The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-06-25

proved methods. The newspapers sing
daily paeans OF praise. the empty
places Of the earth resound with them
And yet any intelligent observer in
any respectable college will tell you
that the young men entering his in
stitution are less and less we'll pre-
pared year by year.
What is the matter? Is 1t possible
that the new methods the better
methods. the modern methods-do not
educate? Is 1t conceivabl that short
er hours, and longer holidays, and no
examinations. and the "object me thod
OF learning to read" and physical cul-
ture. and the study Of hygiene and
physiology and geology and biology In
the schools. and all the other devices
for lodging hard work and making
things easy for the boy-that they can
not take the place OF the old Blue
Back Spelling Book and the "Black
Arithmetic? Is 1t possible that Pro
lessor Doolittle's elements" of al
zebra. and Doctor Sciolist's Essen
tials" of trigonometry ,etc.-all modern
and progressive as they are-do not
and cannot take the place Of text
books containing a serious and COM
prehensive treatment of their sub
Jects?
4
What can be the ma liter? Recently
read, with interest and despair, a
long and applausive article on I'm
proved Educational Conditions in the
SOUTH" and Virg mia, alas. came in for
her full share of praise. N,
There are men alive who remember
a school session of eleven months. then
of ten, the days work. including
night study, frequently covering nine
hours. The session Of nine months,
generally prevailing since the war, is
being reduced by one wee.l, ten days.
two weeks, one month In some very
expensive schools We find nominal
working PERIOD of seven and a halt
months, broken by long holidays.
AS for the days work the morning
hours until recently closing at 3, ex-
cept for the earlier release of little
boys, close here and there at for
the oldest. and even a t o'clock--four
hours at school; the last not yet in
Virginia.
The character of these changes may
be determined by. their results.
II is true that the demand for an
Immediately salable education has led
to some advance in scientific knowl-
edge, and authors for quick markets
have multiplied but in the aver
age literary cultivation OF men and
women there has been a deplorab BILE de-
cline. The man with mind rich with
the memories of the Greek and Roman
poets, orators and philosophers, and
with the range OF English lltera ture;
the charming old lady to whom the
great poets We're companions and Ia !
miliar friends. are gone! Save here
and there. one or two perhaps. @
In the days Of our fathers. when the
ancient and honorable degree OF mas
ter of arts" of the University Of yir-
ginia was the goal of Virginia bows
ambition. 1t was not thing unknown
for student fresh from the schools
TO take and make the famous Green
ket'-Latin and Creek. French and
German. and mathematics a frst
years work. with NJ. A. classes In all.
That may be understood to speak
that do know. [ say that there is now
alive In this city a least one gentle
man Of my acquaintance who did this
very thing
Within my own recollection, and
knowledge there were here IN Virginia
a score of university schools" where
boys going up to the university d.
rectly from the schools habitually took
and made, al least three IN jor tickets
In the senior bachelor of arts course
IN the Arst year Of attendance, Re-
Gently one of the foremosto OF thciunl-
versity professors, and in point of
service one OF the oldest, declared that
a lGentlausd on Third Psge.A