The Newtown bee., 1892-02-12

higher education is therefore but partial.
 II. The public schools should give to those who do not propose to go beyond them, so far as may be, a substitute for higher education. A stereotyped course for all pupils beyond the grammer grade is impracticable. And yet a thousand and one occasions will arise, where not profound but a general knowledge of the languages, mathematics, the sciences and music will be of great advantage to them; besides atfording much intellectu- al delight. Hence, in an abbreviated form,the curricula of our colleges should be brought into our high schools, in the courses of those who do not contemplate higher education. They will thus be in position, lst, to appreciate all depart ments of knowledge; 2d, to welcome new truths; 3d, to sustain those who give their lives to investigations and, 4th, to form powerful middle class of intelli- gent people, ever alert for progress.
 III. The public schools should have a rigidly restricted curriculum for those who propose to enter upon higher educa- tion. To be thorough is to be narrow, at first. To see what is in thing, you put a microscope over it and that magni- fies what is in very small space. That is the true principle of fitting for college, not many irons in the fire-but all hot |; in other words, while to those going no further, the high school should be col lege in miniature, broadening and devel- 0ping to the utmost extent possible the reasoning faculties and the taste for var ious learning, to those who propose to take complete course of study, it should be a strictly technical course, fitting them for the next step, the freshman class in college. There will be time enough for broadening thereafter. The taste for various knowledge will come too quickly, if anything, in such students. What they need most of all is rigid drill. In this day, we hear great deal of weak praise of being "broad." Know this, that any man can make himself so broad as to make himself altogether too thin. It de- pends on how much there is in a man or boy, as to how broad he can afford to be :;
 
 strong man. From the primary through the grammar grades, probably all had better go together, perhaps even one year in the high school. But, after that, distinguish between your pupils and let those who propose to take a college course be drilled with reference to the high intellectual destiny which they have elected for themselves. They who pro- pose to obtain higher education cannot afford ''breadth" at first. They cannot afford to be brilliant-they must be solid. "This one thing 1 do," must be their motto. One of the most serious evils of modern times is mental dissipation. ''Everything l do'' results in ''Nothing do." 'This one thing I sdo'' is a far better motto for him who would seek higher education. A pupils mental power is limited. If he gives his strength to quantity, quality is of necessity deter iorated. Hence it is believed that a rig idly restricted curriculum alone can rend- CT practicable that thoroughness most desirable to those who propose for them selves higher education.
 ". The public schools should be, so far as practicable, affiliated with the higher institutions of learning. By cer- titicates from preparatory school or by special examination, every pupil must enter college. Which is the better way? Without doubt, by a certificate from a properly conducted preparatory school. But an examination is far better than certificate from an improperly conducted preparatory school. Cramming and coaching have been proven to be not the best exercise for young minds and these are ever attendant upon the examination system. The aim is to have the pupils thoroughly prepared to go on with the work of the freshman class in the col lege. The surest way to know that they are thus prepared is to have the certificate from reliable teachers in a reliable school; that, in regular classroom work, a,pupil has taken such an average per centage in a specified course, marked carefully with reference to each element of study and recitation.
 1t IS ldncuGaDle 1dCL IndG III our country, in the past, there has been al- most no utilization between the high schools and the colleges. One difficulty in the way is that there is not uniform standard of Requirements tor entering the colleges, Harvard keeping nearly year ahead of the others. A good many. high schools have made the Dartmouth re- quirements their standard and add an ex- tra year for Harvard. 1st, uniformity of standard and, 2d, college inspection of afiiliating public high schools, are things to be desired.
 V. The public schools should incul- cate throughout their entire course high educational and moral ideals, the logical fruition of which must be an increasing proportion of the pupils seeking higher education; and the colleges should on their part render honor to the work of the public schools, use their influence to perfect the system and train their pupils in such a manner that those who choose that honorable vocation shall be efficient teachers in the public schools. Unless in thespublic schools a hunger and thirst for learning is aroused in the pupils, ,com- paratively few of them will be found seeking higher education. But if, in the public schools, to know is to be honored, there will, in the susceptible years of youth, be implanted in the pupils soul reverence for education that he will nev- CT outgrow and which ought to be in every American citizen for the stability and prosperity of our country. God