The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-03-01

PARENTS AT FAULT? /.
frofcssOr Perkins Theory as to
Educational PROGRESS

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A recent issue of the New York
Post contained the following letter
from Professor Henry A, Perkin. Of
Trinity college:
TO the Editor of the Evening Post:
Sir: A short time ago I had several
conversations with one of the masters
of an English boys school. This
school, founded, I believe about 1860,
has not the tremendous prestige of
such famous institutions as Elton and
Harrow, of which we have no exact
counterpart in this country; but it is
entirely comparable to our own en-
dowed OF private" boarding schools.
Without n boasting on my friends
part. 1t was evident from what he
told me, and from the bare statements
IN the sohoo catalogue. that at the
age OF eighteen his boys are about as
far advanced in their studies as our
boys are when half through college.
and the ground they had covered was
so thoroughly covered that their rec.
ords at Oxford. Cambridge, Sand
hurst Woolwich, were a source
ties and We're indicated in the cata-
logue, as h hest advertisement the
school could offer.
This schoolmaster further mention.
ed with particular satisfaction that.
during the last years of the course.
the boys developed a really admira-
BILE owe Of working by themselves
n OF graphing without the aid of
their instructors. with the difficulties
OF Greek tragedy. the calculus and the
sciences, to which they had decidedly
more than a mere introduction.
In short. 1t was evident that the
school produced the same results that
are well known to follow from study
at a German gymnasium or a French
lHcee n with he great added ad-
vantage that. in England, the boys are
al! evoted to sport and have time for
athletics and the development Of the
body simultaneously with the train
Ing OF the mind. There Is ma cues.
ton but that this English training is
superior to our own. Any one who
looks into the matter must admit it,
unless he is a hopeless partisan or
incurably self satisfied. So, without
further argument to prove what is
really not a debatable question, I
shall outline the problem as it an.
pears to me.
h American public school is a
very admirable institution and is
probably dealing with the education
OF the masses as we'll. If not better.
than the board school" or similar
free school in England. Therefore,
all comparison of free education may
pc ruled out of h discussion. as it
does not bear upon it one way or the
other.
Our fnferiority appears only when
we compare u private" school with
the so.called English public school'
winch IS almost exactly an equivalent
institution: The parallel is almost
perfect. The pupils are drawn from
substantially the same social ranks.
n they are all destined to take more
politics. the professions and arts.
Their parents can afford to and glad
~ do pay for the best in education.
The boys enter and leave school at
about the same ages. and they are
mostly being fitted for college. They
have the same enthusiasm for sport
and out Of door life. They study the
and sciences n nearly the same HIS
tory and literature. And yet, with
almost identical circumstances and
aims, we are inferior. OF course
there Is a reason. Such an obvious
discrepancy must be accounted for in
some way: but the reason IL far from
obvious. Various possible explanations
instance. that u boys themselves are
to blame; but / doubt II American
boys are at bottom inferior to English
boys. in mental capacity. I hardly
think It 10 the teacher who 10 at fault.
We have excellent teaching in our
best boarding schools and mon Of real
power and wide cultivation ut their
head. OF course. It may be that the
colleges are to blame, with their abb
surdly low entrance requirements: al
though this hypothesis is somewhat
discounted by the constant complaint
made by the private schools them
selves. that the requirements which
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