The sun., 1919-07-13
Problem of American
Higher Education in It's
After the War Aspect

| examination which would follow the
completion of their studies. The thing
| that has kept English students hardest
| at work has been the university exam
nation, where papers were set by skilled
men who had no direct responsibility
for the students teaching. Such ex-
aminations at oxford or Cambridge give
rise to as keen a student competition as
ever existed on the football field or the
river, and make study a dominant in
tercst with good students instead Of an
| incidental one. The college board ex-
| aminations In this country, with all
their faults. have had a decided effect in
making pupils in preparatory schools
take an active responsibility for their
| work. When our colleges have offered to
| accept certificates on some subjects and
require examinations on others. the chief
objittion has come from the teachers in
| the subjects where We were ready to
accept certificates. They have said
| frankly that this would constitute a dis
elimination against them, because the
| pupil would do all his work on the SUBJ
jects in which he was going to be ex-
amined
A second means for securing coopera-
ton between parents pupils and teach
ers, adopted by nearly every country
| except our own, Is the imposition of
| OF tho public school system. During the
years in which we require school at
| tendance of every child the teaching
| must, of course, be free. But when It
| comes to advanced training, and par
| ticularly to technical training, we are
| warranted in making a charge-not for
| the sake OF the revenue thus produced,
| but for the sake of the efficiency Of
teaching thus obtained. The require
ami ~ INT In hn MOI ~
| of the public school system will tend to
| secure intelligent choice Of courses on
| the part Of the pupil, and cooperation,
| both from the pupil and from his parents.
| in making the work OF the laboratory
and classroom effective. II 1t appears
that a pupil cannot afford to pay
J tuition fee he must show that he Is
entitled to its remission by maintaining
specially high standard OF scholar
| ship. BY thus combining advanced classes
to pupils who are really anxious to
get the good of the work teaching can
be made much more effective. We can
| give more technical training at less ag-
gregate cost and can maintain the
standard of a teachers salary and the
| dignity of a teachers position in better
| relation to that of other professions
than we have done heretofore.
A third suggestion for reform con-
Germs our graduate schools. We must
| find some means OF regulating an indis-
| criminate competition which results in
| multiplying specialists In subjects for
| which there is no considerable or elastic
demand In other countries division of
labor between universities Is recognized
as a legitimate and natural thing. Each
strengthens itself in the speciality in
which 1t Is already strong; each is con-
| tent to let others develop the lines in
which 1t is comparatively weak. IL we
can once get through the public mind a
| realization that II is more important for
| a school to teach well the things that
| II does teach than to teach every subject
for which few individual pupils may
happen to ask. we can deal with this
situation effectively. The large founda-
| tons not connected with any particular
| university should be able to help us
greatly In this matter by distributing
their researches and their research fell
lows among different institutions in ac-
cordance with some preconceived plan.
This will mean real naturalization of
our educational system not the sort of
naturalization which is involved in i'm
posing one scheme or method Of instruc-
ton upon everybody, but that which
comes from apportioning the work to
those who are likely to do It best. and
leaving each group OF men as free as
| possible to do 1t in their own way.
If We can grasp these great economic
| principles affecting education, the high
| cost of living may prove to be a blessing
in disguise to the teaching profession
by compelling the public to face the
problem OF national education in its en-
tirety as part Of the great problem of
national efficiency.
And what will become OF the college
life of older days. amid all these
| ~ 4, l.