Evening star., 1927-05-03
Press Discusses Education
and Remedies Are Debated

General discussion has followed re-
cent statements by educators reflect.
ing upon the average college student
OF the present time. Most widely
quoted i5 the statement of President
w. II. p. Faunce of Brown University
that 80 per cent of the youth of the
Nation who plan to enter college next
Fail would do better to give it up and
enter the business world instead /"
Some newspapers are disposed to seek
a remedy in the college themselves
rather than condemn large percent.
age OF the students as failures.
we doubt If it is always altogether
the fault Of the student" says the St.
Paul Pioneer Press. Does tho stu.
dent always find in the instruction
offered the answer to his individual
needs?" continues the Pioneer Press.
Educators are well aware that there
is room for improvement IN our educa.
tfonal systems. They know that the
ideal of individual and personal in.
struction, fulfilling the particular
needs Of each student, is impossible in
our great colleges and universities,
with their thousands of students and
large classes. But that Is a problem
which they hope some day to soivc,"
How many of DR.. Faunce's so Der
cent Of failures were in collegs be.
cause Of personal eagerness for intel.
lectual benefit, and how many were
sent there by parents for other rea.
sons?" asks the Pittsburgh Sun, which
feels lit Is very possible that to the
latter class most Of the failures be-
longed. Pointing out that DIR.
Faunce's list of failures would include
those who were dropped, the Sun con-
cludes: Thus the colleges are en-.
gagged in the wedding. out process.
made doubly necessary by the over.
crowding of those institutions. The
result will be better selection. At
present most will agree with DIR.
Faunce that the trouble Is not so
much that we are sending too many
boys to college, but that we are send.
Ing too many of the wrong kind of
boys"
Citing the assumption that 'institu.
tions supported by public funds should
have something to offer the average
young person whom our system has
qualified to enter them" the San
Diego Union suggests: This assump.
ton may be mistaken. Perhaps it is
worth the public's money to support
institutions which are suited only for
special needs and very special types
of persons. But IL that is true there
still seems to be real defect in the
system, for the educational machin-
cry should include some provision for
wedding out the unfit in manner less
wasteful and less tragic than The trial.
and-error method pictured by DIR.
Faunce. We demand that
our educational system appear to hold
open the door OF equal opportunity.
A large part of our secondary educa-
tion is devoted to the special business
of fitting young people for college,
not because all youngsters are equally
capable, but because all have an equal
right to enjoy the opportunity their
taxpaying parents provide. Yet the
scheme doesn't work. Why not?"
DR.. Faunce's statement that 'men
are not alike, whereas our traditional
college courses are very much alike,
is challenged by the Columbus Eve
ming Dispatch with the statement
that at is hard to understand just
what college president means today
when he asserts that our traditional
college courses are very much alike.
One of the striking facts of American
college life today" the Dispatch adds.
''is that Il group Of recent graduates,
even of the same class. Is apt to find
that scarcely two of them have fol.
lowed closely parallel paths in the
subjects chosen and the men under
whom they studied This very lack of
homogeneity in study is one of the
main reasons why the talk of college
men in recent years when they chance
TO meet is so largely on matters OF
athletics"
| X X X X
| Agreeing with the conclusions of
| DR.. Faunce, the Dayton Daily News
advises: Glance through any one OF
| the humorous publications issued by
| the students of most American col.
| leges and you will have discovered the
purpose for which a great many enter
! college, ripping good time without
parental surveillance. = . 1t haA