The San Francisco call., 1898-04-17
HOW SUPPORT HIGH SCHOOLS? Professor Brown on the Problem of State
 Assistance.
Condemns Caminetti'S Pro- posed Constitutional
 Amendment.
Superintendent McClynonds of the Oakland Schools Speaks on
 Humber York"

In an address to a teachers class at the University of California Professor Elmer |. Brown gave a historical review of the progress of secondary education in San Francisco, relating the facts Of the de- velOpment of the boys and girls high school and the normal class He said:
 The history of these schools exhibits a marked tendency toward differentiation, especially in the direction of vocational training.
 The true tendency IS. l think to make tho commercial high school training equal in -lgor to that of the general culture schools. 1T this can be done. and technical training be made thorough and efficient. its importance as a part Of secondary education cannot be over estimated.
 The first high school was established Tn San Francisco in 1856. The Boys High School. aOw the Lowell High, was established in lS6S The Girls High was established in 1884 and IS the only high school in the city that has not be- come co-educational inc Rows High S,hcol having been for years, even before its nam" was changed open to students of both sexes.
 The State constitution makes scant prONis- ion for the support of high schools. No State iuhds San be used for any school not entirely schools now existing the normal schools. IT word. under existing conditions the sup community there must be a sufficiently strong
 '4c4'. - Ae'' ot 'A hLSilSE SuuCdt4ol 10 Ob- Ialh Iunus Tor us support Various attempts, among them the Caminetti act of ISSS to evaie the constitution by establishing grammar schooi course schools, have been made. and these attempts accomplished the good result of aWakenlng interest in secondary education.
 In lssl the law providing for the hybrid formed and unsatisfactory grammar school course schools was repealed and a law was passed providing for three kinds of high school |.
 Firsr-T-bar ao, population which would furnish the entire amount necessary could establish a high school
 Second-That several districts might unite to form union high school
 lhird-That the county may provide for the establishment of one or more high schools
 There is a feeling that the present law does not sui1ciently provide for secondary educa- tlon' At the last session Of the Legislature a constitutional amendment was proposed by MT. Caminetu providing State aid for grammar schools teaching high school subjects and pre- parlng students for the university. While I believe Mir Caminetti is one of the best friends Of secondary education in the State do not regard the proposed amendment as desirshIa T. would prevent the establishment of true high schools and would cause the continua- ton or grammar school methods into second ary institutions. The methods of each of these group of schools should be entirely distinct Again, under this law holders of grammar school certificates could teach in the real high school courses and a lowering in the standard would follow necessarily.
 Superintendent J. w. McClymonds of the Oakland public schools spoke briefly on Primary Number Work" He said:
 Unfortunately the first thing We have ,o teach the child in number work Is that part Of the subject of arithmetic that is most diff hcUlt to nderstand-addtion It has been hsure0 out that sS Der cent of the mistakes made Tn computation are mistakes in addi- ton Yet this difficult part Of arithmetic this development of the number sense is the first thing that has to be taught in our primary schools
 Number work is mechanical work pure and simple Drill the child long enough in this mechanical work and he will add with ahso- lute accuracy Train the child on the various onQinatlons CT numbers until they become absolutely familiar. II is a slow process bur II pays The teacher has 10 show interest in the work in order 10 interest the pupils and when the pupils become interested they will do good work.
 Subtraction can be best taught by a method different from that commonly in use The method of borrowing from one column fo, another should be done away with Suppose you are teaching the beginner to subtract 2S from 52 Instead of borrowing l from the , and adding 1t to the .. add l 10 the and add l also to the of the SS. In other words the process instead of being "s from I2 is 1. 3 from is !. therefore & from 52 is f. should be '.S from l2 Is 1, from Is l. therefore SS from 52 is 14
 Next Saturday morning will conclude the series of pedagogical lectures for the present term