The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-03-08
ELECTIVE SYSTEM IN SCHOOLS
PRESIDENT ELIOT SAYS 0HIL-
DREN or 10 SHOULD HAVE 1T.

Haryard's chief Says Many Things Taueh'
IN the High school should he Tsugh :
In the Primary Grades--Obscrsation
studies Among Theni-Need Of Reform.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. March 7.-Presi-
dent Eliot before the Harvard Teachers
Association to-day defended the harVaro
entrance conditions and advocated the
extension Of the elective system In the
secondary schools down TO children III
years old He severely criticised the
present school system. He said
when was boy In Boston the primary
schools were placed in a place where the
small children could conveniently get to
them. Then as the children grew and
could safely go a quarter mile from their
homes, the segregations became larger.
Then, again, at the age Of Is or II. when
they could 60 even farther. the children
from all over Boston would assemble at
the High School. Here think Is the origin
of the different grades of schools.
up nearer the head there In an epoch,
a period at which the child's character IL
determined. 1t Ia the age when the child
had best 60 away from home for education.
In Germany the age Is thought to be 10
or TO- In England it is about the same.
In France II Is IL. Our country has found
that the moral character OF its youth has
been pretty thoroughly developed at the
age of IS.
THAT age Is a good one TO take the child
away from home. At that age the child
should have more freedom In the conduct
OF his life. II would be positive injustice
to the American people IL the child should
be deprived OF liberty until the age of TO-
For liberty. I believe. is the Fundamental
principle Of the institutio Of this country,
or at least II used to be.
Don't we know what changes really need
be made? The change Is in the order OF
the subjects taught in the high school and
the order Of all the subjects from the ages
OF to IS. Don't we know that the high
school Of to-day 10 positively bad; that the
study Of the languages Is erroneousP Any
child Of nine can master any foreign or do
mestic language, and 80 also an observation
subject, such as botany. Yet the study oil
these subjects 10 deferred to the ageofi4
we are beginning to get the observa-
ton studies down into the primary grades.
but We have got to get them there more than
they are now. Increasing the high school
course tn six years would be distinct help.
There are private schools to-day which are
doing the work in six years. and these schools
have found that the boy can get into col
lege at the age OF II. Under these circum-
stances. IL we could get a six-year-old
high school the difficulty OF preparing
men for college at the age Of IS would dis
appear. The whole process Of the twelve
years OF education should be mans fitting
for college.
THE lower limit OF the secondary school
should be forced downward. and the farther
down you get it the better. The twelve
years should be made whole. There
are not as many subject taught to-day in
the Boston High School as there were in
the first Boston High School. But there
should be no objections made to the num-
Der of subjects taught in the schools, but
in the number Of subjects required. The
remedy for this is in the elective system.
The elective system helps the individual
to be thorough, and il should he begun as
early as the age of 10, IL we are to get the