New-York tribune., 1906-11-12

toneas - % YOU than in the next
Pfnag department Ihe en- Sif1erant states
pt---- mont 20 per cent OF ule Fopu-
generally -se average daily attenoaIi0e ee aooSe
StoA A-spr OF the enrolule4i'- =. ne conn
GO pei 80 school term throughout 80 i-
leugth OF ihe . +be annual cost, roughly SPEAK
~ s l4l go u eftv million pounds. me seIle1@ sI
ins, y IS 10 make atteno4--lSe - a,,,,I,, The
tenos-- the ages Of q ana II, 40 -, .,e,5t The
bef"ee- 80 r,u-attendsrce 10 lIle "a pa - -. -
penalties - sisnosition Of a democracy ISa &c
home .-sss IL management Of the sehools So 20
ias -aople OF the locallly' ~ t..ta- 49,
passes on - - v-i,h whose educational sys-
II the - ,bs greatest familiarity, that OF
ten Nva-k the average OF oa.Is - r.
New "a -er cent. OF the eIlTo1--leI-1' 80 - -
rises - r - iasucstion law is supplemented anu
coHp e. more effective among lhe Hi11e- -
ha.sistion Of our great citles .rts og T-isb +
sgEins' = rms made difficult for the chllcfen
o. 90 - tbsir American birthrlsht 10 d sOU4'0
WI.,oertsry education -, ,-,o-i..r,
teNeN'-.' zisrf-crfve feature ot The American
M. re secondary school. In countries
So f-ee tuition is not carried Up 70 me uIH- I'll
Eheie versity. there is apt 10 be a vague,
-. ,,rseyelOred territory between The
lne nesl--. urinary schools and the universities,
SSeT filed sometimes ana 10 q certain eX-
sohoel ferr bv tax supported high schools,
sys'en" bur more frequently by private high
TIE DISTINGUISHING feature Of The free
se-D-, school system OF the United states
~ completeness with which II ms THIS gap
-
Neee----s-,ss This began almost with the
o.--i7r q OF the colonies. In 1o4l Massachu-
s.- ~eSui-ed by law the establishment or
go school wherever there were E1Jy raTn-
pFlAA-' serrIe-,lent or township; and q gram
Ass school which should be capable Of fit
Ia "a s+udents for college wherever there were
s.s s.s-s-a5 Connecticut ana Maryland required
LS-s-,rna- school IN every county town
- colonies sn one way or another made
--tsIor for secondary education al the public
ls-se But as The troubles preceding the
s--w
.'so,IS or high schools fell into some neglect
- many communities were without Ihetfl
Then sprsng up system OF prlvate acaaelIes,
g. rn6er sectarian control, and sometimes
O--.,-Irg 81 b7errions from the public treas
~ though never under public control The
.-o lonC continued 10 occupy the field together
- si~erences between them have been in
.-,-si- stated by the accomplished Comnais-
s9nsr os Education in the state OF New YORK.
n Andrew :. Draper
isThe function of the academy was TO pre-
rare for college and incidentally for life;
fbst a The high school IS 70 prepare for life
and incidentally for college. The one was
classical with some practicalIttesi the other IS
severely practical and generally in the best
sense with classical appurtenances- The
academy was essentially an advanced school
fo- boys; the high school IS as essentially CO.
educational
Meantime the various states were slowly feel
ing their way toward more harmonious and
ts1rer s-riculated systems Of education entirely
under public control and at the public expense,
yaw York was the first. Its organization OF
sscon6arv schools IN 11s4 was intended 70 ht
into the primary education on the one hano. ana
= cad On the other 70 colleges and universities.
Indiana outlined such a system in 1sl6. Penn
srlvsnia began state support OF secondary and
. otber states did the same. But the system
vas still disjointed and irregular
Al the close OF the Civil War new educa-
roraI movement began 10 be increasingly felt
throughout the United States Amid al the
vivid pictures left on my mind by
Thsnsw what saw during that gigantic
lnsrirstcn- convulsion, none, even Of GeJtys-
furthe burg or Shiloh, bring back such
prher thrill as these Of Washington in
Esucston 1862: First e calm, sunshiny day
when the great bronze Statue Of
liberty was hosted 70 the dome Of the stiu un-
finished Capitol and slowly settled 70 IFS place
tboye that exquisite structure, almost within
syssight Of Confederate troops or the other side
c. me Potomac Not even the Conscript F'ath-
eS advancing Tire price of public land across
re T5er on which the armies besieglng Rome
we're then encsmped. was hner than that
The others came under my eye as a young on
rial Of the House OF Representative. When the
ateul fame Of rhe nations life seemed flicker
ing with every fresh bulletin from the held,
Congress calmly considered and passed three
bills One gave free a hundred and sixty acres
O and 70 any citizen on the sole condition that
be should occupy and develop IL Another
reached across mountains and deserts 10 bind
together IN AZ tudissoluble Union the East
and the 1arthest West, by the Pacific Railroad.
The third and greatest-signed, as Dr.
Draper reminds Us, ny Abraham Lincoln with
ne same perful Cs ink with which he had just
signed the second call for three hundred thou
sld solciers-gave OF the public LANDS 10 every
state as much az was needed 70 found a free
university for the sons and daughters OF the
Este
From that inspiring act came the two great
impulses that have almost transformed Amer
ican education iu the last forty years, the vast
expansion Il r-e secondary schools and the
oeye!opuen- o. the state universities. Be
tween them. when The System is compete they
put within reach OF any child OF the Republic
Tree university education.
Ne are nor 6eIude6 with the conceir that our
ssc0ndarv school system IS Yet the best pos
Gale means for sitting children either for col
lsge or for life. What may say is that II
the best means Yer devised ard put into
Operation for placing within reach of the great
3, number ~ children the opportunity 70
Climb the educational ladder as high as they
an, and that the education thus afforded tends
Z ne main 10 develop, even out Of the masses
y Imported raw material. the kind % citizens
courtrv
Statistics q attendance n these schools are
scarcely available IN any satisfactory form be-
t1r- 1876. IN that wear there were IN tire public
agh schools OF the country only about $4,000
Pupils. snd In the corresponding private schools
about 1900 By 1902 the proportions were re-
Iarksnly reversed. There were then IN the
" public high schools $4,000 pupils. and IN
ne private schools los coo. OF. roughly speak
-s about one IN every twenty-three OF the
YOUTH - rAe land was pursuing some form Of
--sher education. while the door was open TO
q many of the others as showed themselves
ela.lned 10 enter T.
Tie nature Of the instruction varies IN differ
stI localities. n general way Il may be said
IA the standard curriculum toward which
eancat0nal authorities are striving would IN
cuoe either modern OF ancient languages. nath-
s-Asnes English and science for about one
-al lAe work 0f a four years course while the
.rG would be made up cf studies chosen by
ne pupil or the parents
rSr.aps better idea may Be given by taking
~ NE requirements 81 2 good secondary
.-Aoo- and next the bewlde~ing array OF "elec-
Les = BIS apr 70 allow For this purpose the
tt.-sn scn90l ~ 81 Louis may be selected. All
= pupils Hho complete its four wears course
-a'e been required 70 study English algebra
s,4le geometry physics biology. history and
--teAesleare, and 70 these they must give some
-el more than half their tiue Then under
~ guidance q the authorities studies sufficient
-.e resi- n the time may Be made W OUT Of
ing Asf, Including ethics civics economies
-Loi4g5, arithmetic. bookkeeping CONNER
. arI q. e.FFa