The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-08

may De quite as good teachers as men,
but the boy finds It hard to be himself
with them. He is shy and awkward
There will probably come a stage when
II he does not feel superior 10 them he
knows that he is different He is more
at home with men. That seems to be one
reason for the small proportion of boys in
high schools
Many parents think that public school
teachers in general are too promiscuously
chosen. Thousands of them are fine hi,
the range Of quality among them Ia very
wide. There is too much luck involved
in finding the good ones because In Sc
lecting them too little attention il paid
to personality. How seldom are they
hand picked The written examinations
show their technical qualifications and bu.
little besides. The examination machine
shakes them down In showers. and oc-
casionally shakes so hard that very I'M.
ripe ones fall upon the schools This
machine is weak in discriminating IN.
i've spiritual senses required in every
first rate teachcr--common sense. the.
teaching sense, the sense Of youth, the
sense Of Justice and the sense of humor.
II must In candor be said that there
are parents who object to the youthful
companlonship into which many pubIi.
school throws their BOYS This mixIn.
may be wholly benefit to the State BE-,
TO refined parents II is not so much a
social or economic question as a oucs.
ton OF cultural influence and Of morals
The boys hear language which violate.
grammar no less than reverence and
purity They become habituated not merel,.
to foreign customs but to bad customs
Instinct and principle prompt their par.
ents to protect them by sending them TO
a sanitary boarding school
The preparatory boarding school Ia also
favored by such as realize that A public
school is primarily intended not to pre-
pare for college but to complete an ele-
mentary education. Most public school
boys never go on 20 the high school Oul,
small percentage OF those who do ever
enter Colleg,. The few who are III TO
survive and - persist ought To- make
peculiarly desirable college students.
especially as contrlsted with boys who.
without any particular aptitude for higher
education, are pushed on TO college by
dot'ng parents and pedantic teachers.
Many boys thus forced probably ought
never 20 go 20 college at all.
To supply this demand what sort Of in
sttutions ought preparatory boarding
schools TO be? The negative qualincati ons
| come frst. In the United States certainly
! they should not be places for rich mems
sons alone. The caste spirit would destroy
them. and ought TO do So Much as I
, believe IN making them Christian. even
Standardization would seem to me TO
dwarf them. They ought TO be broad and
tolerant with windows open to the llgh,
on all Satisfactorily as broad and tolerant
as Christ. The sons Of rich men-often a
| necessitous class-need them. but in them
| need imperatively a spacious human fel-
lowship 10 prevent narrowness and pref
| udice. Every such school should find
means OF accommodating also those who
| arc no: rich. for the sake OF both. II Il
| does that. and at the same time scorn ,
! useless conventions, there will be no
danger that its boys will be snobs. Boys,
| when properly guided and even when l.,
! alone. are naturally democratic.
Boarding schools should not be owned
1 by one or more OF their teachers. These
/
usually disguise their real Ingredients
| The proprletors must be under a strong
temptation TO put the money 10 be taken
ahead OF the education To he given. II
is difficult for them TO insist upon thor
ough work or 10 maintain sound and
equitable discipline. How can they
throw out a communicating boy II the
schools solvency requires them to keer
all the pupils they can get? They need
10 he very strong in order 10 brave tn,
hostility of an unreasonable or selfish
patron who Is rich or influential.
Positively then the true preparatory
boarding school for boys should b,
broadly American and Christian in spirit
ample and independent in resources anc
controlled by board of trust which put,
all its dividends into the boys of tn,
school Nobody should get r. "rakeon'
out OF Ito Its equipment should be who'll!
adequate for all services. but not useC
for mere display. Its teachers should al
be men-real men, and neither womei
nor manikins-and should have no doub
that tho school, with all lis forces, VA
made for the boys. not the boys for tn
school or for themselves. Candidates 70
admission to II should not be encourage,
To enter If their motive Ii to guin mer
social prestige. Its boys should be Sc
lected not from any one class or reglo
but for their character and promise
should hnd an atmosphere OF enthusi
astc work and play wherein eXhorta
lions to loyalty would be unnecessar.
and should be sent away the momcn
they prove themselves really incorrlgbl,
I corruptng or useless. II should be con
paratively large--large enough for com
pick community laws and life. but no
, so large as TO render its members un
, known 10 one another.
, Its courses of study should be trul
educational, and not he ground to du'
q between the neither milestone OF technica
' requirements by the college and tn
. upper milestone OF the parents fiat FOR IN
, early and swift ending OF his sons scho,
a days, These courses are now in tryin
A situation. But they are improving Fc
. schools, colleges and parents alike Al
being slowly educated Themselves an
& trained to understand and 10 cooprra'
with one another
Such things as have been suggest
:, above are at lcas, among the element
. of the practicable IDEAL for the prepars