Evening star., 1933-09-17
BY HAYDN S. PEARSON.
1 T a recent convention Of secon-
\ Diary school officials and teach

~
II ers, one of the speakers made
4 \ this surprising statement: II
the depression will only last
long enough, we shall have real sec
pndary education in this Nation. The
colleges will be forced to toss overheard
their hoary and moss-bound require
ments which have no connection with
this modern age. Then with the secon-
Diary schools, freed of the necessity of
pounding useless mathematics. too much
Latin and too many foreign languages
into the brightest proposition of our
school population, We can devote our
energies to educating the future lead
. ers of the Nation in those subjects
which will be of lifelong benefit"
No one can say exactly how much in
fluence the economic trouble has had
In liberalizing college entrance require
ments all over the Nation. It certainly
has had large influence. AS admis-
sions have dropped off, the officials
have had to solve the problem of keep
ing their educational plants in running
order.
Tests Begun Before Depression.
But 1t would not be fair to ascribe
the liberaliZing DEGREES entirely to this
factor, for before the depression started
many college educators were convinced
its purpose. Many colleges were expert
menting with different plans of admis-
sion. College men as well as secondary
field men knew that the subject re-
quirements Of century ago had no
correlation with modern conditions
When the purpose of a college was to
turn out three groups doctors, lawyers
and ministers-there was some reason
in the subjects required.
Tn6o tofn ~ i,,t1
the countless field of endeavor opened
up by our complex social scheme
Hence for a generation there has been
agitation by forward-looking educators
for new type of college education. cul-
tural plus practical training which
would provide more adequately for the
new situation.
The depression hastened the process
To the writer's knowledge there are
only three college in the country which
now require Latin for admission ap-
proximately half the colleges will accept
two years of mathematics, in place of
the traditional four years requirement.
One or two years of foreign language,
German, French or Spanish, will admit
to nine-tenths Of the grade A colleges.
SeIective System Tried.
This Fall the six leading women's
colleges are lnaugurating an epochal ex-
pertinent. From certain designated high
and preparatory schools they are ac-
cepting students recommended by the
principal as college material" The
principals will base their Judgment on
the pupils scholastic ability, all-around
social qualities, character and serious
ness OF purpose. This group of students
will be watched and checked It is a
significant omen of the future when
scholastic ability alone will play minor
instead of major part.
1t means happier day for secondary
education in this country Thus, we
have this Summer statement from
Phillips Academy. Andover, Mass. ira
ditional stronghold of the Greek and
Roman classics, that no longer is Latin
compulsory subject for all
Less than a month after his election
as head master DR.. Claude NJ Fuess
announced the new Andover PLAN"
liberalizing the course of study and
breaking with long established policies.
DR.. Fuess points out that only one i'm
portant college in the East now re-
quireS Latin for admission.
Increased emphasis is to- be placed
on study Of the physical and eco
nomic world in which we live" Re-
quirements in mathematics have been
changed so that trigonometry and
sorry.
Curriculum Outlined.
There will be four years of history;
the first, ancient second, modern Eu-
ropean; third. English; fourth, Ameri-
can plus civil government. economics
and current events. Much more gen.
be courses in appreciation in the fine
arts: architecture, music and paint
ing. There will be little stress on
preparation for colleges as the chief
purpose of secondary education.
The new era represents great op-
portunity to leaders of secondary edu-
cation who have long maintained that
there could be no real education as
long as the colleges insisted on futile
language and mathematics require
mentS.
Now the principals Of the 1880 high
schools of the Nation are enthusiastic
caly revising their curriculums to fit
the opportunity. The social studies
which have heretofore been kept in
the background will assume much
larger proportion of time Secondary
leaders could not devote much empha-
sis to history geography. economics,
civics government and current events
if the pupils had to pass Latin and
mathematics.
One of the peculiarly disheartening
aspects of the old situation has been
that the boys and girls who were going
to college and who would logically be-
come the future leaders of society
could not take the subjects which pre-
pare for life in this modern age. Their
time and energy were limited by the
subjects required for entrance into
the higher institutions of learning.
On the other hand. pupils in the COM
mercial and general courses had time
for these subjects, but they were on the
whole not so capable as the college. I
do not mean to infer that the education
OF the first two groups is not as impor-
tant as the college groups. In this
democracy each citizen has but one
vote.
Colleges Produce Leaders.
But most thinking people will agree
that We need leaders first of all, and
most of the leaders come from the col
lege groups of pupils
The greatest single progress Of educa
tion today is to bring to the pupils a
realization of the world today. Never
in history have so many problems pre-
Sented themselves for solution. The
tragedy of education in the past has