The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-01-05
EDUCATIONAL LEADER ON
THE COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS
. E. Mezes, Former President of the University Of
texas, Now President of the College of the City of
New York, Gives Views.

impossible,
Il nave been watching shortcut eX-
~periInents, for the most part in the
secondary schools in Texas, for some
twenty years. Speaking generally, the
process always seems to be the same.
Their is some new result which it is
thought wise to achieve. They make
a guess. Something is tried on a
class Of very young children and given
a years test. BY the end Of the year
it is found tina the children were too
immature to grasp anything Of value.
The next year h same thing is tried
| on the next Older class, and perhaps
here, too, it would be found that the
children were too young, and a years
effort had been wasted AS far as the
children themselves were concerned. |
"a greater intimacy with the prin-
ciples of child psychology would pre-
vent this Wasteful sort Of experiment.
There are some things which a nor
NAL child at certain stages Of its de-
velOpment cannot comprehend; he
can be led to the water, but he cannot
be made to drink. In our eagernss
for devising short cuts we forget this
We have lost a great deal Of time in
making short cuts, which in the end
prove far the longest way round"
DO you think, then, that our great
est difficulty in the educational prob
lem is with our secondary schoCls?"
was asked.
"a very great one, but not the
greatest. 1t is largely lack OF organi-
zation. We have had so many cooks
that it is not to be wondered at if the
broth is not SO very good. There are
too many people unning the second
airy schools. There is no business in
the entire country which has SO many
Directors and SO many IS
the schools. 1t is as if there were a
team of six horses with two dozen
drivers.
ut is inevitable that with innum-
: cradle plans and reforms and hobbies
the secondary schools should be over
: loaded, confused-tha reduplication
. should occur. The only remedy for
!, that is perfection of organization.
= which we can reasonably hope will
; come in time
: docs this Reputation affect the
: colleges?"
! ITO the extent that much of the
:, college work is being taken over by
the high schools-yes."
:, do o favor the plan endorsed by
President Butler!"
= "You mean that the 3. A. degree
should be conferred by the college
y after two years of work. the usual
y freshman and sophomore courses to
y be absorbed by the high schools? No
I do not.
b. During the twenty years hat
1t nave Dccu COLtcilOllS Will COllcSeS
have witnessed many e~ndeavOrS tt
effect radical changes. Often these
i changes are suggested by univerSitie'
h abroad. It is absurd to argue tina
,e what proves successful in the French
IS. or German university will bring abou
10 the same results in the American uni
ce versity. There has been here an en-
s. tirely different growth in an %entirel,
different environment.
n. THE American college is one Of tn
I'd Oldest am not sure that 1t is no
m the oldest-of our educational inst
H. needs and it is in character purel
American. Certain offshoots ma
is with profit be grated on it and in
he c~orporated into it's growth, but it
entire direction cannot be changed i
,e- a single moment. II there is to 3
or could be, it should be instituted i
nd the secondary schools"
CHI you mean that there should b
MS six grades instead Of eight, for il
IS stance?"
of Something like that. That mig1
not be the best place to make tf
Did training more compact, but somewhe1
ire along the line before the college az
is reached there should be a shorter
eff ing. based on a well-founded know
to edge Of the development Of the child
But why do we AVE SO nluo
ZEN criticism Of our colleges? Is it n,
well founded IN some respects
cry Il think IN many ways our coiieg'
IT. nave been growing better rather tha
act worse. It must be admitted tn;
of there is ground for some ~criticisr
es. but it is not always rightly directed.
"Take a concrete instance. Co
on slider the matter OF reading, Wrltln
and speaking the English languag
in The criticism has been made that Il
college graduate has not in -four yea
learned how to read i~ntelligently. tn
ell he cannot write his own langual
in with any reasonable degree or II
cts ency. promptness. and clarity OF e
lalf preston. and that his manner
we speaking it is very bad indeed.
has Undoubtedly this is true and f
,lic this the college is blamed. But
ad- must be remembered how tremen