged inucn pcIoS
those of the girls BY some persons ~ was assui
that the examination papers III both cases WIZ VI
onnoI difficulty and an attempt made TO snow
that the result cast dscrcdlt upon tue Iale le'lc
ers well as their pupils, ana sh1wea TIa.hu
supq rior skill in teaching well rs her lhclec'ua
supremacy. The facts III the case nave no' "oo"
presented to public attention. 800
Tho truth of the matter ~ that the papers were
far from being of equal difficulty After careIul
comparison of the two sets of papers hOticlhR tne
form and answer OF every question, ~ - onsy
to see that most Of the questions III the papcIs
yen IN the hovs are much more difficult than those
given 10 the girls. Again the standard NJ the Cily
College was UNEXPECTEDLY raised wlthouG Cno
knowledge of the teachers, shortly before inc TX
amlnatlons. The questions put to the boys III u i
ent subjects similar in their character 10 'usc
given the girls, though more dthcui'i lng i'od
were examined q week before the grls III N eIai.neu
bv the defenders of the boys that the q'icSlons
given them became known aud lndlcateh 10 tne ie-
ma le teachers the most profitable lines OF cram
ming These and other facts, II is Claimed snow
that the differences which have been drawn are H.
founded and that If a fair comparison IS 10 ne maze,
thc examinations should be at the slElo time on tle
same dav. and the questions should be ldehtlcai anu
marked by the same persons. school C0mihIss'oh-
er Steuhcn A. Walker has expressed IL as MS opinion
that this will hc done next year.
The views OF three wcll-known Nlce-prh'ipaiS
have been sOught-gentlcnen whose long eApcri-
ence insuTe3 perfect familiarity with every piahcIl
of the school system of the city. Each has taken up
different points in order to avoid repetition, WINE
their views on the subject as II whole are suDStah-
tally the same. In regard to the examination pa
pcrs the following statements are maze pY u pfoHI-
ncnt vice-priBcipal who has carefully worked out
all tine papers himself. -
a. In algebra the questions given to the girls
were straight fOTwar not one containing q cltcn
Though some at first sight appeared quite dlhcuit'
it was found that very little written work was
necessary to solve six out OF ninc. he Questions
given the boys were constructed that SIX out OF
nine were as difficult AZ the glrl5 questions were
elsy In three or four even scholar 81 g00d aDlly
would, unless he looked over MS WORK seVcia
times very carefully, hardly escape making q
mistake in the signs which made his whole Work OF
no use. Superintendent JASPER VINO .WOfkcd on,
both papers required iil-tw3 minutes Ifr tne 10y
This is not the first time that the authorities the
Civ College have Numbered I'm giving me Doys
papers too difficult and complicated Tor their years.
Last wear 10 became necessary To RAISE the lhdIh III
algebra 33 l3 per cent.
80 In history the boys questions were general IN
their nature each one requiring conslderaOe space
and time for a correct sWcr ana including many
derails some OF which would naturally be omitted
and tue scholar marked down IN consequence me
oncsfions nj the Normal College on the contrary,
were of the nature of leading, and the answers,
which were IN some cases limited at could ne CON-
priscd in n very few words. Though three ques-
tons aIe Identical with three given the boys YET
each formed but SUBDIVISION OF one or me Icu
on the paper 50 that If not answered, the girl lost
hnt fraction Of the ten marks allowed for each
question, while the boy lost the whole tcD'
80 in geography three or four questions gwen
the bows were entirely different from any that had
been given in former years ana Would pu"l e even
advanced students. Here rs wen rs IN ne nlJt4 .
examination. the extra time OF week allowed the
girls was Of great benefit, as their telchelS OBJ
tanned the questions gwen mo boys ana Were .ii-
abled ctecualy TO cram thelr Pupll5 Oh VIC
points Indicated.
-. The sentence given the girls in grammar was
straightforward with 10 catch IN Il, ana the same
was true of the words to be parsed. The sentence
gwen the bows was involved in structure contain
ing pcculiarites that calculated TO puzz,e the
scholar, while every one OF the hVe words III pais-
ing was more or less of a catch
. The greater difficulties existing III the BOYS
paper in arithmetic were enhanced by the fact that
IN one or two ca.es the questions were exceedingly
Ambiguous"
. The disparity between the papers submitted to
the boys and 10 the girl-," sad another teacher,
can be accounted for very easily; Dr. Hunter'
resident of the Normal College, Is thoroughly con-
ver-ant with The curriculum OF our public schools
and the questions gwen by him awe always been
within the range of candidates Of average ability:
On fine other hand, General Webb. graduate Of
West Point. and unaCqualnted VITA the uct1ilS OF
orr schools prepares questions of unusual diihculY
and length, requiring boy OF more thdn average
ability TO interpret their meaning ana give the an
swcrs in the specified time. The papers speak Ior
themselves when the highest scholar can take no
third vIce-princlpal made the following state
ment: .-,...t..,...
cation OF the male and female teachers. The fact Is
that very many OF the male teachers have been edn-
Gated IN the best colleges of the country whiic the
maorty of the female teachers, particularly those
fitting girls for the Normal College, have received
only a common school education The standard OF
admission to the City College was raised without
notice about fifty Per cent. Had proper notice
been given fewer boys would have been sent up.
The questions were at least twenty per cent more
difficult than those of former years. While the idea
of raising he standard IS perfectly proper, II tho
teacher is to be JUDGED by tho result, due
notice should have been ligcn. Injustice moreover
the CITY College. Within two years Browns Cram
mar. the standard at that institution. has been
struck from the list OF text books 10 be used IN tie
public schools. Othcr books have been generally
adopted ia ITS place in fitting for the college but
have been Informed that certain parts OF the gram
mar paper were not given full credit by The exam
incrs if moi handled according 10 Brown"