Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1920-04-06
ARTICLE XXVI.-By j. II. Binns

Oxford, Eng, March 13.
In new country. where COM
plete system of education must be
built from the ground up, it is a
much simpler problem to produce a
workable system than in a place
wheer older units must be coordi-
mated and supplemented. That.
should judge, is the reason why the
school system of Washington is the
best in the United States. Other
countries and other states had made
many instructive errors before our
system was started. England is at
the present time making a strong
and intelligent effort to produce a
consistent and efficient school sys-
TEN. The obstcales in her way are
almost entirely the obstacles which
tradition has raised. 1t is remark
able. to my mind, that in the very
darkest days of the war the govern
ment took the matter in hand and
made it a prominent plank of it's re-
constructive platform. Indeed the
education scheme is perhaps the one
place where the nation is in almost
complete agreement with the Lloyd
George government.
The first and greatest obstacle in
the way of a truly national system of
education in this country is the class
idea. 1t is tradition that no one
sends his children to a national
school who can afford to send them
elsewhere. In America the whole
community is interested in the COM
mon schools because everybody
children go to them. Here the chill
dren of well-to-do parents usually
| start in a private school. Later the
girls go to boarding school and the
boys to what is called a public
school, 1t. too, is boarding school.
The larger ones have 500 or more
students, and the boys lead much the
same life as in a college. except that
their studies are more closely super
vised Some of these 'public"
schools are very old, and most of
them very expensive. 1t is obvious
that they do not fill the great need.
National schools have existed in
England for nearly hundred years.
and education has been compulsory
since 1870. yet when the government
came to revise the school laws in
1918, it found two serious evils
which impaired the efficiency of the
whole system. One of these was the
custom of permitting children of
school age to do half-time work; the
other was the marking time system.
that is, if facilities were insufficient.
only the brightest of the children
ready for promotion would go for
ward. The others would be held
back for term or more. Both of
these evils have been abolished by
statute.
Another excellent feature intro
duced by the new law is the estab-
lishment of scholarships for pupils
of high school age who cannot 9TH
erwise afford to go on. Books and
tuition are free to all. and the schol-
arship defrays part of the students
living expenses.
One of the first impressions of an
American visiting an English school
is that the children are much better
behaved than in our schools. The
same is true of them on the streets
and in their homes. They are quiet
and we'll behaved. yet seem full of
life and spirit. Undoubtedly the dis
cipline in the schools and in the bet
ter homes is stricter than is usual
among our easy-going people. yet
that does not seem to account for all
the difference. 1t is more a matter
lieve that discipline of any kind could
make the average American child
quiet on the streets. nor should ],
want him to be. In fact, the discip-
linary methods here sometimes seem
over-severe. At one school which we
visited recently, little boy made the
mistake of reciting his lesson in com
plex sentences instead of simple ones.
The teacher was much annoyed. and
declared that if there weren't visitors
present he would give him a good
Gaming. The youngster was scared
stiff, so we know the danger was a
real one.
The separation OF boys and girls in