Evening star., 1899-07-04
COMMERCIAL EDUCATION.
Business High Schools and Colleges
i'm the United States.

IN the United States.
The British charge d'affaires, Mr.. Tower,
has recently made report to the foreign
office on the system of commercial educa-
ton and business colleges in the United
States The report has attracted wide at
tention in England, as this system is more
particularly American product although
the business sentiment abroad is encour-
aging the adoption of similar methods of
practical business training Through the CO.
operation of the State Department very
full review Of the American system was
prepared by the United States commissioner
of education and is embodied in the report
The various British consuls throughout the
country also contribute reports on the busi-
ness colleges in their several localities and
the extent to which states and cities are
aiding in business education.
The commissioner of education says in
his statement that there has been a steady
decline in the number of private business
schools, which he attributes partly to the
business depression of the past few years.
and partly to the fact that so many public
high schools, colleges and academies have
established commercial courses, in many
respects superior to those offered by ma
jority of the business colleges. He speaks
of the efforts of leading business men in
this country to afford opportunities for
commercial education higher and broader
than that given even by the best of the So
called business colleges, and of the success
in this line attained by the Universities of
California and Chicago and by number of
other public institutions. There are now
172 universities and colleges having COM
mercial courses. Most of the states have
commercial branch in their state UNIVERSE
ties and also in their agricultural colleges.
The system has also been extended to high
schools, academies and in some cases to
grammar schools. The consuls furnish
number of statements from state and city
school authorities on the success attending
III hoo nd
OF the Washington Business High School
the report says:
For years the capital city has enjoyed
the distinction of having the only business
high school in the United State, connected
with city system of schools. and wholly
supported by public funds. The Business
High School was established in 1890. al
though the Central High School had had
business department since 1882. The report
of the Business High School for 1S90-91
shows that 80 students 'uG0 males and 100
females) We're enrolled the first year. and
that the school had nine teachers. The
school has had steady growth to the pres
ent time. The report for 1S97-9S shows an
enrolment Of 601. There were eighty-nine
graduates, the largest number for any year
since the school was established. The num-
Der of teachers employed is twenty. The
average age of the student entering is 1877
years. The requirements for admission are
the same as for the other high schools of
the city, and presuppose the completion of
the eight-year course of the elementary
schools. The course of study for the Busi-
ness High School is as follows:
First year: English grammar and litera-
ture, business arithmetic, bookkeeping, pen
manship, shorthand, typewriting or me-
chanical drawing. +...
Second year: English grammar and lit
erature, bookkeeping and business practice,
commercial law and commercial geogra ply
shorthand, typewriting, advanced mechan-
ical drawing (optionaD.
In the report of the board of trustees of
public schools of the District of Columbia
for 1S97-9S the business course problem is
discussed at some length and a provisional
course of four years is recommended. Be-
sides all the subjects in the two years
course above mentioned, the four years
course would include Latin, French general
history, commercial history, political econ
omy, algebra. geometry, physics, chemistry
and biology