The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1904-09-23

Trustees ranked the Director, the
anger of the Director and his wife was
poured upon the chairman of the en-
tertainment committee. Then, in addi-
ton "a dispute arose in committee re-
garding the advisability of the Faculty
wearing gowns during the celebration,
and Mr.. Stevenson and others had OPP
posed it on the grounds of cost, and
that it was aping European customs,
and had never been practised before
| in an American secondary school, but
had been in many colleges and univer-
stiles. DR.. Harris had been using his
handsome silk gown and cap on every
possible occasion, and became very
angry at the attitude OF those who op.
posed such displays. DR.. Curran ar
| gued in favor of the caps and gowns,
saying 'they were more spectacu-
lar" than ordinary dress. The term
Spectacular" is a fitting one to
apply to the administrations of the
last two Directors of the Jacob Tome
| Institute, and display, lavish expenditure
and blind greed have characterized
most of the acts of the guardians OF
''the orphans of Port Deposit, the chill
| dren of Port Deposit, the orphans OF
Cecil county, the children of Cecil
county, and the orphans OF Mary
land" f I
The elective system has become a
| recognized American principle of edit
| cation. 1t is better for a student to
take what studies he likes, although not
just what the teachers may prefer, than
that the student shall be driven from
school and his future ruined. "The
school exists for the students" has
been the battle cry of educational re-
formers from Dickens to Colonel Par
ker. Yet in the Jacob Tome Institute
| the principle of election has been as
fully ignored as it is possible in this
| enlightened age. Students have been
driven from school by all kinds of re-
| quirements that were obnoxious to
them. Those desiring to elect a
course of study that would assist them
in life's struggles have been compelled
to take college preparatory course.
Then, when in one case the boys told
the writer of open ridicule of the COM
merciai work by the teachers who were
assigning students to courses, the Di-
rector smiled and said he would look
| into it. Months afterward. he con-
fessed he had no. done so. Later, he
sent copy of an interview in which he
had evidently browbeaten the boys into
saying as little as possible, yet even
then one of them said the truth, but the
Director ignored it.
The writer had urged from the first
that the assignment of pupils to work
should always be by the heads OF the
various courses, but this the Director
would not grant, but put students
under men for assignment who were
not only prejudiced but dishonorable
These facts are known practically to
all the students, and when asked quiet
ly, they will tell anyone that they know
of unjust discrimination against the
commercial students. The reason for
the antagonism of the classicists, as
before stated, was the great demand for
and growth of the commercial depart
ment, and also the fact that the COM
mercial graduates all had good posi-
tons and were very enthusiastic in
their praise of the course, while those
graduates of the classical courses who
could not afford to go to college were
hanging around town with nothing to
do, living object lessons. to show the
inefficiency OF Latin and Greek and
French, German and history as a prep
aration for life suited to the needs OF
the average boy and girl of Maryland.
In the commercial course they stud
led bookkeeping, accounting, auditing,
business methods, correspondence,
commercial and elementary law, his
tory OF commerce, geography of COM
merce, materials of commerce, in addi-
ton to the English and mathematics
that are included in all courses OF study.
Yet when Rev. Mowbray consulted DIR.
Harris about entering his son in the
commercial course, DR.. Harris said to
him, Your son will be better bust
ness man on completing the classical
than the commercial course" When
DR.. Harris was asked about it by the
writer, he colored and said, Eyes, it is
true under some circumstances" He
refused to explain further, however.
| What should be done to restore the
Jacob Tome Institute to the bounds
prescribed by the Founders? 1t is not
difficult matter. The will of the peo-