The San Francisco call., 1897-08-14
Says the Professor Saw the
Fiesta and Praised the
High School.
Explains in Detail Why High
School Graduates Failed
in English.
An Article in the Egis Written by
the Head of the Language
Department..
OAKLAND OFFICE SAN FRANCISCO CALL,
QNS Road WAN Ann Il

90S Broadway, Aug 13.
Miss E. A. Packard, the head Of the
English de partment in the Oakland High
School, has written an article for the
school paper IN which she states the posi-
ton of the school regarding the discredit-
Ing OF the graduates in English by the
University of California.
The writer makes a very sharp thrust
at some Of the professors. Although she
does not use Professor Gayley's name, no
one can mistake who is meant by the
reference to the professor who went to
Los Angeles fiesta and was so pleased with
it that he credited the High School Of that
city to the University OF California.
Miss Packard says:
In Difference to the request of the 4Egs, we
will try tn summarize the maiu facts regard
ing he disCreditlng of our sch ol in a part of
Its English work. This article is neither an
excuse nor in Apo.ogy, nor have we ever en-
leItsined any intention OF appealing for a
reconsideration. But an 6uthorit ative state
ment of our side Of the case is due the patrons
of the school; for, although the affair has a.
ready become ancient histo reporters, with
the sinccrest aims, do not ways reproduce
ones meaning quite understand ngly.
However, so Iar As can be discovered, the
chief fault found with Oakland, Berkeley and
San Francisco is that This years graduates
three years and the university proposes 10
compel an extension to four years the addi-
ton OF the Central School does this in Oak
land. but that will not help our graduates un-
til 1900
After reviewing all the circum stances
attending the examination in Snow
bound" Miss Packard concludes:
/ Previous to this examination no criticism
but commentator had ever been received
from The English department OF the State Uni
versity.
2 Subjects 1b and IA. which were satisfac-
tory include all the knowl dge OF grammar
rhetoric and the art of literary expression
that is expected in la-and great deal more /;
hence the failure IN the latter must have been
owing TO forgetfulness OF the matter OF 'tSnow-
bound"
s. "Snow- bound" is not in the list OF rt quire.
ments for admission in 81 as printed il the
last register.
4. Tue lime for answering the ques tions was
less than half TN hour.
>. The examination was given to one-half
the class, and of that section just four tx
pected to enter Berkeley this summer as our
recommended graduates.
The Greek pupils. one OF the finest diyl-
sionS ever sent out of any California school,
are embraced in the di crediting, while none
OF them were tested. and most OF them finished
their English the preceding year, when la
was accredited.
out examina tion. Los Angeles, for example,
wa, visited during its fe-ta. 1t being holi-
day, the examiner attended la fiesta and nc
credited the high school
s. Ii the standard has not been suddenly
raised it is iucomprehenslble tnat the san
Francisco and Berkeley high schools should
all have been accepted last year and failed
this. Il the standard hRs been raised it is
equally puzzlint that Los Angeles and San
Bernardno needed no inspection.
8. With the past two years the English
course of Oakland has been extended from
two and haif years 10 four, ard carefully
unified Whether or not 1t mas degene7ated is
for thu parents to judge.
10. Within n week our examining professor
has declar- that hIS opinion of the insiruc-
ton impaired by tie English teachers of the
Oakland High School is just as high as IL ever
WAS, and several of us are here to-day Largely
because he desired TO have us occupy our
present positions.
Paragraph is the one that has special
reference TO Professor Gayley.