German Imperial Government, realizing that all the boys, even of its selected group, will not be able to finish the course, and understanding the dangers of aiming all at the graduate when 75 per cent fall by the way, has encouraged pupils to remain in school until certain points, placing a reward for the completion of that amount of work. The German boy who passes the examination at the close of Untersekunda is required to serve but one year in the army. The Arrété of 1902, reorganizing the French secondary schools, recognized the same principle, and instituted a break in the course at the same age. Boys dropping out in these schools at this point, have completed a study of the history of the world, with special reference to their native land; have come into direct contact with the great masters of the ancient and modern world; have completed three and sometimes as much as six years' work in two modern languages; have mastered the fundamentals of arithmetic, algebra and geometry, and have had good training in science. The work of the boys who go on is largely the supplementation and expansion of the work that has gone before. It must be admitted that this system is not universally successful. In final essence, the course is planned for the graduate. The boy who drops out is ill prepared for the life he is to lead, probably less well prepared than those in this country. The reason lies, not in the school, but different social conditions.

5

It is a safe deduction, however, that American boys, working under a cycle system, would probably be better prepared than they are at present. Fifty per cent of those who drop out in the foreign schools, drop out at one time. Some such plan might effect the constant elimination in our schools. In estimating the number of boys in each class of the high school, Thorndike found that with a first year class of 100, the other classes would average 63, 44 and 30. Ayres's computation was lower yet, being 100, 48, 35 and 25. Strayer's estimate was in between.

' Russell, German Higher Schools, N. Y., 1905, p. 174. Farrington, French Secondary Schools, N. Y., 1910, p.146.

Taking the figures from the Report of the Commissioner of Education for 1913, the returns from the South Atlantic and South Central states are as follows: for every 100 in the first year classes of the public secondary schools, there were 74, 39 and 21 in the other classes; for the private secondary schools the figures are 100, 77, 55 and 41; the inference being that if a parent has money enough to pay tuition for a boy, he has strength of purpose enough to keep him in school. From one-fourth to one-half of the students in the secondary schools of the United States leave high school with a small knowledge of elementary English, a little ancient history, algebra to quadratics, and the ability to say mensa, mensae, mensae, etc. Not more than twofifths, and often as low as one-fifth pursue languages, mathematics, science and history far enough to have it mean anything. The early introduction of subjects and the "Cycle System" effect great economy in Germany and France. Shall a similar system be introduced into the United States?

Of the great nations of the world, Japan, Canada and the United States are unique in that the secondary schools depend upon the elementary for preparation. In Canada, entrace examinations are required for admission to high schools; in Japan, only the brightest boys are allowed to continue. Elementary education has been for the masses; secondary education for the classes; and it is upon this as a tradition that our schools were founded. There is nothing in our development to foster the articulation of the elementary school and the high school. This connection in our country is not close. Mal-adjustment is indicated by the 35 per cent that drop out during the first year. Over a hundred high school principals gathered together agreed that the most knotty problem facing them was provision for that ill assorted, diversely prepared, mature and immature group of boys representing the first year class. Surroundings are strange. They are new to the type of work. They are not accustomed to being moved from class to class. They do not know what to do with a study period, and often never learn. They are accustomed to have the

next day's assignment written on the board.

sea.

They are at

Further, the work of the seventh and eighth grades is too often poorly done. Problems of discipline are severe; the subject matter is too diversely difficult for one individual thoroly to master. The whole year of the eighth grade is often spent in review. The agitation for departmental work, junior high schools, vocational schools and part time work, the fact that the elimination in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades is very high, and the curious result often shown in practise that six, seven, or eight years of work seem to make but little difference in the end, point to a waste of time here.

The world blames the college, the college the high school, the high school the grammar school, the grammar school the primary grades, the primary grades the kindergarten, and the kindergarten the wide world that has sent that type of children. The unfortunate thing is that each shifts the responsibility, and that there is a new start at each transition. This is particularly true of the attitude of the high school toward the elementary school.

We are face to face with a triple problem: (1) how may we more closely articulate the elementary and the high school; (2) how may we improve the work of the upper grades to effect a saving of time; and (3) how may we make more adequate provision for that great group which is forced to drop out of school? The answer lies in the downward extension of the high school, in the introduction of the six-and-six plan or one of its modifications closing the elementary school at the fifth or sixth grade, and providing different types of work for varied interests and needs. The break will come before the onset of the adolescent period, in the majority of cases. It will provide training in one institution for a number of years. It will furnish opportunity for adequate provision for different groups of students, making for our ideal of equality of opportunity, remembering that equality of opportunity does not mean identity of opportunity. It will admit of the early intro

duction of important subject matter. It will mean that more can be accomplished at an early age; and an early age means a great deal when children are leaving school. Our greatest problem is not what we can do for the college graduate. It is what we can do for the children who are forced to become wage earners at an early age. The downward extension of the high school, and the earlier provision of differentiated courses, will provide a little more finished knowledge for the group who leave school early; and by giving point to the work and aiming it at the probable lives of the various groups of pupils it will encourage attendance at school. When the high school course is split into two periods of three years each, it ought to encourage children to remain until the breaking points It is not advocated that we extend the present high school work over a period of six years. It is proposed that we push it forward and complete it earlier. A boy ought to make twenty to twenty-two units in six years. If we still wish to prepare for entrance to the freshman class of college, and still effect economy in the whole system, we ought to be able to do it in five years at least, beyond six elementary grades; justifying the six-and-five plan, or the seven-andfour of the South, providing that the work is better done. It may be objected that boys of twelve or thirteen are too young to start serious work. German and French boys of that age are already reading Nepos and Caesar, and are solving propositions in geometry. Modern language work is greatly facilitated by an early beginning. Dr. King found that of the boys who entered the Iowa high schools, those thirteen years of age had the best chance of graduation, and Dr. VanDenburg found the same thing. This argument is complicated by the factor of selection, a just inference being that boys who were bright enough to enter high school at thirteen, were bright enough to carry the work easily. If boys are going to need a cultural education as a foundation for professional life, I can see no reason why they should not start it earlier. This topic is worthy of investigation and discussion.

It would be possible for us, however, to improve the mechanics of our administration and the organization of our course of study, and still effect no great economy, if our methods of teaching show no improvement. The easiest source of economy, yet the most intangible, lies here. We should have to convince no superintendent, win over no school board, change no course of study, and yet effect great economy, if teachers would only teach in a more efficient way. In certain features of method, the foreign schools excel.

The recitation, roughly, is divided into three parts, a review of the previous work, consideration of the topic for the day and the assignment or consideration of the next day's lesson. The teacher speaks slowly and distinctly. There is no repetition. But one thing is taken up at a time, and that little is done well. In the assignment, usually fifteen minutes in length, according to the estimate of one observer, the lesson is covered carefully, mistakes guarded against, pitfalls pointed out, the problem carefully outlined and explained. Everything is made ready for close and efficient work at home. This, of course, saves a great deal of the pupil's time, and is at bottom one of the chief reasons why the German boys are able to carry so many hours of recitation per week. With our present system of page assignment and of recitation meaning the reciting of lessons learned at home, I doubt if it would be possible for our pupils to prepare more work at home. Bright pupils usually spend from three hours for first year work, to four or five for senior work, if no lessons are slighted. Dull pupils, I suppose, get discouraged and stop before that time. I do not claim that the German assignment is the best possible. Far from that! But it is better than the take-the-next-sixty-lines plan in vogue in our schools. In general, in the schools of the United States, there is no such thing as an assignment, meaning by that term the first step in good mental work.

The chief element in method economy effected by the German schools, lies in the correlation of subject matter.·