16993

DETAILED VIEW OF PRIVATE SECONDARY SCHOOLS.

The detailed statistics of endowed academies, seminaries, and other private schools are presented in Table 42, Divisions A, B, and C. As a means of affording a somewhat clearer conception of the variety and scope of secondary institutions special statements of several are here presented, together with brief notices of certain other instrumentalities for the promotion of this grade of educational work.

The McDonogh Institute, McDonogh, Md., differs in several important particulars from other endowed secondary schools. Pupils enter at about twelve years of age and leave when between sixteen and seventeen; some to seek professions, the great majority to enter upon industrial or commercial pursuits. The great endeavor of the institute therefore is to train boys "to become faithful and efficient workers in the world."

The entire course occupies six years of forty-two weeks each, but four years is the average time spent by pupils in the work. On account of the peculiar character of the school it is difficult to present the programme in a scheme adapted to schools which make preparation for college a special feature.

The following extract from the catalogue for 1887 gives a very full statement of the plan of studies and the discipline of the school:

"A thoroughly healthy location, and the wide range the farm affords, give us an excellent basis for physical development. This is utilized by a good deal of active outdoor life. Part of this outdoor exercise comes in the way of work-tasks of garden and farm labor-by means of which the boys receive a portion of their hand-craft instruction, but so far as physical development is concerned, the most valuable part of this outdoor exercise consists in the open-air sports to which they are devoted. Not only are foot ball, base ball, and other athletic games kept up with great zest; our wide woodland and numerous streams afford opportunities for wood and water sports which have been fully used. Alloutdoor sports are encouraged, and our opportunities for these are so exceptionally good that we have never suffered, in good weather, from the lack of a gymnasium, and indeed have preferred the zealous pursuit of these free sports to any other system of physical exercise. Care has been taken to re-enforce these means of physical training by good sanitary arrangements-including well-ventilated rooms and simple diet-and by the establishment of healthy habits of life.

* ** "The curriculum is necessarily shaped by the limited time at our disposal and by the probable careers upon which our graduates will enter. It is from these points of view that the classics have been excluded from our regular course. They are not best suited for the training of youths who are to go into active life at seventeen or eighteen. Special opportunities for classical study are given to those scholars who expect to enter college or university. The leading subject of study in our school course, especially in the earlier years, is the English language, the knowledge and use of which are considered of the first importance. At the end of the second year German is introduced. The language teaching (including both English and German) occupies about one-third of the whole time assigned to study. Next comes inathematics, to which is assigned about one-fourth of the entire study time, and which is taught with careful reference to the training of the growing reasoning faculties.

"Geography in the earlier years is followed by American and English history in the later. The course in science embraces the elements of some science of observation, like botany or zoology, followed in the last year by physics or chemistry. Physiology has an important place because of the conviction that any educational scheme which leaves the scholar ignorant of the organs and functions of his own body and the healthful use of them is a travesty. Drawing is a part of the work of every class; book-keeping and short-hand are taught to the upper classes, because of their utility; and instruction in vocal music, according to the requirement of the founder, is given to the whole school. This course of study, which is shown in detail in the schedule, consumes on the average about thirty-one hours per week. That is, this amount of time is spent with the teacher, either in recitation or preparation, to which is to be added, especially in the higher classes, a considerable amount of study done by the boys in their own time. Besides this work in the school-room, there is the manual training instruction and practice, which occupies about nine hours per week of each boy's time, and includes shopwork, printing, type-writing, and garden and farm work.

"The highest aim and best result of any system of school training is the development of character. This is promoted more by the instilling of good principles than by the instilling of knowledge, and it depends more upon the establishment of habits of correct feeling, thinking, and action than upon the instilling of either principles or knowledge. Hence the importance of a systematic and uniform discipline, suited to form those habits of life which will conduce most to efficiency and usefulness in after years.

"Hence the even greater importance of cultivating right views and feelings. This can only be done when the relation between teacher and scholar is one of mutual confidence and respect. The intercourse between our scholars and their superiors is friendly and