The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-05-08
IRA THIRD or SIN WE'RE THREE.
The lrO,cllinE or High school Pupils
Taught seless Things.

To THE EDITOR OF THE SrS-Str: 1
was rather amused to read In THE sun
DAY SuN of the experience of "A Brooklyn
father in putting to rout a coterie OF high
school students by propounding this very
simple problem In mental mathematics:
II a third of six we're three.
What would fourth OF twenty be-
| emitted sort OF AN Involuntary
chuckle at the discontinue OF the VIC
tins, when my youngest son. scarcely a
year out OF Brooklyn High School. and
sitting close by me. said, WHATS the
joke" He's a clean cut young chap. not
vet IS. and in his own estimation is
some pumpkins" | know, because | was
his age at one time myself
Well. this was certainly unforeseen.
like mamma from heaven. l read him the
problem without the answer and asked
him to solve 1t. ! read it over several
times at his solicitation. lie was spar
ring for time, you know. Did he solve
it? lie did, decidedly not, and what's
more never will until he is shown"
On the other hand my elder son. by
four years, handed me the correct answer
on a scrap of paper almost instantly.
This latter son after spending one year
In Brooklyn High School came To mo
voluntarily and said he was only wasting
his time there and proved 1t to my salts
faction, whereupon ] took him out. put
him in and through technical school of
high repute, where he was graduated with
honor. / wanted to do the same for the
younger son. but he couldn't see II. l
WAS not at all surprised by reading this
article, and II must be acknowledged our
children OF to-day are certainly not well
educated. They go and get through school
In some sort OF a fashion. whether forced
by numbers to make room, whether by
incompetence OF teachers, whether by a
faulty system. who can say?
could work this problem mentally be-
fore | was IL. never forgot II and never
shall because 1t was properly taught me.
Its solution is 80 simple as TO he absurd
Understand. | cast no aspcrsions on
BROOKLYN High School or any other high
school In particular. High schools in gen
eral, unless "A scholar is preparing FOR
college or, in the case of girls, for teach
ing, are TO my mind and experience
failures. Even high school graduate
who wishes Ia enter college must 20
through "A preparatory school in order 10
pass a college entrance examination.
venture to say ] could pick ten examples
out of the old arithmetics ] was taught
from. books We had to buy ourselves and
copies OF which still retain and treasure
and, given lOO high school pupils or grad
yates, not 40 per cent. OF the hundred
would attain proficiency of 20 per cent
or over; and think am generous IN my
estimate at that,
was high school graduate. studied
algebra, geometry, trigonometry, chem
is,ry. botany, astronomy geology ana
| lot of such. and never once In "A business
career of thirty years has anything o.
| these subjects been OF any use TO ms
| either directly or indirectly Give boy
| a thorough education, and make II thor
ough, in spelling, definitions, writing
| geography, grammar. arithmetic. and thei
| teach him a trade and you have gooC
| self-sustaning future citizen ana on
who will be credit to himself and HI:
| country Cut down on your high schools
and boost your grammar SCHOOLS lnl
| is logic from a practical man and will b'
| viewed askance by theorists and educa
tors, but to my mind does not admit o
argument The day is not far dls'an
when these Ideas will be instituted aEC
| posterlty the better for II.
| BROOKLYN, May I. PRACTICAL