The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-07-29
sELF-GOVERNMENT IN SCHOOLS
Prof. H. 0. Murfee Writes of the History of Self Government in the Famous English
 Schools and American Colleges.
HY H. O. MURFEE. Assisfant Superintendent, Marion Military Instute.

2
 Eton and jwestminister, the idea of
 Wykehan for Winchester was trans
 mitted with increasing influence to
 other foundations.
 At Harrow the sense of corporate life
 and the nenitoPial. or perfect. lsystem
 of self government has found full ex-
 rresaion. An intei estinF account of the
 school l.fo at LIarrow, which may he taken as typical of the English public
 schools, is given by ME J. Williams He writes:
 i "A boys life at Narrow is anything
 but simple process; he is a member of highly organized and in many ways highly complicated society. He Is subject to many authorities; he may himself be in Q position of authority. | He is under many rules. some written, some unwritten, he may himself make or help to make rules"
 | Tn the main boy is subject to two sets of authorities, the masters and | hIG fellow boys And the latter set of authorities is by no means limited to the monitors and others by law es- | tabiished. They include other author tiles not less potent because not re- cognized by law. acting in the last re- sort hy force, but primarily and most eneetively by the crushing power of | opinion"
 Among the boys themselves the au- thorities recognized by law for the whole school are the minitors. and dur | ing the summer time the captain of | the cricket eleven. The monitors are some twenty kn number:, they consist, as a general rule of the boys at the | head of the classical and modern sides
 in the order of the school work, but boys under sixteen are mot made moni- I l.. n.. Form, whose character and position mark them out for influence. are add ed to the number of monitors, although not entitled to the position from their places in the School Work. As a mat | ter of history the institution and the
 name of monitors at Harrow come from
 John lyon, but the monltorial system
 is in general only the recognition by authority of natural organization which must exist whenever boys of
 different ages are under a common roof.
 But this recognition by the authorities | Is nowadays eIl-important; 1t gives to the monitors authority complete le-
 gality, some approach to definiteness.
 and a position in the school constitu'
 tion.
 The exact duties of a monitor are dificult to define; in theory his au- thority extends over all the School, in practice 1t Is usually limited to his
 own house He is charged. in the words of nr. Vaughan, with the en- forcement of an internal discipline. the object of which is the good order. the
 honorable conduct and the gentleman like tone of the houses and of the
 School" his province is not to see that
 the masters are obeyed. and the work set by them properly done. but rather
 to enforce d high standard both of man.
 ners and morals in the daily life of the
 School. and the suppress bullying an ] petty disorder; in a grave matter he may put the case in the Headnaster' s hands, but in general ne should do his work either alone or with the help of the whole body of monitors. and unaid- cd by the masters.'