The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-06-20
ADDRESSES BY EDUCATORS
ON THE RELATION ACADEMIES
BEAR TO EDUCATION SCHEME.
SCIENTIFIC ADDRESSES ALSO
A Glimpse at the Social ard Personal
Side Of the Gathering "A Sail
to Bride ard Groom.
to Bride ard Groom.

to Bride ard Groom.
Morehead City, n. C.. June 1S.-The
exercises of the Assembly today have
been fraught with considerable interest,
and the attendance at the various SEES
sions has been large and appreciative.
The interest in the exereises-the real
work of the Assembly-ls deeper and
More general than has been the case III
former years. The teachers appear to
feel that the Assembly is a means Of IL
crcasing their usefulness and quickening
their interest in the cause Of education
Special Work of the Academy III Our
Educational System" was the theme dis
cussed this morning by w. 4. Whitsett.
superintendent of Whitse,t Institute,
Guilford county, and ]. M. Horner, of
Htrners School, Oxford.
Prof. Whitsett's address was an in
teresting and entertaining presentation
of the subject. He spoke of the signifi-
cant part that the academies and private
schools of North Carolina have played in
the educational development of our
State. He reviewed the early history of
the establishment of preparatory schools
in this State and recalled the illustrations
names of many of those who received
their preparation for life in such institu-
tions. During the past one hundred years
our academies had been doing work that
compares favorably with the advance
ment made along other educational lines
in the State The Utopian dreams of
our educators of the day when a student
may pop from the free public school TO
his college classes well prepared for en-
trance, will hardly be realized this gene
ration. He discussed interestingly the re-
lation Of high schools and academies
both to the public schools and the colleges,
and urged that the best place for prepa-
ration for entering college was prepar-
atory school. The High school, he said,
should be stimulant to the college; the
high school to the public school. The ut
most sympathy should exist. AS North
Carolina gives nothing in the way of
money 10 the support of her secondary
schools. certainly an intelligent citizen
ship may give kindly sympathy and CO.
operation to those who as matter of
private enterprise and patriotic duty are
devoting their lives to the training of
youth in our academies and high schools.
The address of Prof Horner on the
same line aroused great interest and
many were the comments on the same
both pro and con. lie discussed the prop
osition "Are the Colleges Just in Their
Treatment of the Preparatory SCHOOLS
In considering the subject assigned me
I do not wish to be considered selfish nor
do [ wish to be considered hostile TO the
colleges of our State.
In the first place | maintain that
though our State may be far behind the
Northern States in material development
and in the accumulation of property the
vouth of our State are not IN any degree
inferior in mental capacity or IN the de-
sire to cultivate their mental endow-
ments. Still the colleges of our stare
seem to assume that the youth are much
inferior. and in consequence they frame
a curriculum as if for an inferior race.
Now 1T is a plea too simple ana untena-
HE TO require refutation, that the coilege
has to adapt its courses TO tfe nhateriai
given them by the high schools 1or we
all know that it is the province OF the
college. and not Of the secondary scnooi'
TO set the standard for the colleges. ne
secondary schools would be only 100 giad
to extend their courses OF STUDY IL heces-
sary. AS a matter of fact, however theie
Is not high school IN
the stare IHdt uoc9 No.
II difficult to keep boys away from
the colleges long enough to complete the
courses of study already prepared. Inc
majority of boys go to the colleges De-
fore completing the high school course.
Toy instance. there are forty or more
hnvs from our school at Oxford IN the
d;fferent colleges of the State; about ten
- thoso finished our course, the other
+b;rtv would have required some one,
some two years, to complete our course.
The same. / venture to say, is about the
condition of affairs with the other scnoois.
The maximum requirement Tor admls-
sion to the colleges of the state is, IN my
opinion. exceedingly low, but when we
look in practice for the minimum require
ment, which is the real test OF the stand
ard. we find no definite minimum; for,
all that apply seem to get IN somehow
If they 1ail to enter the regular course,
they drop back into the elective or option
al course The degeneracy of the elective
system seems to be the principal cause OF
the low standard. The elective system at
the universities of Europe and elsewhere
seems to have been adopted to meet the
needs of specially gifted men, who wished
10 pursue some special line Of study, not
because they were unable to pursue the
regular courses, but because they were
capable of pursuing a speciality.
In our colleges the elective courses seem
to be used to supply work for boys who
are not sufficiently prepared to enter the