Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-08-15

! virginia association, tho two meettnra
In Which tho details OF this plan were
worked out wore hold respectively at
Bryn Mawr, April. 1914. and at tho Man
NATHAN Hotel In New York. May, 1914.
NO person connected with any Virz
ginia college. Junior college. or high
scnool was present ut these Meetings.
1t necd hardly BIO said that no tunior
college was represented on tho com.
mittee that drow up tho plan. and
that no junior college seoms to have
accepted tho test. although the ono
institution that sent two students to
time received registration rs a junior
collese-through the examination and
test OF the State Board-and with no
reference to the association plan.
The Basal Error.
This rasco' OF the Virginia venture"
rs the report OF the Virginia associa-
ton calls 1t. should arouse tho serious
thought OF our people. While some
may resent tho choice of Northern COL
leses. not because they are Northern,
but because they are not Virgininn,
ana while others may resent the Idea
or the direct domination OF the col
reyes, because as interested parties
thcS cannot form an impartial court,
tho fundamental error of this attempt
at Quasi-natiOnal court OF claims is
ono that calls for clear thinking. The
advocates OF the plan, admirable In
their zeal and sincerity. and worthy
OF nll praise in their desire for high
standards. have let their idcalism run
away with them. In their zeal they
have forgotten their sociology; In thoir
idealism they have sunk their logic.
AS men cannot be made good by
legislation. so junior colleges cannot
BIO made efficient by courts OF claims.
The real progress In education in Vir-
ginia, as in New England or California
or Timbuctoo, is n mattor OF slow and
gradual growth and moderation No
sudden and drastic action of any as
ISOLATION can take the place OF tho
slow and painful evolution OF higher
standards and higher types. and the
educational uplift," like evory other
advance, Is the resultant of many CO.
operating forces.
To think that those junior colleges
may be raised to higher plane OF
efficiency save through the raising Of
the whole system of Virginia educa-
ton, is dream as beautiful but AZ
vain as were Brook Farm and tho
Pant!socracy. One has only to recall
that the University of Virginia could
not raise it's standards OF entrance
until the high schools Of Virginia were
BILE to supply students able to meet
the stricter tests. The only hope for
establishing and maintaining efficient
national standards in Virginia junior
colleges lies in applying similar ma
tonal Standa RiS in virginia grammar
schools. high schools and colleges. and
when that Is done, there will be no
need to seek expert advice and opin-
ion abroad.
Thus the logical error Is manifest,
and II may be stated as syllog!sm.
Tho advocates OF the plan seem to have
on osen tho Northern colleges to apply
their tests because they assumed that
these colleges required higher work
than the Virginia colleges. But tho
Junior colleges Of Virginia can do only
one-half the work OF the colleges OF
Virginia. Hence. II the above assump-
ton be true, the Junior colleges Of Nir-
ginia, doing only onc-half the work OF
the Virginia colleges. can not stand tho
tests for onc-half the work OF tho
Northern colleges. Either the assump-
ton Is wrong. in which case there is no
need to go out OF the State for college
expert opinion, or else this plan sets
the junior college an impossible task.
on either horn Of the dilemma the plan
falls.
The Course of study.
BY far the most interesting phase OF
the Junior college problem relates TO
the choice OF subjects and allotment of
t!me in the course OF study. But for
the belief that so technical subject
should be treated only in journals OF
education, this topic would have been
the subject OF this pnper. Certainly
there Is opportunity here for construc-