The news & observer., 1897-11-02
Agrees With Trinity's President That the Sec
ondary Schools, Are Most important
and Says They are Doing Bet
ter Than Ever Before.

To the Editor: In late issue,
In last Sundays News and Observer
DIR. KilgO gave utterance to great
truth, when he said, Between the COM
mon school and the college lies the ed
ucational sphere in which are born anil
conserved the impulses of higher intel
lectual growth. This field of prepara-
tory or secondary work is supremest
in our educa tional system, and our real
educational situation is to be decided
by the condition. of these schools.
IRON them, not from the colleges
come the larger majority of teachers IN
the free common schools, and hence upon
them the State is most largely dependent
in its public education, while upon these
schools the colleges depend for their
existence. A State that expects to ad-
vance in higher education must build
up secondary education, for, there can
never be any higher education unless t
has been ordained in the secondary
schools" H a.
1t is a pity that DR. Kilgo. after pen
ming these words of truth, should have
been led off into pessimstic disserta-
tion upon the decadence of the seconda-
ry schools, when surely the facts do not
Justify either his premises or his con-
clusions. Indeed, one hardly knows
whether or not the Doctor intended that
anybody should take him seriously. He
mentions six preparatory schools which
mot many years ago" were filling the
University with "real college students"
and sustaining the dignity of the real
educational work of the State" One
would suppose he meant that they were
contemporary. Two of them were ante
bellum schools, andt ceased with the
founders, to wit: The Hughes and Will
son schools. Davis School was not es-
tablished till '7S or 80, and still exists
with better equipment than ever before
Horner and Bingham have. largely in
creased facilities and are still doing as
good work as ever. >Morson and benson
have been injured by the policy of the
A. and M. College trustees, who have
established a preparatory department
and put rates of tuition ruinously low
at that college. But Prof. Morson still
has good school, although reduced IN
number.
Having been in the secondary school
work in this State for twenty two
years, | am glad that [ am able from
my own personal experience and obser-
the condition of that work in the State
than DR.. Kilgo. At the time | began,
there were practically no preparatory
schools in the State beyond Horner and
Bingham that were not local. and not
more than half a dozen of these known
beyond the county in which they were
situated. How is it now? We still have
Horner's, tBingham's, and the Raleigh
oil 4 I -
there is hardly a county in the State
from the mountains to the sea that does
mot have one or more good secondary
or preparatory schools, and more than
la score of these are welleqpipped with
libraries. scientific apparatus, commo-
dious buildings they have thorough and
systematic courses of study, and are
drawing their patronage from all over
this State, and from parts of other
States. To the work of these progressive
high schools and academies might be
added the high school departments of
our wide awake graded schools in all our
larger towns, all Of which are prepar-l
ing many students. for college and for
fife. At the time DR.. Kilgo speaks of.
scarcely more than five hundred boys
were enjoying the advantages of good
secondary schools. Now an army, Of
between five and ten thousand marches
daily and with ever increasing ranks
ito ever-growing high schools, where, un-
der better instructors and with better
facilities than ever before, in their minds
are being "born and conserved the i'm
pulses Of higher intellectual growth"
| 1T is also remarkable that this dirge
should have been sung SO soon after
scores of announcements, that school
loDenings were the best ever known, and
so soon after an organization composed
OF more than twenty Of the leading Sec
ondary schools of the State, has been
formed, an organization which will hold
during the Christmas Holidays a meet
ling in Raleigh, a meeting largely called
to ask the colleges Of North Carolina to
move their heels forward out of our way.
The Doctor laments the advent of
schools, in this degenerate age, with
w4..ch preparation for higher education
is incidental, the main object being TO
fit young men for business. Instead of
an aroused ambition for culture and
learning, these schools are turning out
men whose tastes are entirely CONNER
cial, and whose influence can only lower
the ideals and value Of higher educa-
| ton" ~ -
| / do not believe that one Of this class
of schools exists in our State outside
of the Doctors fertile fancy. ! do not
know of one, unless it is some epheme-.
raj commercial college in one Of our
cities. : y ~iii>'4t'
If to teach bookkeeping or shorthand
in a schools course reduces it to this
level, why did the Doctor mention laws
School as one Of the sine qua non six,
when that school has always laid great
stress on these courses OF study
Would not the Doctor better look wei
Ito Trinity College and its affiliated
schools. some Of which have had, if not
Inow, "Chairs Of Commerce and com
mercial departments. In fact only 9
few years since shorthand was taught