The San Francisco call., 1898-02-06
Professor Brown on the History of Secondary
 Schools.
Franklin's Influence Upon the Early Academy Move
 ment.
Tho District System Declared the Bane of Education in the
 West

Professor Elmer E. Brown addressed a teachers class at the University of California yesterday morning on "The Development of Secondary Education in America" Professor Brown gave in some detail the history of the academy period in the history of education in America. In substance he said:
 The academy movement. which began with Franklin's institution and reached its height at the end of a generation or two after the Revolution, marks a transition from the early corporation schools to the modern public school system. In 1749 Franklin published his proposal for the establishment of an academy. Franklin, who was profoundly impressed with the importance of a classical education, aimed to furnish a good English education. In fact if it had not been for the general prejudice in favor of education in the classics at that time, 1t is probable that classical edu- cation would not have been provided for at all in Frankins institution. The school was not opened until January, 1751 The city of Phtla- delphia assisted financially in the establish nent of the school. Franklin in interesting the members of the city council, urged the es- tablishment of the school in order to secure for the youths of Pennsylvania a means Of education at home. to prepare them for the magistrates of the commonwealth, and to pre- pare schoolmasters. The thrifty suggestion was made that the school would bring to Philadel- phia many people much to the financial inter est of Pennsylvania.
 In Franklin's school We find suggestion of the division into departments of modern schools Franklin's institution comprised the Latin school, the English school and the math- ematiaaI school The making of a mathemati- cal school showed a broadening in the idea of education. In fact, the two characteristics Of the academy were the broadening of the cur riculum and the direct preparation 1t gave for the ministry. Later the philosophical school was organized.
 during the Revolution of disloyalty. Believing it to be a Tcry school. the Legislature took away its charter. In its place the University Of Pennsylvania was established. Later the college was re-eStablished and combined with the university. This was the beginning of the present University of Education.
 The Phillips Academy of Andover received its charter in 17SO. Academies were also estab- Hshed in Maryland and Virginia during the Revolution. The Clinton Academy, established in 17S4, on Long Island, was the first of the New York academies. Other academies were established in the other States about the same
 The University of New York one of the most important educational institutions in this country, established in 17S7. It Is espe ciaIIy interesting as showing the effect of French influence upon American schools. In its organization can be detected the ideas of the French statesmen of the time of the Revo- lution- The university, which does not exist in particular locality, but embraces the colleges and academies all over the State, one of the first instances Of attempt to cure a complete State educational system.
 In an interesting Aggression upon the school district system Professor Brown declared that it has had an evil in- fuence upon education in the western part of the United States.
 The QlSlr1cL system, he declared, (which was borrowed from New Eng land, has been the bane of education in the West. New England broke away from it long ago. but the borrowers clung tenaciously to it. Indiana, which recently did away with the system, adopted the town system, which is much better than the old district sys- tenn"
 T. L. Heaton, continuing his criti- cism upon reading as taught in the public schools said, among other things:
 Knowledge of the thought does not insure good reading. We hear this statement re- peated again and again. teachers institutes and conventions, but it Is fallacy. Many a writer. who certainly knows the thought in his writings, fails utterly in the attempt to read or speak them. The idea that children should be encouraged to read naturally is CT roneous. It is just as incorrect as it would be for an officer to tell raw and awkward re- icruit to stand or walk naturally" Children trying to read naturally almost invariably raise the pitch of the voice. and their voices are in consequence often badly injured