St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-10
SECONDARY EDUCATION.
ExcelIencies and Defects of the
High School System---Collego
DranoratOpieS DanOnuced

ExcelIencies and Defects of the
High School System---College
Preparedness Denounced.
The department of secondary educa-
tion met yesterday afternoon at Ply
mouth church. There was large at
tendance, chiefly of high school princi-
pals and teachers and city Aperin-
tendents. The prominent educators of
Minnesota were we'll represented.
Henry E. Chambers. of New Orleans,
president Of the department. was not
present when the time for meeting ar
rived, and the asSemblage was called to
order by Prof. w. Il, White, of Knox
Vile, Tenn, who requested Prof. r. III.
Tripp, of Iowa City, Ia, to act as secre-
tary. The subject which had been an
nounced for this meeting was 'The
high school as fitting school," The
exercises began with the reading of a
paper on the general topic by A. F.
Bechdolt, of Mankato, MINI. Mr..
Bechdot spoke of the high school as it
now exists, as provisional arrange
ment, being at the same time a fitting
school and finishing school. After
touching upon the work done
in the various branches of knowledge,
high school education by cOllege-bred
men. he summarized as follows: "The
high school as an outgrowth of the
academy comes to us burdenad alike
with excellencies and defects. In Latin
the demands are too great for thorough
work. The decreasing interest in Greek
is much to be deprecated; it can be
made more valuable and more fruit
bearing than Latin. In mathematics
the high schools do all that is expected
of them The work done in English in
very many high schools is almost
farcieal. Ancient and modern history
are very poorly taught i'm the ordinary
high school. AS to the natural sciences
the college makes few demands as
preparation for the classical course;
from the standpoint OF general scholar
ship, botany. geology, astronomy,
physics, and physical geography are the
most valuable. Chemistry is valuable
only when enough time can be given to
it to do the work thoroughly" Two
objections were urged against rearrang-
ing the high school system TO make
it conform to the German gymnasium
system: First, the patrons or the high
schools would not endorse such
change, and second, the environments
of the American high school initiate
against it," In conclusion the speaker
said: "There is another way in which
the high school is a fitting school, and
that is in fitting men and women. The
subjects boys and girls study in the
high school may be made to bear good
fruit in that direction"
Prof. John w. Johnson, of the Uni
versity of Mississippi. discussed 1.-The
Demands of the High School for Sew
erance from the College and the IJni-
versity." He showed how the union OF
the two grades of education is hurtful
to both, and at the close of his remarks
introduced the following resolutions.
which, after lively discussion, par
tieipated in by Messrs. Lewis, of Hast
ings. Bechdolt. of Mankato, Chandler
and Smith, of New York, Baker, Of
Colorado, Lewis, of Illinois, and others,
were adopted:
Resolved, That the method now so preva,
lent among many of our colleges and uni
versities of maintaining preparatory depart
ments in connection with the college curri-
culum, is detrimental to the ultimate interest
of colleges and universities, and conse-
quently to our school system in general.
That the subjecting of young boys to the
inf uence of college life and customs de.
grades in many cases the moral character OF
The young boys and weakens the restraint OF
discipline upon the older ones.
Resolved, That it is simple justice and
consistency that the state should furnish free
tuition in high schools separate and apart
from colleges and universities, adequate to
the demands for college preparation.
G. w. Bardeen, OF Syracuse. n. Y,
read an interesting paper entitled EFF
feet of the College Preparatory High
School Upon Attendance and Scholar
ro.t:ro6 m, ,smI.fy. EBnra