El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-08-21

| /" HE public high school as it now
exists in the United States Is
the gradual outgrowth Of the
educational awakening which began
| after the Civil war. Previous to this,
the old academy, which succeeded the
colonial Latin school, was the principal
institution Of secondary education. and
in many parts Of the country this was
not included as a part of the free
public school system. That higher ed
ucation should be as free to the pupils
desiring 1t as the branches taught in
the common schools was not a gener-
ally expected theory until a genera
| ton ago. Now, however. the public
high school has become thoroughly
established throughout the entire
country. There is no question as to
its necessity, although its curriculum
Is still in process Of evolution.
The course of study in the high
schools was developed in rather des-
ultory fashion, each locality being
law unto itself in regard to its re-
lively recent period. Even the length
| of the high school term was determined
] largely by the funds in the local school
| treasury. 1t began with one year OF
| higher studies after the grammar
! school and increased with more or less
! irregularity until the full four-year
high school course has now become
practically uniform throughout the ma
ton.
1t is estimated that only about % per
| cent of the public school pupils reach
| the high school, and that only 10 per
cent of this number advance to col
| leges and universities. Consequently
| 80 per cent OF the pupils in the public
| high school finish their education
| there. With the increased appeal for
| vocational training in the public high
school came the demand for such stud
! les would best prepare the student
for his future life work The typical
| American high school now may be said
to have three courses, namely; the
| commercial, the technical and the col
| lege preparatory, and each Of these
has an equal educational standard
The Commercial High School.
The commercial high school course
| fits pupils admirably for commercial
life. 1t usually includes at least one
| modern language. Spanish, French
| and German are usually elective, and
| most students take two or more. Bus
mess arithmetic, bookkeeping, English
| business correspondence stenography,
| typewriting and general office work,
| are generally included. In fact the
! public business high school is gen.
| orally considered to be the one that is
best fulfilling its purpose 1t is to
+! a large degree taking the place Of
| the business colleges SO numerous
few years ago. It's graduates fire.
quently enter directly upon salaried
| positions.
The technical high school aims to
be equally practical In preparing its
graduates to enter upon industrial
| pursuits. although it has not yet SO
| fully fulfilled its mission. There is
/, still some difference of opinion as to
! the practical value OF the instruction
given in these schools. Manual train
| ing Is the most expensive form OF
| education now provided in the public
schools, and 1t is not always possible
to supply the pupils either, with the
tools, the machinery or the working
| material necessary to the proper de-
yelopment of the desired SKILL
In many towns the labor unions
have actively opposed the technical
work of the high schools on the ground i,
that it was detrimental to their or
CARNATIONS. Their opposition, how
now even the officers of the Fedora
ton Of Labor, favor the development
OF the public trade school. Last year
the National Association Of Manufac-
turers adopted resolutions commend
ing the public technical high school
and recommending that the graduates
be recognized as advanced apprentices.
according to their proficiency.
The Classical High school
The classical high school TX
posed to prepare students directly for
college, but this object is not Suffi-
cient or satisfactory because tners are
| many pupils who do not care for any
vocational training. who are not go
ing to college, and yet must lind in the
high school course their only educa-
ton for the future. The regular. coll
lege preparatory work does not supply
the degree of general culture desired
by a large class Of pupils. Many
schools are now providing much
broader course, covering many points
| of special interest by elective courses.
which will give a well rounded edu-
cation. largely in accordance with the
individual taste of the pupil. Such a
course must be flexible enough to per-
| nit any student, by means Of elective
| study, to pursue his education along
| the lines in which he may be most
interested without interfering with the
educational value of the course, which
must be sufficient to retain for the
school the uniform standards which
are now being recognized throughout
the country.
The general high school course must
provide for the pupils whose require
ments are not sharply defined, are
those of the pupils preparing for COM
mercial or Industrial life, or those who
| are in college preparatory work whose
needs are indicated by, the require
ments of the colleges to which they
desire to gain admission. Yet the
studies in the general school course
are. in a sense. more important than
those of the college preparatory, be-
cause to the student going to college
that institution may to degree sup
ply what the high school missed, but
for the student whose education ends
in the high school, there is no oppor-
tunity to provide what the school cur
riculum lacks. 1t is generally agreed
that the general high school course
should contain knowledge of general
literature. history. the elements of