The Elk Mountain pilot., 1924-09-04

No' Getns Best Results Although Program is Compare
lively Easy
By CHARLES R. BAGLEY

versities 1t would be extremely difficult to find college
OF university instructor who would shake his head u-
olousy when asked the majority of the graduating
class We're trained men and The progressive
institutions are already introducing radical reforms and
throughout the country discussing plans for
giving better training to the youth of the land.
The truth is that getting the best results
Athough our program is comparatively easy, fail
make the most of it. The curriculum is low
IN comparison with that of the English French colleges
IS not the graves defect in system Both of these ma
tons do in the high school which we complete only
C ohe end OF the sophomore year in college, and their
nigh school graduates very little if any older than
ours.
young student from Paris having had a little work
beyond that shown by his high school diploma (baccaa
reat came to this country scholarship completed
the work for degree an Agrade college i'm one
years time The English university college also is about
TWO years higher than in the matter of curriculum
Most of the Rhodes scholars who go from the United
States to Oxford have the degree butt they add
of serious study the Oxford B. degree in
he Honors This shows unnecessary loss Of
time somewhere in the earlier stages of training
largely to the fact that out of group of 1000 young
people sixteen to twenty years old America sends
than three times many to college compared with
England and France. In Europe in general college edu-
cation has been for the very select few who could
for it..
The worst feature of our college work. the inexcus-
able feature which be remedied that it does not
train students to think Whatever different advo
Gates set the goal of liberal education all agree
that it should give the student background knowl-
edge and train his mind to organize this knowledge and
from it and subsequent knowledge be able produce
ideas ideas of his 1t is in the second half Of
this fundamental requirement. that system breaks
down for the majority of Only too often de-
veop the at the expense of the natural inteh
This statement is made only after careful consid
eration and comparisons based upon five years expert
student in two colleges of the United States,
year the universities of France and three years
Oxford University England plus several years expert
. Il
versity.
Placing the Trouble
When entered Oxfoud University with the A. B. de-
gree from A-class American college, found TO my
amazement and dsmay that better prepared for
study than the high school graduates coming up
the English socaled public Schools" the great
paratory schools like Rugby realized then for the
first time, that my college training had not been thor
ough; did not know how to think clearly logically
and of all, did not know how to organize and
what facts had retained from my earlier training all
these gaps in spite of the fact that had averaged 948
during years of college work back home possessed
an number of facts in bulk, but distress
ingly weak Original deductions and we'll substant
ated opinions of my This realize, is in
ctment of undergraduate system but it is neverhe
less true for average college university Scores of
Rhodes scholars from states in the Union could
testify to similar experience.
The enormous increase in numbers of college stu
dents from year year has served only aggravate
these weaknesses of our system 1t is high dag
nose the tnouble and take steps toward something bet
ter Unless something is done remedy this old siua
tion and also something done TO solve the prob
lens which the rapid increase in numbers has brought
our graduates will become and the innocent
victims of machne-ik system which leaves them with
little beyond the useless and empty title of bachelor of
arts
The graduate work in American universities is gener
ally highly satisfactory In best universities the gradu
ate work is as good better than that of any other
hv This success the main has been due to the very
features which distinguish it from undergraduate work.
namely: comparatively small numbers of students who
work individually with original thinking and careful
preston on the part of the students and with frequent
personal contact between students and their instructors
The poor undergraduate work in college, where it
sts is traceabe three main lack of thorough
training in the high school, the large percentage of in
crease in students going to college, and the
lack of supervision of the elementary particular
v those taken by students in the freshman year. From
the standpoint the college, the first two external
cases for which the college is not directly responsible
although it may protect itself against them somewhat by
entrance requirements The third is purely prob
lem for the college, of internal reform 1t is with
this supervision and direction of freshman courses that
recent reforms are largely concerned
Whenever the college the high school of poor
training the latter retaiates by saying that it is the
u of the college for laying down hard and fast require
nets Whether or not this be true, the fact remains
that large percentage of the high school graduates en-
ep college are very poorly prepared to follow the col
1T requires preparation subjects which do not
ord urinary interest the high school student
some students have primary interest in any kind Of