THE COURSE OF STUDY IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS. 193
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she power away from the people. My conception of it is, that the nearer we keep the
power within the hands of the people, the better it will be. Iam in favor of municipal
supervision, I believe in supervision, and it is not an argument against supervision to
say that A or B or C, who is a superintendent, has crushed the individuality of the
school. It is an argument against a man who has administered the supervision. If
sou mean to say you are going to stand against that kind of supervision, I say, I stand
with you. But supervision is a necessity ; an intelligent and wise supervision is a
necessity. The man that has the skill that you cannot describe, of awakening the
»nthusiasm of a body of teachers, so that he brings out the maximum of their individual
power, is the wisest supervisor. I believe we have many of that kind of men in this
country. In the city I bail from, we have municipal supervision. You cannot defeat
the tax for public schools in’ Louisville, Ky., to save your lives; if they would ask for
seventy-five cents on the dollar (they are now giving thirty-three) the people would give
it. Why ? Because supervision has brought them up to a state of efficiency. I feel we
must have supervision, but we must have men as supervisors who understand this
want.
CrArLes C. Putney, Principal of St. Johnsbury Academy, Vermont: One of the
speakers said he spent his first years after graduating in a one-horse academy. My
oxperience was similar to his ; but for twenty years it has been my privilege to work in
well-equipped academy. From my experience there, I have some convictions upon
she general subject, Iam in favor of supervision to a certain extent. I do not see
row public schools, supported by the State, can be carried on except by supervision.
But these private schools, under judicious management, can carry on their work
without supervision from the State. At request of the teachers in our academy, the
soard of trustees appointed, among their number, a board of supervisors, the duty
of which shall be to visit the school at least three times during the year, going through
the various departments and getting their impressions of the work, then reporting
to the board of trustees at the close of the year. Iam looking forward with a great
Jeal of interest to that kind of a supervision. But you will understand that that board
is made up of members of the corporation and trustees. Every man is interested in
having the school take the highest position in preparing the young men and women for
the duties of life, as well as for college ; and they are interested in having it main-
tain the very highest standard in the morale of the school. They will go into these
ecitation rooms and watch the work with feelings of the utmost sympathy, I am sure.
THE COURSE OF STUDY IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS.
BY ¢. N. CARMAN, DEAN OF THE MORGAN PARK ACADEMY OF THE
TNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO.
Mr. Carman prefaced his paper essentially as follows : ¢ Four years ago the city of
3t. Paul had a separate training-school. A building for a large municipal training-
school was erected. Everything was ready for work except students. Two years ago
she manual-training school was incorporated with the old high-school. The parents
were unable to decide to which school they would send their children. This is what led
to the incorporation of the manual-training school with the high-school.”
Is there a course of study which is at the same time the best prepara-
tion for life and for college ? The answer one might give depends on
what is meant by course of study. If it means, as it usually does, cer-
tain studies taken in a prescribed order, the same in quantity and in time
given to each, for all pupils, such a course is good for neither the fitting
school nor the finishing school. If course of study means everything
that is taught in the school, from which such studies may be selected for
