The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1888-07-19
COMMENCEMENT ESSAY.
Read At the Crcsco High School Commencement
June Is, 1885.

hcad n the CTcSco High School Commencement,
June Is, 1875.
SHOULD THE PUBLIC SCHOOL
WORK BE RESTRICTED To
THE COMMON BRANCHES.
by ". II. TILLsoS.
The early fathers OF our country.
realizing that the strength and
healthy growth Of our commonwealth
depended upon freedom from the
bondage OF ignorance, set apart GER
tain land for educational purposes:
and the schools to-day are receiving
much benefit from this source. There
is not a people upon the face of the
| globe who are as proud Of their edu-
cational systems as the Americans.
They realize that any country gov
erned by the people and in the inter
ests Of the people, can not properly
protect its citizens in life liberty and
property by just laws, unless the
people are intelligent. Education
must be the foundation stone to our
national superstructure. VIM. Won
Humboldt stated the case thus:
What ever we wish to see intro
duced into the life of nation must
be first introduced into its schools
Our educational system has not
been built up by the general govern
ment. but by the people, and should
therefore be managed SO as to best
serve the interests OF the people-Ior
the many, and not simply for the few.
The great problem before the Ameri-
can people is-How shall we reach
and lift UP to a higher level the great
mass of the people and fit them to
become better men and women, bet
ter neighbors and better citizens?
How can We best equip the present
geueration with the knowledge,
training and efficiency necessary for
tho successful discharge of the duties
Of every day lifes The question Of
education II not question OF ''the
survival of the fittest." 1t Is the
problem of the best methods of train
ing the rhole race for the highest use
fulness and happiness.
1t must be admitted that the tax
payers Of n state have the right, po-
litical II not moral, to establish any
educational system they may choose.
Why then should not this system be
made SO complete as to be crowned
at last by state university as thor
oughly equipped as Harvard? Such
a scheme of state education, where
every thing from the primary school
to the university il open to the poor
est child. might well fascinate us: but
| think the advocates Of such schemes
look more to glitter than TO the pub
lie good. A graded system of teach
ing which begins with the primary
department, and whose logical aim is
the university, can hardly be one
best adapted to the needs of the
great majority. Only a very small
proportion Of the pupils who enter
the primary room ever get through
the grammar school, and only frac-
ton OF fraction ever finish the high
school course. Our public high
school has graduated only thirty-six
students in the past eight years, or
an average of about four a year:
while the state university has re-
ceived only two free scholarships
from this county. The proportion,
then. who share the advantages of
the higher education can be easily
estimated.
The question now arises. whether
what is called the higher education
OF the very small fraction that ever
attain it might not be provided for in
q much more simple, direct and mex
pensive way This, ] believe, has
been demonstrated by the private
high schools, which are found in ev-
cry state and in nearly every county
in the United States. In the eastern
states the public universities are Of
secondary Importance. Institutions
like those Of Harvard, Yale, Brown
University, Bowdoin, Amherst, Vas
sar, Wellesley and a score of Others
are certainly the pride Of the Ameri
can people; yet not one of these j.
supported by public money. Fol
more advanced work, John Hopkins
University in Baltimore is the best il
America, many taking a course 0
study there in preference to going t,
Germany. DO not think for one in
slant that the private high school.
IRE confined to the eastern and mic:
die states. Iowa can boast Cornell
Minnesota Carleton, and Wisconsin
a Beloit. Supply and d. mand vii
always tend to adjust themselves
and it il none the less true Of schools
as has been shown 10y the business
colleges Of this country. They hay.
never received or asked state aid: vel
they had nearly fifty thousand stu
dents last year.
Many, while admitting the success
of private enterprise in founding col
leyes and universities, urge that the
state should support secondary
schools similar to our own high school
This question can only be answered
be results, and to results We must
look for our answer. The high school
course consists of from fifteen to
twenty studies, extending over Il per
iod of three years. The ma jority OF
these studies are based upon the com.
mon school branches, and the stu.
dents mastery Of these studies will
depend wholly upon their efficiency
in the lower branches. This hurried
perusal OF fifteen or twenty books
can only leave the students mind
filled with mass OF confused ideas,
which they cannot use intelligently.
Though this hurry and hustle may do