90 On the Campus 



records show that young people reach the University at 

 the average age of eighteen and one-half years ; and while 

 the University is of course undoubtedly part and parcel 

 of our system of common schools, nevertheless in its 

 nature it must be always of immediate use to only a small 

 fraction of our school population, and its enrollment at 

 any particular time is negligible in our present examina- 

 tion. It is in general safe to say that enrollment ceases 

 for a large number of our children near the age of 

 eighteen. 



To make my meaning perfectly clear, suppose we as- 

 sume our school population today to be 770,000, and ad- 

 mit that of this number 270,000 are not enrolled, this 

 large shortage will be found to include: 



1. Those attending private schools; perhaps 50,000. 



Statistics. 



2. Those between five and seven years, not yet entered, 



10,000. Estimate. 



3. Those between sixteen and twenty-one years, gain- 



fully employed, 100,000. Statistics. 



4. Those between sixteen and twenty-one years, in the 



service of the home, in house or field, 100,000. 

 Estimate. 



5. Those really neglected, perhaps, 10,000. Estimate 



based on statistics. 



Here the failure can be attributed to the schools only 

 in that parents have not been so affected by them as not 

 to conform in full to the more beneficent provisions of 

 the law. The statute makes the age limits five to twen- 

 ty-one ; the judgment of parents runs from six or seven 

 to sixteen or seventeen; and the difficulty is passed on 

 from generation to generation. 



