Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-06
"FAsHIoNABLE SCHOOLS"
In England the Idea is Growing That
Their Training is Not Valuable.

The1r framing is NOT valuable.
| From the London Mail
The system Of instruction pursued in the
great public schools has been condemned
| as impractical, whether success In the army
| or in commerce be considered. The evil
dence given before the Akers-Douglas army
| education committee and 1.-The reports Of
| leading captains of industry leave no
doubt that their methods must be altered
| forthwith If their pupils are to hold their
| own against the competition of other Euro
| pean nationalities or Of the United States,
| or even Of Japan.
Their. champions contend that, admitting
| the instruction to be bad, they are not the
| less valuable institutions for the formation
Of character" and that the more fashion
able schools, such as Elton, Harrow and
Winchester, excel in this respect. But If
their character and spirit are so excellent.
1t Is strange that SO few of the makers of
school. The majority of these men did very
well without their aid. Not one Of the emf
nent naval officers of the past entered their
portals. These all Joined the service when
one of the great captains of industry
mentioned in the Dictionary of National
Biography as founders of our modern
wealth went to a rich public school.
With regard to our Indian and colonial
empire, poor Scotch and Irish academies
contributed three to one of the men who
have famous records as compared with
fashionable public schools Our most emil
nent lawyers. fnanciers, journalists, engi-
neers and artists were never at these
schools or at similar institutions.
Take five very eminent men now living:
Lord Roberts was eight months at Elton,
when he was fourteen years old, and then
went to Sandhurst. where he got prize in
German, He next went for eighteen months
to "crammer's'' at Wimbledon Bracken-
bury's), then to Addiscombe thence to In
dia at the of ninet cen.
Lord Wolseley was never at an English
public school. He went to private schools
in Dublin. where he played" at surveying
and carpentry and studied hard at military
history. He entered the army at the age of
nineteen.
Lord Miner twas born and received his
so it can hardly be denied that he was to a
certain extent made in Germany" He
came to England In his early boyhood. how
ever, and entered as student at Kings
College, London, which afterward proudly
claimed him as fellow. In February, 1873,
he matriculated at Balliol College, Oxford.
Although cannot be credited with vlcto-
ries in IL. cricket field or on the river. he
figured conspicuously in the debates of the
Oxford Union.
Lord Kitchener when young left Ireland
to go abroad, the place selected being
Grand Clos Villeneuve where he remained
for period under the Rev. j. Bennett. The
boy after some further travel came to Lon
don. The "crammer' chosen for him was
the Rev. George Frost of % Kensington
square. From his hands he passed to the
Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.
Mr.. Chamberlain was never game play
er. He was educated at University College
School.
Except a certain class Of politicians, who
were promoted because they were rich and
connected with territorial or noble families,
none of our greatest men owed their great
ness to fashionable schools.
Wellington was at Elton for a short pc
Rod but was educated from fifteen to eigh-
teen in Belgium and France, and then en-
tered the army thoroughly well taught for
his most eminent predecessors in the eigh-
tenth century, managed to do without
either the character or the spirit of the pub
lie schools Not one of the celebrated
peninsula officers was ever at a public
school.
No great warrior ever spent six months
all told Of his youthful life at so-called
games or at loaf1ng. The notion that 1t
was desirable to spend their working time
entered into the heads of eminent tnstruc-
tors or clever pupils from the days of Cyrus
till 1860.
This idea prevails in modern England
among certain circles, and there only. 1t
began to be popular about thirty years ago,
along with the cult Of games the predomi-
nance of certain rich sets and the fashion
able craze to send children to schools for
social rather than educational reasons. So
slightest pretense to educational efficiency,
are crowded with pupils, and the results are
most disastrous to the careers ofsthefr stu
dents, and most injurious to the nation,
which suffers from dearth Of competent
men among the upper classes.