Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-22
OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM
PRAISED BY A NOTED ENGLISH
EDUCATIoNALIsT.
Dr.. Herbert Gray Tells What Impress
ed Him on Visit to Local
Institutions.

Rev. DR.. Herbert B. Gray, warden and
! head master of Bradfield College, Berk-
| shire, England, who is member of the
MoSely educational commission, which has
! been visiting the Washington schools for
| the past few days was seen by Star re-
porter last night at the Hotel Raleigh after
the party had returned from a call upon
President Roosevelt. Mr. Gray made some
interesting observat tons of comparative
nature on the English and American
school systems
I'm what respect, il any. do you consider
the public schools of the United States su-
perior to those of your own country?" he
was asked.
In England we do not nav so much at
fention to manual education" he replied
" do not teach mind and hand, side by
SIDE as you do. Your type of engineering
schools is almost unknown in our country
only one or two being in progress.
What Appealed to Him.
Il was especially interested in the Nc
Kinley Manual Training School here which
L visited yesterday with two of my COL
leagues The excellent scientific teaching
of English there, and particularly the teach
ing of English in relation to history, APP
pealed to me-
talked over the matter with Mr. Gerry,
the chief teacher of the English language
in the school. and l learned many things
about this correlation that l shall endeavor
to introduce into the home system
The natural way in which the pupils
turned from studies of a more or less aca-
denic nature 10 the hard manual work in
the machine shops also struck me as re-
narkahie | noticed this same phenomenon
in the Manual High School of BROOKLYN
n Y No British student or teacher ha
ever thought Of building a regularly CON
StTuc'ed dynamo in school. as you do here
Are there any other general differences
between the two systems that you have
noaceds was a further question.
A Method of Illicitation.
Yes, there are. One is the way in which
Your teachers, as it were. draw knowledge
out Of the pupils. instead of examining it
IN, as we do. / would call it a method of
illcitation- The CroSS-examining of the
instructor, in endeavor to get the pupil to
think out an answer for himself. in my
opinion, and il would seem practically
tends toward individuality, independence
and the acquiring of a fine power of self
expression. We would do welt to copy
what you call augmentation. which is
taught in the Washington high schools in
the second year of the course.
Another thing Is the abundance of
schools for instructors which we find in
this country In England a person who
graduates high from a university is thought
10 ne thoroughly prepared Tor teacnlnS,
and he is set right to work to experiment
on the youth of the country. Your normal
schools in which the art of teaching is
taught. after the student has graduated
from the regular institutions of learning,
are revelations to 1t is the same way
with our ministers. They are never taught
to preach after they have studied theology.
A Plan to Be Admired.
Besides all this. L admire your plan of
teaching pupils to criticise pupils, in class.
An English boy regards questioning on. the
part of the teacher. of any particular STU
dent, being directed in way against
the entire class. and so he tries to help the
boy as much he can by refraining from
crfticising him, leaving the task all to the
instructor. But your students are made to
find fault with one another's Rotations or
to commend them, and thus the teacher is
relieved of a great mental strain and the
pupils wonderfully helped by them
selves.
discipline in your schools is maintained
on different basis from that which we
know. 1t U.s. 1 see it, a sort of COM
promise between pupil and teacher. 1t de-
ponds on the interest which the teacher
excites in the pupil, and not on iron rule, as
in my country. Which method Is the bet
ter l am not prepared to say at present
but it certainly seems that yours breeds
Individuality
Mr. Gray. when asked to compare the
schools of New York with those of the
District of Columbia. said:
THAT is hard task. I would say, how
ever, that the equipment of the New York
high schools is better than that which |
teachers have seen any place than the
Washington teachers"