The sun., 1917-01-22
Modern School to Have Ele-
mental and Two High
School Departments.
WILL BE BUILT UP
FROM LOWER CLASSES
Pupils Who Enter as Begin
ners to Have Benefit of
Full Course.

The Modern School. founded by the
Rockefeller endowed General Education
Eoard for the purpose of reforming
present day courses and methods in the
teaching Of children, will open next
fall at the beginning OF the school year
Of Columbia University. DR.. Abraham
Flcsner. whose theories, together with
those Of DR.. Charles w. Eliot, will be
tested cautiously hut thoroughly. an
nounced yesterday further details of the
plan. which has excited much interest
and discussion among educators and by
the public generally.
AT the outset" said DR.. FIexner.
"the test will be made with an elemen-
tary school of six classes, a Junior high
school OF three grades and a senior high
school of three grades. 1t may be that
at the very beginning of the test this
fall We will start with only the first
three elementary grades and one or two
OF the Junior high school grades. The
initial enrolment will be about seventy
fve children under IL or perhaps 10
years Of age.
Will Accept Children Only.
No older classes will be accepted be-
cause 1t is the purpose of the school to
NIL the older grades by promotion from
the lower grades. In other words. tn.
experiment Is to be made as pure as
possible We will develop in accordance
with our own theories material for the
senior high school.
The tuition fee has not been fixed
IT will be. however very reasonable The
he matter Is merely one of the multi
mdinous details that are yet to be
worked out. So far We have engaged
merely the director OF the school, DR..
Otis W. Caldwell. but many teachers
are under consideration as possibilities
for the Modern School staff"
Among the educators who expressed
70 THE Sun yesterday their cordial in
dorsement OF the test to he made were
Prof Franklin II. Giddings of the
sociological department of Columbia :
President Sidney E. Mezes OF the City
College, Samuel s. Drury. rector of St
Pauls School at Concord. n. H.. and H.
9. Buehler. headmaster of the Hotchkiss
School at Lakeville, Conn.
VIII Aid Gary Plan.
1.-THE confidence which has been
svinced in the plan.' said Prof. Giddlngs.
will have a far reaching effect. 1t will
create new confidence in the wisdom OF
trying out the Gary plan in the public
schools. Anything of that kind will
nave TO make its way by demonstratir,s
mat 1t Is good. I want to see II fairly
tred out The Gary plan offers hope
tul possibilities in solving many prob
lens in the education of children. To-
day in this city we cannot provide
enough buildings to give the children a
thorough education along these lines.
The new school will help toward the dis
covery of ability. | agree with Flexner
with certain limitations l believe that
the teaching of the classics is beneficial
to some individuals. / am. however, a
strong believer in the benefits of OUTSIDE
environment. The plan of the school
VIII he splendid thing OF course for
every child"
President Mezes thought the whole
nation ought to be congratulated on the
establishment of the new Rockefeller
school
Ultimately" he said, "the light will
ne thrown on better methods of teaching
me classics, for ! feel no apprehension
that damage will be done to the contn-
uance Of the classics. Anything so i'm
portant as Latin and Greek will stand
any amount OF test. One of the benefits
OF Latin IL an essential background for
an understanding of correct use of other
languages The new plan will throw
light. also, upon many other allied SUBJ
jects.
VIII Compare Methods.
Hundreds of new ideas which have
merely been discussed will now be dem
onstrated and thereby clarified. Chill
dren receiving the benefits Of the new
school can be compared with children
who have been educated In other schools
Important data can thereby be made
available. During more primitive days
boys spent six months of the year work.
ing in blacksmith shops or on the farm.
AZ that time people were not conscious
OF the benefit of this environment outside
me school, To-day we are beginning to
see the need OF education derived outside
the school room
THE plans for the new school are thus
conscious reverting to primitive meth
ods. Though the benefits of the work.
shop were not realized years ago we
have proof Of their importance when we
cite the lives Of many great men who
are products of such well rounded edu-
cation"
DR. Drury OF 81. Paurs School. greatly
impressed by the general boards an
hounc"ment. telegraphed from Concord :
Tie plan TO test DR.. Flexner's and
President Eliot's new curriculum is ad-
mifdhle II should he welcomed and
watched by all persons who feel restive
under our present classical heritage.
Though sumo OF DR.. Fiexner's recon-
mcndatons are novel and seem theoreti-
cal the proposed scholastic laboratory,
blessed with the technical perfection
available through the General Education
Board, is bound TO shed light upon the
general problems OF present day educa-
'ion and will benefit many schools
where some OF the findings of such a
aeeled experiment will surely be put
INTO operation"
Hcadmastcr Buehler OF the Hotchltiss
School is not altogether convinced that
an educational millennium Is to come
through the general boards experiment.
Ills view Is as follows:
Il rejoice to hear that the General
Education Board has resolved to test
certain recent educational theories by
an experiment under capable supervision
and supported by abundant funds These
Continued on Seventh Pa0s.