PAPERS PRESENTED AT GENERAL SESSIONS 



meagre. And, presumably, the greater share, at h - . 

 of those who go on for further education are among the 

 better products of the high school. What level the rest 

 have attained must from inference be very low indeed. 



Of course, we must recognize that a unique feature of 

 the American High School is its comparative freedom to 

 all, regardless of financial condition. In some ways this 

 very freedom has defeated its own ends, being responsi- 

 ble in some measure for the deplorable results we have 

 just mentioned. It has brought such an overwhelming 

 crease in numbers and consequent lowering of the general 

 level of ability that standards have been forced to des- 

 cend. The large classes and the need of keeping each 

 class together have necessitated holding the brightest and 

 most eager back to the level of the slowest and dullest, 

 Our whole system seems designed for the lazy or inept 

 pupil. How much budding genius we are stifling yearly 

 I shall not even venture to guess. It is - >lemn a 



thought. But, since genius or even conspicuous talent is 

 so rare, and its contributions to the welfare of the human 

 race so precious, it is permissible to question whether a 

 poorly trained class of mediocre ability, obtained at its 

 sacrifice, is worth the price we must pay. If we believe 

 with that learned old Frenchman and staunch friend of 

 Thomas Jefferson's, Pierre Samuel era Pont, that "a 

 gle day in the life of an educated man of genius is worth 

 more to the world than the labor of a hundred thousand 

 average men for a year*', we shall agree that the price 

 indeed been very high. 



Let us now turn to the English Public School, the de- 

 tails of which are someAvhat less familiar on this side of 

 the water. It might be well to remark at the outset that 

 the schools, commonly known as "public", included, up 

 until some thirty year- nothing but distinctly pri- 



vate institutions. They were consequently residential 

 schools to which the scholars were sent, at a tender asre. 

 to remain during the greater part of their youth away 

 from home. This feature I have always regarded as one 

 of the most objectionable arrangements of the older 

 tpin. During the last thirty years, however, state-aided 

 and municipal schools have grown to a remarkable ex- 



