New-York tribune., 1919-12-18
Bright College Years
A Harvard Plea for Leader,
as Against Grinds
th. Editor of The Tribune.

TO tho Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Your editorial entitled "pubNcS
School Scholarship" in to-day's Tribune
throws such an unfavorable light upon
nrivate schools that I am forced 70
raise my voice in protest. AS your
article is based upon a Harvard publica-
ton. it may appear disloyal on my par.
to comment; but surely the manner in
which private schools make up for Their
lost scholarship should be set before n,
pubic.
The public schools supply colleges with
scholars; the private schools supply col.
leges with leaders. That is the d.stinc.
ton. Where it is abnormal for man
from private school TO win d Phi Beta
Kappa scholarship. it is also abnormal
for high school graduate to all class
Office. In the recent senior class elee.
tions eight out Of the nine officers
cbosen were from private schools. O.
the three class marshals the highes:
honor awarded Bullard came from
Andover, Church from ST. PauIs anl
Emnons from Groton.
A. present it seems in the air % Dis
parage private schools and their sy,-
TEN of education ard to cxalt .he pub
lie institutions With undue praise H.
deed. az far as individual scholarship
Is concerned, the laurel wreath goes 70
the public school; but TO tho private
school should be awarded the golden
wreath Of all-around excellency. Tia
high schools single superiority is
explicable by the fact that 70
per cent OF the undergradua.e
body-"thc great inchoate mass"
as one Harvard writer recently
called It's composed Of former high
school students Likewise, whereas e5
per cent of a graduating class q.
private school goes to colege-bo.h
bright 'uns" and "boreheads,' as the
school "specializes for defnits en-
trance examinations"-on about 40 per
cent Of graduating class at publ,
school makes its way 70 an institution
of higher learning. And shat 10 peg Ger.
is for the greater part made up Of the
most brilliant men in the class. There
fore, being in the majority in numbers
and having a higher general average o,
scholarship. the public school would bs
grossly at fault unless it did take the
lead in the college classroom.
But on entering college ali men mus,
choose one of two wavs-one leading 70
the fame of "outside interests the
other TO the shrine OF thin-lippea wis
dom. The high school boy generally
buries himself in dark corner. and tor
four gray, dusty years digs away un-
known at his books. He IS net heard o.
until class day-then only through tie
"summa magma laude" in his diploma
He passes out OF college. tired and
worn, with no new friends and his heai
stuffed with the prime essential Of edu-
cation''-textb9ok knowledge. On the
other hand, the man from the private
school throws himself into the rapid cur
rent of college activities outside the
classroom. such as athletics publications,
dramatics and so forth lie make
many friends. He joins cubs He
soeks himself thoroughly in the Joyous
spirit OF college life. And at the same
time he carries on his lessons as hes
he can. He realizes that book knowledge
is not the most important thing in lie
And he leaves college with real back
ground of culture drawn from the foot
ball field as we'll as the lecture hall
At every college there are two dis
tinct classes-the "grinds," who hide
their light under bushel until gradaa-
ton; the leaders who soak up life
as they go along and in the end emerge
wiser, broader, though perhaps not more
scholarly. men.
Which is the better? Choose,
A HARVARD SENIOR.
Cambridge. Mass. Dee. -. 1919.