Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-12-30
DR.. R. {. THOMPSON
| DEFENDS CLASSICS
President of Central High
School Says Latin and Greek
Most Essential
HE is SOON TO RETIRE

81 regard Greek and Latin still as
the most essential studies ~ school cur.
ricula. Our institutions Of lcnrutnG
deem TO be Interested less in educating
the young than III teaching them a trndo
land there is a deal VI difference be
tween the two.
Dir. Robert Ellis Thompson. who Is
soon to be retired because Of old age,
after some twenty seven years service
as president of the Boys Central High
School. and who has been spirited
educator in this city since lS6', rose
bltely stands by the hunanitio~.
He seemed snail and very old in his
roomy Office at the south cud Of the
Broad and Green streets building liui
he seemed very wise, too. and the Who.v.
some crows feet Mt his ewes wrinkled
and vanished. wrinkIed and vanished, a.
His lively and Characteristic irish M
rhor played in and out of his thinking.
Has Extraordinary Mentality
The large room still carricd the chill
Of the night, and the educator, WHO -
as mentally active as only IN cNtrgor-
binary man can be. snt at his long table.
elbows resting before hin. wrapped IN
his heavy black greatcoat.
"Rig business men are bearing t">t.-
nony in favor Of the claosic>, u" said.
"Mr. Converse. Alba johnson aud
others are strongly on the classical side.
But we are giving more industrial
training and manual training here than
commercial training. And while the
humber of students taking the classical
and Latin scientific courses is smaller
than the number taking the trade
courses, the classical and Latin sclcn-
1. L.;
Doctor Thompson reached into his
trousers pocket and pulled out three
pennies and three nickcls Tie toycd
with them on the table and placed them
in two piles \ twinkle crcpt into his
eye.
'''You know, students are good bit
noisier than they used to be. he smiled.
"They talk so loud and make such a
general racket, il must be that they are
allowed to do it at home. However, they
are as industrious as they ever were.
We make them Industrious he added,
and smiled again.
On the whole. they are little better
then they used to be. High school in
the old days used to be pretty much Of
o beer garden. There seemed 10 be moro
rascality in the old days. They used
to advertise in the newspapers for
bartender and have the applicants nrc-
sent themselves in certain room in
certain building. which always hap
pened to be Doctor ChriStine'S room in
the high school building. They used
to bring a gOose to school aud set him
loose at the top of the stairs to waddlc
whittier he listed Sometimes they
brought in a capnonball and let tn"
ball roll and bump down from tho tor
Of the building to the bottom. All that
was cleared away pretty effectively.
Doctor Thompson took off his glasses.
which set well down on his nose, and
laid them on the table.
II came to this country in lST and
Invent to the Hancock School and later
TO the old Harrison School on Master
street. In 1888 | entered high school
along with Doctor Morrison. who is re-
tiring as president of Northeast, but
left afterr one day, because they 7couid
give me the necessary preparation to
epter college. | graduated from the
Classical Academy on Dean street,
which is now Camac, ] think, below
locust, after studying under Dr. John
w. Ferries for two an Il half years.
/ graduated from the University of
Pennsylvania in 1860 with first honors
Second honors went to Edward T.
Bartlett, afterward dean of the Episco-
pal Divinity School, and :hird honors
to Henry Reed, afterward judy Reed.
l studied theology in the Reformed
Presbyterian Seminary and was licensed
to preach.
In 1865 | returned from the West,
where | had been preaching. and was
made teacher of Latin and mathematics
as the University Later ] occupied
the chair of political economy and won
some distinction as II representative Of
the economic system of Henry 7. Carey
and of the policy of protection of home
industry. On this subject | lccturcd by
appointment Mt Harvard, at Yale and
at Swarthmore, On invitation from the
students / lcctured at Amherst Cornell,
Bfyn Mawr and other schools,
Removed From University Chair
i'In 1892 | was removed from the
chair of political economy and no reason
given, by vote of twenty one trustees
to three. In 1893 I assumed the presl-
dency of the high school after having
refused the appointment twice because
/ did not especially desire an executive
position
'Since my presidency ! have seen the
faculty of the school increase from
twenty eight> men to 100 and the at
tendance uRe students from d76 to
nearly 2400. In addition to the aca p
demic and Latin scientific courses we
have since established the commercial
manual training and industrial courses.
The original area of 1872 square miles
from which the school drew its students
has been cut down by the establishment
of high schools in the northeast, south
and west Philadelphia and in German
town and Frankford, aud still the at
tendance has increased to five times
what it was in 1894 49,.
Besides educational work. have
been journalist without interruption
sihce 1866 and have taken lively in
terest in the claims of Ireland TO self
government and have spoken on the
subject in several campaigns.
P'What am | going to do when leave
here|' The doctor shook his head
somewhat sadly. II don't know. Per.
hfrs write Il little, ] must alway,
wtifa -