The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1914-06-11

for a moment here; the vast majorit
of our population owe the state for a
elementary school education, costin
at fairly generous estimate $25(
They have begun work as soon as the
were able to earn wages, hence n
charge is entered on that score; thei
whole debt is $250OO. Against tn
university graduate, sparing you tn
details, society must make an educa
tional debit of at least $5000-twent.
times as much-half of this being -ac
tual cash outlay on the part of thu
state, and half the earning capacity O
eight years, surrendered by society te
be invested in the human unit. In the
name, then of intelligence and efficien-
group of twenty times trained ex-
perts? What guarantee have we that
we have secured, out of the myriad
possible candidates, the right half
hundred?
Little Known of Question.
Little indeed is known of this stu
pendous question. Nor is this the
proper occasion to swell upon it. One
point is very plain and of peculiar i'm
portance. We make our selection I'M
der present conditions in an exceed
ingly partial manner; from the Idaho
youth who happen to live in Latah
county we pick ten times as many as
from Bannock county; in general we
pick six times as many from Latah
county, proportionally, as from the
rest of the state. Is this particular
county so much more prolific in gold
en- youth. Or are we in some way
over attracting to them and unattract-
ing others?
The truth is that schools. every
where create students. If we set up
high school where there was former
ly none, boys and girls will enroll who
otherwise would not have thought of
doing so. The four counties in Idaho
in which the state schools are sit
uated furnish over 35 per cent of the
total enrolment of these schools; the
other 65 per cent are gathered from
the other 20 counties of the state. We
from the four counties; but what of
those who do not come from the out
lying regions? Does not the state lose
every year many choice individual,
fitted to receive in full measure all the
benefits that can come from higher
Concentration the Scheme.
This is the argument against too
much concentration of educational ia
cilities. The most advanced work
must be concentrated; it is too expen-
sive and too sparsely attended to be
but channels leading to
t must be opened in every corner of |
he states domain. 1t need hardly be
said that Idaho does not differ in this I
respect from the rest of the world.
even Harvard draws more than half /
If it's students from Massachusetts;
LII schools attract powerfully from
heir immediate vicinity, and their
,ower decreases probably more than
With the square of the distance.
This is one of the great problems
# state education. Who should go
o school, to high school, to college?
those who live near by? Those who
want to? Those whose parents want
hem to-? Under the present system
% we not get too many from near by,
including some who would better do
omething else, for which their talents
nd tastes better fit them? And is
! not still more certain that we lose
1any precious youth from the greater
istances, the untitled areas of the
EDUCATIONAL field?
Error In Higher Education.
Let us note here one great error in
igher education in recent years, that
imbuing young people with the
ceiling that in attending college they
onfer a boon on the institution and
ly it under obligation to them. This 7
so flagrantly contrary to all truth
lat one finds difficulty in seeing how
ever came to have the hold it has, I
hiefly in a subconscious way, upon
lie minds of students. The history
ompetition among institutions, public
rivate for numbers, explains it.
In truth it is worse than useless to
1tice the unfit into college. They
1t no good to themselves and do dam
&c to all else. The uninterested, ne
and indolent, these are :
e dead weight who threaten the very ]
fe and hopes of a school, The king
I'm of education, like that of heaven, 5
Iffereth violence, and the violent take :
by force. That is those should go +
college who have an ardent desire
learn, to gain knowledge and that
,tter fruit of knowledge, wisdom,
i'd who ask nothing better than an r,
portunity. to toll for these. In col
ge we want the golden youth, not
e gilded youth. :
Shows Up Mortality.
There is fearful mortality between
e first and second years of college;
me institutions lose sixty out of