The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-31
THE CHOICE OF A SCHOOL
Az IHFOh ".iNT PROBLEM THAT
PARENTS ARE NOW FACING.

~ schooling they will give their children
FOR the coming school year. Shall II he "A
public or a private school?
The answer depends usually upon the
condition of ones purse. IF "A parent can
not afford TO spend money for "A specialized
training Of his children. Why. to the public
schools they must 20. and "a very good
training they will get IN these days II they
apply themselves and manage TO attract
the ATTIC ton ~ their teachers 10y studiolIs
work There are also many we'll to do
Americans who send their children tO the
public schools on general principles. under
q theory that 4 * democratic; that II does
the boys and girls good 10 take their chances
with the other boys aud girls not 80 fOrtn-
nate in tho way Of surroundings at home:
that rough and ready and mo favor"
theories Of education are just what certain
children need
All this is very well u its way. but the
fact remains that in nine cases ont Of ten
when parents can afford 10 send their
children to private schools they do 80.
There must be some reason aside from the
desire to I've exclusive. ANY one who knows
American life knows that there does exist
q certain element of snobbery among per-
sons who have money. hut they are few
n number compared with the entire body
Of those who have so-called wealth. They
are from the ranks Of the newly rich as a
rule. Private schools could not exist il
they depended upon such patronage Such
persons rarely know anything of the ad-
vantsges Of education; ~theyrnay send their
children Ia private schools. hut il is done
chiefly from a desire To show OF. not to
rive tho ,~i,'llrep A su,nrinr tra;nipp
The great reason why hundreds OF private
schools exist Is simply because they deserve
10 exist. They produce better results
than the public schools. Consequently
those who can AFFORD TO %patronize them
in order TO secure the hest in education for
their children do so for the cold blooded
reason that il pays 10 do SO. 1t isn't a mat
ter of keeping ones children away from
tho common herd" although there are
some thin Drained individuals inspired with
that motive; it isn't a matter Of the vulgar
expenditure of money for the purpose
of showing of. although there are som
featherweights who do that.
II is a matter of getting specialized train
ing in these schools. which is the one great
feature diferentiating them from the ex-
cellcnt public schools. especially those of
the high school or secondary education
stage. The person who wants to keep
his children from the common herd"
is a fool. according to general belief. for
life consists of mixing with the masses
aud every one has to do "A great deal of il.
The American masses are bright people
and no one was ever hurt by coming in daily
contact with them. Tho man who uses
his money solely for the sake of u display
and to attract attention To himself is gem
orally laughed at and descrvcdly so.
The most ardent advocate Of the public
school system will not dispute the statement
that there is no room for specialized training
in these schools. A summary of the ppe-
liminary training of the men at leading col
leges shows that the private schools give
the best training. Az Yale the statistics
show that more than three-fifths of the stu
dents are prepared at private schools. In
Harvard the percentage Of private school
students is about 40. Throughout the
country the figures arc about % per cent.
All" says the critic. I've got you there.
1t is only the rich. as a rule, that go TO college.
Thew are the ones who send their children
TO private schools, because they can afford il.
IL is natural that most of the college students
should come from these schools Parents
" V'N' NY y y" ~ NV tf'lf
lege. while the parents OF the average pub
lie school boy or girl keep them in school
only until thew are fairly well fitted 10 earn
their own living"
Pretty good argument" the private ad-
vocatc says, "hut there is one crushing an
aver. Ii is this: Fully 10 per cent. of the
honor men At the great American univer-
sites come from the private preparatory
schools"
The private schools led The way for the
nullic cphnnls aud Tho uauaraI t.a,f,,,,,
~ pedagogues and educators il that they
have kept in advance in pooh learning.
The reason is not hard to discern. The
average class in the public school consists
OF forty pupils. Under present systems
OF double terms "A year a teacher has these
forty pupils only four months at the most.
Tbe teacher often has difficulty in recalling
the names Of the entire forty. Sometimes
the meinberso Of the class are not called upon
TO recite in any one subject more than once
a week. and sometimes not 20 often.
The teacher rarely has opportunity to study
out the defects mentally OF each pupil and
the best way Of correcting these defects.
Everything IL done by rote. A machine
Ia set up. the hopper IL put in operation,
certain mental tasks are given ont to fit
the pupils for squeezing themselves through
that hopper. Those who get onto the
trick GO to the next hopper, Those who
are dull fall behind and try il again. From
one hopper to another the progress leads
sFtaI ~ - nm W t'ft Ni'D 'NNfg IitH
has had in training just what every other
pupil has had and the only difference be-
tween them Is that the brighter pupils nave
higher marks in mere book learning.
The wise man Plato once defined educa-
ton in this way:
Good education is tina which gives to
the body and to the soul all the perfection
OF which they are capable"
Educators say that there has never
been a better definition. II il is sound,
IL stands to reason that machine made
school children are not as well equipped
toward securing perfection as those who
have had individual training. The pri-
vate school classes are rarely larger than
fifteen. The training in these schools
il far more than book learning. II il were
simply book learning perhaps there would
he little call for the private school. although
II IL admitted that in this respect the private
school has its superior advantages.
That development which has what might
be called soul perfection ~ its aim, the in
hnpnce which "A teacher with a personal
interest in each pupil gives. which directs
The thoughts Of the pupils to other things
than books, to nature, 10 ideals Of truth and
'''s.ice. the influences that uplift humanity
these are the things that count in after
life and there is no place in the WORLD where
they can he acquired az they can in the