The log cabin Democrat., 1912-10-29
CITIZEN DfNOUNCES
HALLIDAY SESSION
PROF. BRENNAN WRITES
NORMAL PROFESSOR RAISES
PROTEST AGAINST SCHOOL
BOARDS DECISION.

A short time ago the patrons of the
public school We're gratified to learn
that the school term was to be ex-
tended to nine months so as to put
our children on an equal footing with
the children Of other towns in the
state. But at the opening of school
we found that the first three grades,
nearly half the school, were to have
but halliday sessions. This week
comes the announcement that the
fourth and fifth grades are to be put
on the same allowance! So that
more than half OF the public school
children Of Conway viii actually have
IN the aggregate fewer days of school
than any rural schools in Faulkner
county. But we are told they will
have continuous recitations for the
half day and that therefore they will
do quite as much work as if they had
alternate periods of recitation and
rest or study To anybody who has
any knowledge of children at all, this
statement is absurd, if not foolish.
Who can believe that children of six
to ten years of age are capable of
three hours of continuous concentrat-
ScilOOI
students are capable of 1t? How
many grown folks, even?
Let us not fool ourselves with any
absurd notions on this matter; it is
better to look the truth in the face.
AS our public school course of study.
is now arranged, it will be found to
attempt to cover in seven years, five
of these of practically four and one
half months duration, what is at
tempted in northern and eastern
schools in eight years each of 10
months duration. That is, in 40
months we can prepare our pupils for
the high schools as well as those do
in 80 months. Of what material are
our teachers and children made, that
they should be able to perform such
a wonderful feat as this? Will any
body pretend that we are doing this
or that it is possible of accomplish
ment?
But it is not only the grades which
are going to suffer from this sad
state of affairs. If q builder should
attempt to erect second-story of
stone on frst-story of adobe he
would be looked upon as intellectually
weak How much better are we when
upon the slim training Of the grades
we attempt to build the maturer
studies of the high school? 1t is an
utter absurdity to attempt it, and we
can have high school in name only
For the same number of pupils the
high school will take three times as
much space as the grades and require
more than four times the cost in
teaching force; and yet nothing
worth while can be accomplished be-
cause there is no solid foundation on
which to build. If we must cut out
somewhere, let us cut out at The top,
but keep the foundation secure and
strong.
There is no other town in the state
that can as well do without high
school as Conway. Hendrix has a
preparatory department doing high
school work, Central College has a
similar department, while practically
all except the work in pedagogy at
the Normal School is high school
work. So that if the public school
were to cut out its high school de-
partment, which, in face of the prep
aration made for it in the grades
might as well be done, we would still
not suffer greatly for want of high
school work. But whittier shall we
turn when the elementary work is cut
out?
The disease is in desperate stage
and requires desperate remedies, per-
haps the surgeons knife. But let us
not cut off the wrong limb. This will
help neither the limb amputated nor
the general condition of the patient.
Let us cut out the high school and
build from below up. Then when we
are ready to run a high school we
shall have the material upon which to
work. Under the present arrange
ment we can have neither elementary
nor high school.
E. A BRENNAN