Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-09-30
YOUTH ENTERS OGLETHORPE
IN EDUCATION EXPERIMENT.
Intellectual World Watches
Atlanta Boys Progress.
May Mean Elimination of
Time Standard

AS the doors of Oglethorpe uni
Versty swung open last Wednesday
for the 1924-25 session, there walked
through the academic doors the
youngest college matriculate in the
history Of the institution and proba
bly, any other southern university
of the rank of Oglethorpe.
Little Arthur Gottesman, ten
years old, son of Mr.. and Mrs.
Frank Gottesman, 223 Washington
street, entered with the "shining
morning face" made immortal by
William Shakespeare, but totally
without walking unWillingly," as
did the Avon bards anonymous
youth.
Arthur represents one of the most
interesting experiments that ever
has been tried in the field Of Ameri-
can education. Oglethorpe, with the
other standard colleges of Georgia,
is rigid in her entrance require
ments. All students entering the
university from Georgia are re-
quired to present a diploma from an
accredited high school or else stand
an examination for entrance.
Little Arthur Gottesman is NOT a
graduate of an accredited h12h
school and he has not stood the US
ual type of examination, officials OF
the university say, but he has been
admitted to Oglethorpe as special
case in order to test principe
which MANY educators believe will
revolutionize education in America,
for Arthur recently stood an exam
iration covering severe Intelligence
tests and his mark was 1874, or "a
points above the average.
High Intelligence Record
This is believed by Oglethorpe Of
ficials to be the highest intelligence
record ever made in Atlanta by any
student and is one of the highest
ever made in America.
On recommendation of Wesley
Peacock, head of the Peacock
school, who, in company with
number of noted educators, appheu
the tests to the boy, DR.. IhornWeh
Jacobs, president of Oglethorpe, mas
invited Arthur to allow the experl-
ment to be made, determlnlng
whethe ra boy of ten years, physic-
alIv, who has proven hlmsef 10 De
a how of nineteen mentally, can car
w the studies of the Freshman class
ir a standard college.
The course to be taken by Arthur
will include freshman Enghsh, 1fesh-
man history, freshman economies
freshman German, freshman french
and freshman Bible, which Is
study of the Old Testament.
"He will be shown no faVors ov
anv member Of the faculty. Or.
Jacobs stated, "but the results or
the experiment will be most care
fI,llv noted not only on the campus
At Oelethorpe university, but
tfrouehout the whole educational
world"
In discussing this unusual case
DR.. Jacobs says:
perhaps the greatest complaint
made against our public scnool sys-
tenn in the past has been that lnol-
vidual excellence was consistently
submerged in great ocean OIL
mediocrity. Seated side by SIDE III
+ha same classroom and kept there
wear after year may be two Students
ore of whom is an intellectual race
horse and the other an intellectual
tortoise.
1lnle SbdHudIu Il iVtSo'Su
"Manv protests have been regis
tered against measuring educatlon
bv the time standard. Even in the
colleges the application OF severe
rrles COMPRISING all the minds OF
the school into the same form ana
mold has been too frequent. Many
educators are in rebellion against
this form of compulsory uniformity
should Arthur be able to carry
his studies successfully at Ogle'
thorpe he will furnish classic IL
lustra ton in favor of those who con-
tend that mental ability and no.
rkvsicaI age should be the standard
tor scholastic advancement.
Young Gottesman has been an oo-
iect of wonder to educators IN the
citv from the time he entered lne
third grade of the Georgia Avenue
school at the age of six. He remain
ed in the fourth grade an entire
wear. but completed the NTH grace
work in two weeks. lie remalhe'
in the sixth grade year and com
melted the seventh grade WORK III
four and one-half months.
He attracted wide attention Wheh
he entered Boys High school last
wear. and it is a matter OF record IN
the school that he handled the hlgn
school curriculum easily.
In his personal habits he is normal
in every regard, taking an interest
in things which appeal to every
youngster of ten. There is nothing
abnormal in his life save his pulling
ability to master subjects of study
in ipcredihlV short time,