The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1902-11-07

concerning them to be timely.
1t should be understood that a
course of study does not necessarily
prepare one who completes 1t for any
position In life's work. One who COM
pletes a literary course at our state
university must afterward take a
course in medicine IL he wishes to fol-
low that profession. 1t would make
no difference how many courses he had
completed, II he wished to follow law,
electric engineering, civil engineering,
dentistry, or any one or more OF the
many courses offered, he would be
obliged to take a course In the special
line before he would be licensed to
engage in the work.
1t by no means follows that all
courses pursued prior to the course
chosen las a profession are lost or Of
no account. To each should be given
a large value as a medium of mental
discipline. Each course taken makes
the next course easier and Of more
value, because the mind through dis
cipline can grasp a subject better.
The pupils in our high school are
immature in years and in Judgment,
and 1T can be rightly said that they
are In mental gymnasium preparing
the mind to grapple with those higher
courses or fields Of work that will come
to them little later.
The fact is evident that our pupils
at graduation are In better condition
for study than at any previous period.
Instead Of graduation here being a
completion Of literary work, it is really
the intelligent beginning ofsuch work.
Graduation means the completion Of a
certain step, agrading.
Our pupils upon completing high
school course Of study should be able
to pursue intelligently the. ordinary
lines of business. Their minds should
be developed sufficiently to put intelli-
gent thought and improvement into
their work, and not mere muscle or
mechanical action only.
Because some who graduate prove to
be lacking in success afterwards, 1T
does not follow that no one receives
any good. We know of university
graduates who are not as successful in
business as some others who have gone
no further than our high school.
Our high school offers four courses
Of study of four years each. Upon
completing any one or more Of them,
diploma will be awarded by the board
of education. The work In these
courses Is arranged with reference to
what the pupil wishes to pursue upon
completing a course here. These
courses are known as Latin, Scientific,
English and Commercial.
Upon completing either the Latin or
Scientific course, pupils can enter the
University at Ann Arbor without ex-
animation by presenting the proper
credits from this school. The other
courses are arranged with reference
to those pupils who have no intention
OF doing:any work in school after leav-
ing here. We would not wish to be
understood as saying that Latin has
no value for pupil who does not in
tend to continue work in some higher
institution. On the other hand 1t has
large value as a mental discipline re.
CARELESS OF what the pupil intends to
do in future years.
Our Latin course contains four years
OF Latin, two years OF German, one
and one-half years each of algebra and
geometry; one year each Of history,
botany, physics, and chemistry; and
three years Of English study.
Our Scientific course has but two
years of Latin, and has the same
amount Of work in other studies as
mentioned above; and has physical
geography, physiology and English
literature not given in the Latin
course.
Our English and commercial courses
have no language but the English.
The English course has two years Of
history; land one and one-half years
each in geometry and algebra; one year
each in physical geography, botany,
physics, chemistry, English literature;
one-half year each In physiology, lcom.
mercial geography, correspondence
and civics; and four years Of English
study.
The Commercial course omits the
botany, geometry and physiology found
In the English course, and takes In
stead two years in bookkeeping, short
hand and.typewritiDg, and one-hall
year in commercial law. Both Of
these courses have ope-half year In ad
vanced arithmetic. Our commercial
work has been strengthened by drop
ping the brief course Of two years, anc
adding more mathematics, history ant
English than heretofore.
All of the courses are arranged upor
the plan OF four studies at one time
each recited five times per week until
completed. The Scientific course ha