New-York tribune., 1907-09-07
Country or City,?
Have Say Favor of Their Choice of Schools
Two Lively and Entertaining Letters.
New York, September z

about the letter he wrote you telling what good
thing the country school is / think his argu
ments mostly hot air. and | want to show
you that the city school is good for something
else besides sissies. thanking my old friend
Brew for his compliment.
In the first place he's trying to stuff it into
you that it's such a mighty good thing for
boy TO be absent from home for large part of
the year. Well, there are some boys l know
who need to be sent away from home. If boy
is q sissy he'd perhaps better be sent off for a
cure. There are other boys whose folks send
them away 10 get rid of them. So even the
country school has its uses. ] guess that'H hold
Brew" for a while anyhow.
Now, don't believe the average healthy chap
with a good home in the city and a good pri-
vate school to go to needs TO be sent away to a
boarding school Besides that there lots
Of chaps who really need to have their folks
look after them a little. who aren't very well.
or have some other sort of screw loose. If there
weren't any good private city schools these fel-
lows would toe in bad way. More than all
that fellow grows up and has to leave his
folks soon enough. anyhow. and l think it's
shame to keep him away six or seven more
years when il isn't necessary. Before | get
through / VIII show you that the city school
has all the things Brew claims for the coun-
try school. and then He rode that argu-
ment for getting away from home to death.
Brew got very busy over the advantage Of
meeting fellows from all over the country We'll.
in the first place. I'd like 10 know where you'd
llnu more pSoIie from al over lle Wttiu bI3D
right here in New York. And not only from
different parts of the United States. but from
foreign lands we'll There boys in my
school who have lived in lots OF other places,
and you're knocking up against strangers on
every street cCERer. So the average well
brought UP boy In the city especially in New
York. more things and gets more broad
ideas in minute than the fellow from around
the country does in a month. Besides. if tEe
fellows in "Brew's" school have any advantage
in the way OF wide acquaintance it is more than
knocked out by the fact that the New York boys
are making friends and chums OF the boys We
are going TO mix with all our lives after we
grow up. What If Brew" does knock around
and fight bears and be tin soldier for few
wears? He can't do that when he comes back
here and settles down. He'll have to start an
and make friends with the fellows who have
already formed friendships and partnerships.
and be sort of "butt-in" until he has mad2
good
Then. while Brew" is incoming over his noun
tains which see plenty of every summer.
we taking in the best plays. operas and con-
certs in the city. have fine art galleries and Ii
braries to and right in the midst OF
things that do more to make broad in one
day than "Brews" farmers and his mountains
do in a year.
As for the gang" which seems to be "Drew's'
strong peg, Brew went away to school before
we fellows around the city got together much
city, in this school. and what's better for
'Brew's" broadening idea in other schools. We
make just as strong gang" as "Brew's" but
a little more select, because we have bigger
field to choose from.
And say. To go back again to 'Prew's' noun
tainS and other scenery. do YOU suppose he has
anything TO touch the Hudson River and the
Palisades. right here at our door? There isn't
a week goes by that l don't take a tramp I'D
along the river and I'll bet get as mahy clean
SDUl' thrills TO the aS
while he's Juggling a wooden gun over the noun
tains I've heard travellers say there isn't any
more beautiful scenery in the world than that
his mountains and cut for the primevals
"Brew's" reflections on the advantages Of mill
tary drill and open air exercise are all right but
arEnOry every week, and our gym" is as big
amount Of football and other outdoor sports
We have our track team and we have contests
with other schools and root" ali right
and make much noise 5 his school. ] notice
our school trimmed his at football last year on
their grounds l hope he'll forgive me for
mentioning this, but it seemed necessary.
Now, Brew" seems TO think that by getting
away TO a boarding school in the country he is
ness. / can't see it. Seems to me he is getting
overdose OF discipline. He is under charge of
teachers twenty-four hours in the day. even
when he is asleep. He thinks he is learning in
dependence but really he doesn't cut loose on
his own sayso in the whole time he Is
awake Now. we fellows in the city school have