New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-07-08
B0y1lry pRIce on" cR4urIyC.p

The Princeton Re-'er for July contains an ar
tcl, by Professor Bonamy Price, of Oxford,
entitled What is Education y II is in sub
stance protest against the educational method
known as examining. coupled with enthusiastic
adtoracy of ry0 rOce instruction and
examination. and an argument on be-
half If the classics as the best in
-,r.ucuts OF intellectual development.
Probe sol Price asserts that the educational
methods Of Nh, present day are essentially vie
io1s tina they make too muchu,c Of the menu
DRY, Of tables and forms and textbooks; thaC
the written examinations are concessions to the
fcrblencss of the examiners and only
tend 10 encourage the pdrot-rcpctition
AMI ro.r-lrauing which il meant by
the word "cram that the main purpose of
education, which is to teach the proper Use Of
The intellectual faculties, is largely ignored by
these methods and that the knowledge ac-
quircd by "crammIng' is not a'smilated and
soon disappears, leavin,; the mind unGi>ci-
plincl and the brain rather weakened than
strengthened. He reCurs rcgrcttully to the
Oxford of old days when the rird rOce examine
tions fourishcd. He says that then the candi-
dates "were examined for half day by men
OF the greatest ability in ,hr University. What
their views were on the subjects to he handled
was seldom known accurately beforehand
what turn the examination would take was
hard to fOresce, until the examiner himself had
revealed the state of his own mind and the
character of his own Knowledge
Crowds of undergraduates thrOngcd the
schools tn learn who aud what the examiners
were what views they held on the various
educational topics, and how they did their work.
The tutors were equally interested. The ex-
ammcrs felt that they too were being ex-
amincd. The whole process tended to produce
an intellectual contest eminently fitted to de-
yclop the best that was in candidates and eI-
aminers. 1t il claimed that the results in after
life were much better than at present. Pro-
fcssor Price holds that the acquisi
ton of knowledge, rs in scientific teach
ing, can be much better attained by rird
rocc instruction than by any other. Of course
there il the serious difficulty that this method
demands special genius In the teacher, and that
teachers so endowed are not common. As to
the classical argument, the Oxford professor
does not make very strong case. He is dis
posed 10 assume too high IN intelligence on Che
part Of the student. The fact Is that the .tudy
Of Grcc, cannot be said to bring thc author and
the pupil into the "iutimnlc compauionship
hctcspokcu ot. n rule, even with exception.
ally gifted teachers; tho grammatical aud other
technical difficulties often Destroying for the
puzzled pupil all sympathetic interest In the
ihonphte of the writer he ~ studyinR.
II hc,lANcs are 10 produce the best results
aifainablc, aud - influence the after life of the
student in the ways pointed ont by Professor
Price, II seems clear that the methods of classi-
cal instruction will have to be- modified so As
&, insure that active intellectual sympathy with
the Worl, which i so necessary 10 the acquisi
zion of really enduring culture. But of the
Observation-Disclosures of examining there can be no
question, and this has been recognized already
H. many American colleges, though there Is still
much room for improvement. The fact that,
while we are constantly Boosting of our educa-
ti,DAl opportunities in these days, the
graduates of modern universities and
colleges somehow do not produce much
lirst-Tatc intellectual work, ought to cngender
asuspicion that after all there may be serious
defects in the newest educational fashions, and
that possibly in the well meaning attempt to
enlarge the curriculum sufficient attention has
not been paid TO the expansion of the receptive
and assimila,yc capacity of the subjects OF ex-
pertinent. The nineteenth century, at ito
close, is producing a larger perez ntage of cul-
turcd mcdocrity than ever, but it Is notably
deficient ia the evolution of eminent individu-