Keuka College - Kiondaga Yearbook (Keuka Park, NY)

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24 THE COLLEGE RECORD. of none, and must ne glect all lest it should wrong some. An additional reason is that the pupil of the public school is under the influence of the family's choice when at home, and consequently needs no instruction of this kind while at school. The position of the private school is in direct opposition to this. It has set itself in the place of the home, and thus must assume some of the responsibilities of a parent in re- gard to religious teaching. The fact that its principles are known to its prospective patrons, and that attendance is purely voluntary, leaves it free to exert such religious influ- ence as it will publicly profess. In most schools, even those founded and maintained by religious organizations, this public profession extends no farther than to the fundamen- tal principles of Christianity, and few schools exceed their professions in this respect ; they are more apt to fall short of them. Generally it may be said that the quality of the religious influence in a private school controlled by any given denomination would seldom be unsatisfactory to those reared under the teaching of an entirely different society. It would hardly be disputed that it is well for the influ- ences of religion to synchronize with the other moulding influences which play upon the youth during his period of greatest mental and moral development. It may, however, be questioned whether the religious influence of the good private school is as good as that of the average home. In school there is constantly unfolding a new life which has little connection with the life of the home, but it is in the nature of a school to present new ideas, and to clothe old ones with deeper significance. For this reason old truths often come home to the boy or girl with new force, largely because they reach him in an atmosphere which insensibly begets a spirit of receptiveness. Private schools do not, however, always reach the plane i excellence which the foregoing assumes! The statements found in a school's publications do not always accurately indicate its religious life, and this is not necessarily due to any desire Or intent tO deceive. The published statements On this head must generally be taken tO indicate the ideals

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THE COLLEGE RECORD. 23 Enough other States were considered, however, to have a decided influence, and the fundamental differences between the two systems would remain unchanged in all States. The schools to which inquiries were sent were representative institutions ; the public schools being those in small or moderate sized cities, and the private schools those whose standing is assured. The number of institutions consid- ered is not large enough to admit of sweeping conclusions being drawn. The most that can be expected is that ten- dencies will be shown. It can hardly be said that the public and the private schools are active competitors. It would be impossible to give an answer to the question, Shall I send my boy or girl to a public or to a private school ? that would serve in all cases. Indeed, the question would hardly occur in this form. It would appear in a form calling for a decision be- tween an actual public school and a possible private school. Yet in so far as the material upon which they work is the same or similar, and so far as their ends are not materially different, they certainly compete for the work of educating the youth ; and it is a fact that the development of the public high school and the wide extension of its privileges have led to a corresponding decrease in the activities of the old-time academies. The comparatively recent legisla- tion providing for the payment by the State of the tuition of non-resident pupils materially affected the private schools in New York State. Of course the private schools whose patronage is from the wealthy alone do not show this effect. Also, in States where the public schools are generally not well organized or administered, private schools flourish. From these indications it would seem possible to find some valid grounds for comparison, yet the wide variations in the schools of both classes make it easy for the inquirer to be deceived by differences that are characteristic of in- dividuals only. The point on which there would seem to be the least probability of hasty generalization is the point of religious influence. The public school avowedly ignores this, the reason being that it must receive those of all religions and

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THE COLLEGE RECORD. 25 of the men who have the school in charge ; between them and the accomplishment of these ideals lie the obstacles that intervene between the inception and the execution of any great project dealing with the reformation or moulding of human character. Yet if the school is in charge of an earnest Christian, if the test of real Christian character is applied to candidates for position on the teaching force, if a sincere effort is con- stantly made to present true religion as acceptable and de- sirable through its fruits, there can hardly fail to result to students passing through the school a benefit none the less real because somewhat difficult of measure. And schools where these conditions exist are by no means rare. Here, then, seems to be one point of comparison which is real and definite. The difference in point of religious influence, moreover, is but one of the elements of a general atmosphere which constitutes one of the rather indefinable differences between the two institutions. The life of the private school being such that the stu- dents and instructors are in almost constant contact outside the class rooms, and that of the public school being such that there is practically no such contact, there would nat- urally be much closer relations between students and teach- ers in the private schools. Of course there are many splen- did friendships between students and teachers in public schools ; in fact these are the rule and not the exception, but in the private isntitution it would seem that the condi- tions are more favorable to such relationships because of the closer life. Teachers being equally good, they should find in the private school, where they see much more of their pupils, greater opportunity for exerting that peculiar influ- ence which is so difficult to define and so invaluable in a teacher. It is objected that the constant supervision by the teach- ers and the greater number of cases of petty discipline which naturally arise in the private school tend to create friction which offsets this apparent advantage ; that the constant presence of the teacher has a tendency to weaken