The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-05-31
M12. STARKE DISCUSSES
 EDUCATIONAL MATTERS


 to insist on the comparative worth iessness of deerets, won so cneapiy as to time and ecpolarship. Many parents and guardians are themselves without sss sen shs sKs sss ~sSs a1fs aone sass ao their own boy. By going direct to q low grade college. their son will re- esive a diploma Anywhere rom two 70 celve It, by first attending a hign school "Actum est de me- I'm done for" the high school may then exclaim But now for the effect upon the col
 To begin with. they have but . small per cent of students capable of doing collegiate work. Hence. courses or study must be so modified us to meet the necessities of the case. The re- suit is, neither collegiate course nor preparatory school course By ana by. the day arrives when the graduat- ing class is to receive dipiomas All course. Some entered college wholly unprepared. have groped their way along through the dense fogs that en- yeloped every study. and finally, re- ing as to scholarship. otner members of this same graduating class perhaps beforehand thorough preparation Tor col,iegs' graspsd the supjeets saggHy ~ are entitled to . diploma of gradua- ton. The members of this class are themselves. 1t may be, conscious or the Ing among them. yet diplomas of like grade are the reward of each. Can those young men value very highly such diplomas9 They cannot. nor does ed to do collegiate work without pre- paratory work or having attempted lo do work, the college has done neither tneropsnly t hss .n asssEoysd dsE the n hign of its graduates reflect small credit on their alma mater Business men, when brought into contact with this to detect ika worthiessness. and without fair discrimination, they pronounce col- ieEiate education q failure They see that young men, ignorant of the prin- InseCupate' T ssa m and Without power of con centration, are gent out from college with academic and professional degrees. Lif4lN wonder that the business man has possibly come into contact with a vounw man who, without adequate pre- paration, was admitted to college. He slximmed along through trfgonometry doxen clear Ideas from both subjects combined. He probably had similar experience in other studies Conee- quently. his mind has come to De noth- ing machine, with no power of close, consecutive reasoning, and with little or no confidence in It's own concfusions. The business man sees tiis, ard tIu- mediately condemns collegiate educa- ton, whereas his condemnation should be directed against 8 system that pro- ducep such g spurious article of educa- tion
 The college is largely. though not wholly, responsible for the system. Public sentiment. in that tt does not demahd of the college a higher grade of work, should bear an equal share oi blarna
 stiiI 1t must not be forgotten. that public sentiment should receive It's inc apiration from the college. For 'stirnu- Jus in edueatfon comes always and oi necessity from above, and tk may he stated. without fear of refutation. that no state can possess an efficient sys- tenn of secondary or even Of primary schools without the effeetuaI infiuence Of q powerful university. sustafned by public grants or by private benefac- tions." Let the state institutions eB- tabIish and maintain fair standards oi entrance aud graduation. even if there by the number of students in attend. ance upon them should be reduced by one-half. Such course on their part would improve the primary and second ary schools of the State so much as to entitle the colleges to their appropria. fiOnB, even though the number oi students in attendance upon them were