New-York tribune., 1900-10-06
IN THE COLLEGE WORLD.
THE ELECTIVE SYSTEM IN COLLEGES.
CHARLES }. BONAPARTE ON ITS EFFECT
ON SECONDARY EDUCATION.

At the Founders Day exercises OF James Insti-
tute Port Deposit, Nd on Monday the address
was delivered by Charles J. Bonaparte. Of Balti-
more. Secondary Education in the United
States" Mr. BonapaTte said among other things;
OF late years the choice OF a suitable curriculum
toI secondary schools has been rendered decidedly
elective system in our i@adins unfTeTSities and
perhaps the most serious problem presented 10
oIncolty Any reasonable hope OF satisfactory
seigpon must be founoed on accurate know!edge %
seem TO be strangely risapprehended- The essence
sion on the part OF the universities adopting It,
first that, as they can no longer prescribe an "an
rel choice Of branches to be pursued and branches
- - NV 9e & an -. e Sa 80 80 =,
he made better b. the student himself than by his
Of these propositions the former is. for practical
Purposes. no longer disputed anywhere, and, in
Deed, its truth seems, the French say Ito leap
into the eyes. AcQuiescence in the latter Is by
means so general or 20 unqualified. but the OK
ample and the experience of Harvard and the
earnest and persistent advocacy of President Eliot
learning. II seem6 obvious that the grave revolu-
uon IN college methods and traditions involved IN
lner general and practlcal acceptance must on inc
one hand. oblige secondary schools to do no small
The other tend strongly TO remove the distinction
between preparatory" and other secondary
schools and TO render every secondary school, at
least Of the higher grade, 10 some extent feeder
Since a boy al college viii pursue but a small
fraction Of the studies with all of which an edu-
the Indispensable modicum Of instruction in the
branches he viii lsy aside must be impaired before
he goes 70 college, ano as these cannon oe o!
ought not TO be. known in advance very broad
scheme OF instruction must be adopted by the spe-
cisl preparatory schOols-e scheme leading them
away from fellowship with Examiners and toward
uniformity OF system with schools OF substantially
the same grade not primarily preparatory
II cannot be denied that by adopting the elective
system institutions Of higher education shift a
heavy burden from themselves to the secondary
that sall round curriculum which they own them
selves unable 10 provide II would be presumptu-
Gus in laynan TO advise in any detail how t thie m
burden may best be borne; but venture WORD OF
protest against plausible and rather seductive
suggestion mean the proposal that the schools
also adopt more or less qualIleq elecuve system
To my mind doing would AFFORD striking Illus
1ration that 1.-THE letter killeth' they would not
only expose themselves 10 al those lncolVereIlces
and draw backs which incident to the system
under the most favorable ciTcuns tlnces a!;d
which their stage OF education, would be surely
Impair If they did not destroy. what is most vaua
be In the system as now applied, for example, at
There is very much the same reason for letting a
young man choose his own studies that there rs
outsiders viii often think they could have chosen
wisely but the fact that 1t is his choice
to say goes ell the way-to make this the best OF
all possible choices for him.
say this because I deem 1t of vastly more i'm
TJortance how he studies than what he studies. !
regard Greek literature the study of all otherR
for - gentleman and scholar. but II a boy Will
only browse and dawdle over Greek ana VIII pGI
his heart and mind into the mastery of Choctaw
Ear Let him lay aside Greek and study Chootaw
But make this choice really his. ne must De
able 10 choose freely. IF he come to college pre-
pared for his school training for but a few out of
The many elective courses there open TO him his
between them and Others. Il is made, not then snd
by him but years before and ny whoever Rulocd
election is not made by the student himself is en-
ThatIcaTy "a moczerv, a delusion and snare; II
an the nischefs Of the system Il parodes without
the latter's one paramount virtue