The morning journal-courier., 1908-05-07
THE HIGH SCHOOL William H. Hackett Seea Some Notable Lack of School
 Spirit.
ACADEMlCS ARE FAVORED
All the Expensive Teachers Are for Them, and All the Honors,
 Too, He Says.

William H. Hackett, of the New Haven high school, has an article in the current number of the Teachers Journal which treats of some of the perplexng questions of the time at that institution. One of these is the jealousy between the pupils of the different courses. Another Is the mat ter of finances and underpald teach CTS The article will be read with ln- terest by all who have been connected with the high school at any time II reads as follows:
 A report that the High School Alumni association, owing to lack of funds, would not offer this year prizes for excellence in public speaking has led the writer to a consideration of the reasons that have brought about such a state of affairs.
 At first thought the explanation seemed simple, but upon mature TO- flection the matter assumed a very complicated form and led the writer far beyond his original opinion.
 There have been graduated from Hillhouse and Boardman more than four thousand men and women, many of whom occupy prominent positions in our city, while some have children in our high school to-day. Such being the case, we should naturally expect a warm interest in the work and wei. fare of tho school, but we must un. willingly admit this is not the ease, fl facts are to be considered.
 The Alumni association was started in 1880 'to form medium through which it can act for the benefit Of tho school and to preserve and continue as far as possible, the connection he. tween former students to maintain their interest in the school and in tn, general cause of higher free educa. | tion,"
 During an existence of more thar 1 twenty-seven years no specific act car be shown that the Alumni association has performed for tho general caust of higher free education
 In special cases groups of individ. uals, with some gratitude towards tho school, have by various heautifu gifts helped 10 improve the walls and rooms of the buildings, but in almos all cases these have been due to tht efforts of recent graduates and pupil of the school.
 Several reasons for this absence o school spirit among the graduates ma! .be mentioped. Most of the promnen members of the Alumni association 1 are also college graduates, and, by tn very nature of things, college affair and interests overshadow their inter est in high school matters. But tn vast majority of our alumni are no college graduates, and at first though one would suppose they would talk an active part in promoting higl school interests.
 Hillhouse high school was intende originally to supplement the studie taught in the graded schools in ou city and actually was natural growtl and unavoidable result of the gram mar school system
 The first classes met in gramma school buildings, were taught b grammar school teachers by gramma school methods.
 When a separate building was pro vided for high school studies the ten dcncy was gradually to draw ava from grammar school studies an methods, and to strive to initiate an satisfy college studies and require ments. Gradually courses to mee college requirements were introduced college graduates were appointe teachers, college methods of instruc tion introduced, and policy, or nrac tice, rather, was inaugurated whic has continuously developed to tn more or less detriment of the origins object of tho high school
 Inevitably high school teachers, be ing college graduates and with differ ent methods and ideals came to hay less and less in common with gram mar school teachers, rarely, if eve, visited grammar schools, and had yer little knowledge of grammar schot
 methods. All these things tended [
 widen rather than bridge the gap hc
 tween the grammar and high sehot grades.
 This state of affairs was the resu
 more or less of the influence of Yal
 college, where the classics held tn
 chief place in the curriculum.
 It may seem surprising to some, D,
 1t is a fact, that pupils taking the cla'
 steal course in Hilhouse never hs one single period of English in u four-year course.
 And the reason was that Yale al not require English as an entranc studv. When English became r ouired study for college, then classici pupils studied it in high school. the college was allowed, unconscious perhaps. to fix the studies for hiR school, and the high school reverte to the aim of the old Latin school modified in a slight way by nineteent century conditions The gap const omently widened between the gran mar and high schools, although, as W have seen, the original purpose,of Il high school was to supplement tl work of the grammar school Such an attitude on the part high school teachers had its powerfr influence on the tone and spirit of tf school To a greater extent than { present perhaps pupils selected tl college preparatory or classical cours for social purposes, with the intentic of getting in with the right peopl and not necessarily with the eXpectt tlon of going to college, It must said that this was more true of Il girls than of the boys
 Feeling that the classical court was thal selected by the best bo,