The morning call., 1892-02-12
THE mon SCHOOL AGE.

a writer in the Boston Youths Com
pduion points ont some of the dangers
attending excessive study in the high
schools. While Boston writers do not prob
ably understand human nature better than
other people, they are perhaps less exposed
TO the charge Of being Indifferent 10 mental
culture than writers in cities which make
less show in this respect One Boston
writer says:
Grammar school pupils have the active buoy
aEcy Of childhood, and ueOuscOuSly secure In
their sports The very best exercises, with COM
ple,e mental diversion. Students IN college
have passed through the most critical period Of
life; they have largely acquired habits OF self
control; they understand the connection be.
tween intellectual and physical vigOr and the
relation Of both TO the highest success in life,
and with their gymnaslic exercises and athletic
sports, they can easily take good care OF their
bodies. Pupils in the high school, on the other
hand are OF an age when the knowledge which
comes from experience IS exceedingly limited.
They are also IN The perlOus period OF growth
when undue ID entail pressure may Involve future
disastrous results The blame, II blame there IS,
rests not so much with pupils as with teachers.
The latter generally are young aud ambitious.
Each feels the stimulus Of the other, and The
natural rivalry is heightened by system OF
reciprocal visitation. II follows, only TOO GER
taiuly, thar each teacher Is inclined TO press his
class 10 Tie utmost and to adapt bis lessons 10
The capacity of the few brightest scholars IN
stead Of 10 the average ability OF the class.
\ OW, no teacher has HE lght 10 sacrifice the
many Tor the benefit of the few In tie long run,
moreover pupils whose mental development Is
slow and late often sGrpass those IN whom IL Is
early aud rapid. sound Judgment would give
a verdict in favor of the teacher who is Wont 10
do hls best for The last two-tnlIds OF his class
rather than for tile one who makes the best
showing with tie IiIst third. This, al all events
Is true: DO education is worth Obtaining at the
risk, TO say nothing Of The certainty, Of per-
mauen. loss Of health
A Boston writer may admit that mo ed
ucation is worth obtaining at the risk, to
say nothing Of the certainty, Of n perma-
nent loss Of health, but it would not De
wise to give utterance to such an opinion
west Of the Rocky Mountains. The profess
sional educators in this city are much more
fierce than they are in Boston. a Western
community that questions the policy of
working the comm0n-Scho0l course with a
view to taking one pupil in a hundred to the
university is considered only half civilized
But among people of perhaps a lower order
Of intellect education is designed for man,
not man for education. The practical view
Is that book knowledge should be subor-
dmate to the more imperious conditions to
which human life is subject Children
should be taught what will be the most use
full ia mature life, what will in the greatest
degree c0nduce to their happiness, to their
standing in the community, and to their
healthy moral Development At the basis
OF this moral development lies the principle
Of justice to all, which forbidS. In the words
Of the Boston writer, that the many may be
sacrificed for the benefit Of the few.
In respect TO our High Schools, the gen
eral complaint is that the course of study is
devised rather with view TO preparing a
small percentage of the pupils for the Uni
yersity than TO preparing the large percent
age, who do not intend TO 90 TO the Univer-
sIiy, for the duties Of life. Parents 10 not
see the utility of a course Of study which
must end, so far as nearly all the pupils are
concerned, at the beginning They think
that the Higb-scho0l course should be di-
recjed to q more thorough knowledge OF
Things which VIII be Of service in after life,
instead of commencing so many branches Of
study when are Of little use except IN the
way Of preparation for the University. The
saying is common and, to an extent, true
thai the most helpless man or woman in the
community is one who has book learning
and nothing else. There should be scholars
in the higher sense OF the word, but until
ateral conditions radically change the
mass Of the people will have to devote their
lives 10 pursuits for which high scholarship
is a poor preparation.