The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1907-06-20
Random, Thoughts
Of a
Busy Outsider


in mans opinions There be many
of us gaping rustics who believe that
all power and wisdom are centered
in great cities. Or perhaps we think
that If man live in skyscraper his
Elearness to the supposed seat of the
celestial regions gives him special in
spiration. At any rate the Outsider
has long noticed that the opinions of
Chicago's amateur Philosophers usu-
ally went above par.
/ Hence it was profound gratifica-
ton to read the following: Il am
profoundly convinced that great harm
comes to public school education in
this country through the almost uni.
versal tendency to make a fetish of
graduation. Instead of making the
high school the Peoples College, the
| tendency of those VINO frame the cur
riculum is to make it merely a feeder
to the university" Mr.. Cooley's opin
ion is one which all thinking people
have long held and which the Out
slider has reiterated in other words
time and again.
| s. RR .
| The Outsiders objection to what
Mr.. Cooley calls the "fetiSn of gradu-
alton" is three fold. Graduation in
the public school is unnecessary, is
unwise, is too expensive for wat our
professionally .enthused principals
have termed for a quarter of cen
fury "the poor mans college"
Graduation from the high school Is
unnecessary. 1t is unnecessary if the
student means to go on to the univer-
sity, because there will be mis- final
graduation there. The high scnool
work is only beginning of the edu-
cational work. When the entire la
Dor of the student is over, then is the
proper time for browning him with
the ilolors of completion.
On the otner hand, if the pupils ed
ucation is finished in the high school,
if he must take up the practical work
o. life-what more practical to him
than the mere diploma stating in
black and white what he mas accom-
piished in his endeayors to get wis
dom. In either case, all the fuss and
feathers of graduation are quite I'm
necessary.
In the second place, graduation from
high school is unwise. 1t is exactly
as Superintendent Cooley says. Too
many graduate for the fleeting nonors
of the day rather than complete their
education as means of preparation
for lifework. That is what education
is anyway. A sharpening of mental
tools against the time of struggle
which will surely come to each.
What if education does not sharpen
the tools? That is a condition to be
dcplored, and it is perhaps as Super
inteldent Cooley suspects, the condi-
ton of the average nigh school, where
the course of study is formed only to
prepare for the university.
The Outsider has often pitied the
condition Of a high school graduate,
one who finished the course with av-
erage credit and then began to work
at the foot of the ladder. There is
something quite incolgruous between
the four years of Latin such as the
boy pursued in the nigh school, and
the butchers wagon which aid stu
dent must learn to drive. The boy
who can construct almost any poly
gon and VINO can come as aear squar-
| ing the circle as anybody, has to
learn to weigh out sugar on the gro
GERS scale. F.'.
| tell you 1t must come pretty hard
to be the very center Of the stage for
a closing gala week at school and
then drop down into the obscurest
corner of the business world, asking
only for the privilege of doing the
work of beginner.
/ Why subject anyone to the rude
shocks of such reversal of places?
Finally the cost Of modern high
school graduation is something to be
squarely considered. twenty-five
years ago the young boy or girl mad
40 suit for graduation. appeared one
evening, had few bouquets OF home
grown flowers thrown upon him or her
and walked home, elata with his own
Grafton and with the close of school
work
But nowadays 1t is quite different
Expenses begin the year before, when
the Junior class must give a reception
to the Senior. Not heavy expense,
when shared by a number, but there
are often personal expenses of dress,
flower and perhaps a cab-for bless
your heart. our modern high school
girl don't like to soil her dainty slip
Ipers by walking.
Then comes graduating year. and
there must be a class ring or class
lpin or class something or other az a
souvenir. Then comes baccalaweate
\ sermon and the girl must nave spe
cial frock for that day. The boy can