The Washington times., 1895-06-19
history THE HIGH SCHOOLS

| None but those who have followed
/ closely the development of the High school
[ and its work have any idea or the ire
/ mendOUs growth OF the Institution during
/ the seventeen years OF its existence. The
/ subjects taught and the manner Of teach
4 ing have kept pace with the enlargement
I OF the school in point OF numbers.
4 short sketch OF the development Of
the department OF history and poIitica
| economy viii serve 10 illustrate this.
Those who We're pupils in the Advanced
Grammar school for Boys. when the
| latter was established about 1873, may
perhaps recollect the utter weakness OF
the work IN history The class at tHat
time, for there WAS only one, and that
/ was readily accommodated in q single
room, used 10 recite tveTy Hterally} RON
Swinton's >. Outlines Of Universal History
about three times a week The teacher
vas accustomed TO give the heading OF
/ the paragraph IN the book, and expected
tiIe pupil % telt fsfTn VIVA { te PARA graph
contained il about the same style as that Of
/ the book. No demands were made fOr
! outside work, and except when a boys
I own curiosity led him, he never had any
need TO consult a reference book. Upon
rare occasions some boy would dispute
a statement made but. beyond the put
ting Of the skeptics inquiry TO some other
boy IOr an answer, nothing was done, and
the incident was closed
But the above condition Of things was
not TO last many years. Tor about the
time the Advanced Grammar Schools
were united and became the Washington
, High School a better era began. AT that
time the subject of history was assigned
| TO lady whose method Of conducting
the work was very different from tnat
hitherto employed Her aim was To have
pupils think for themselves, as far as they
were able, upon the topics OF the lesson.
Discussion tOften very crude. il is true.
OF the lesson was invited. and a great
deal of interest in the subject was de-
velOped, as is evidenced by the fact that a
number Of the pupils have since con-
unued the work in this line. In the mean
time the course was heightened from two
years To three.
The classes were stH depending con
SideTably upon SwintCn'S text when a
fellow of Johns Hopkins University was
called to take charge of tEe work u history.
He immediately changed the CCICitiOn OF
things by Introducing the university
methods OF work even into tie first wear
or beginners classes Different books
We're now used IN the different years The
first year class es followed the Primers Of
Greece aud Rene. the second year classes
ThompSou's England ard The third wear
classes Freeman's General Sketch" all
OF which wtTs supplemented by numerous
lectures, 10th IN courses ard al irregular
intervals. To tie history work was aGdcd
a course in political economy II which
the principles OF tEat science were studied
aud discussed.
After two years the charge Of q wCrk
went into CtEer hands and II was thought
that some changes were needed u order that
the pupil might receive the greatest benefit
from his study In mos eases 4 " Is found
that the beginners were hardly up Ia
the point wEeIe the university methods
above meutiOLcd were within their grasp.
IL was also felt that tie lecture system.
while entertaining the pupils, was hardly
giving them the mental strength which
they should be getting, and the only
remedy seemed 10 te 70 REQUIRE from them
more Of seif-Eelp.ng effort.
All OF thts conditions demanded q change
in the guiding texts as wei as IL he
methods OF work. This cane ~ lie ItTO-
dJct.on into the first year class OF Myers
Eastern Nations and Greece" and O.
Aliens Short History OF the Roman
People" aud Ito Tie third year OF Myers
Outlines of General History.
In the secOGd year the history o & England,
from the earliest time until the present,
is studied as best illustrating the growth
of constitutional government
Heretofore the work OF the third year
classes has been over the general field OF
history. with the purpose of grasp the
idea Of the continuity and the philosophical
character of the subject, and to study
institutions by themselves as effects and