Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1907-05-09
The High Schools worI.

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approximately $4,000 . year for u
. support Of q high school. They at
!. proud Of It's standing and Of Il
teachers and II 10 . satisfaction !
know that the children Of the cit
have opportunity for the higher edp
: cation to which they are entitled
However, there are some things abou
. the high schools scope Of work tia
seem scarcely suited to present day
: conditions as they exist In Abilene.
The classes come from the Eighth
grade to the high school with about
rs members. almost equally divided
between the boys and girls. BY the
time Of graduation the class has
dwindled down to 25 or less with
about four girls to one boy. In three
years fifty members Of the class stop
school, So Of the boys and Is Of the
girls. They lose the benefit that
comes Of the most expensive part Of
the city school system and, all things
considered, the best part Of 1t SO far
as It develops manhood and woman
hood.
The reason is clear: They want to
get into something that will earn
money Their parents cannot afford
to send them to college or perhaps
the pupils do not wish to go to COL
lege. Out Of the rs or 80 who leave
the grades not more than 5 or 6 will
go to college. The others find Latin,
physics, algebra and geometry rather
difficult and thinking them Of no
practical value stop school and
either do nothing, 20 to work or at
tend commercial college somewhere.
II the latter 1t means that the parents
who pay taxes to support the high
school must pay another tuition to
have the child taught studies which
the high school does not teach.
While the theory Of the high school
is development, and it would be
money and time well spent for every
,hild to finish its course, the fact is {
hat the pupils do not stay and the
question arises: Is the high school
loing all for the community that the
PATRONS Of our schools have a right to {
xpect? t
In a large number Of high schools {
1 Kansas and in the west generally
bis problem is being solved by the !
edition Of manual training, type W
riting and commercial branches to d
he high school course. Then the boy sc
no stays through the four years al
mes out htted to take paying po- "
ton in the world. He gives perhaps
lily two hours day for the last two
ars to stenography and typewriting, II,
Q remainder Of his time being given W,
studies that develop his general II
ness. II business college can give en-
complete education" in 80 days ~
rely the high school can do 1t in -
9 or two school years and do IL am
tier, for the student will have the siu
Owledge Of spelling and general in
nation that he cannot have IL he all
YES school after the Eighth grade. UNI
okkeeping and training In the CO
nual arts-the use Of the carpen- IA,
s tools and other practical things bad
AN be taught we'll and should be still
the good Of the boys and girls. to
Abilene has an opportunity now to VI
Ike its high school model. The e
calls the Norton, Kansas,
b school model because 1t teaches
these things. 1t is unfair to ask c
parents Of so per cent Of the high Chi
DOL students to pay an extra fee to Mis-
7e boys and girls taught stenog- !. ~ :
'hy, typewriting and bookkeeping q ,
side Of our city schools. The high ate,