EDUCATION IN THE DOLDRUMS
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] Snt,—Lord Eustade Percy's views on education must always command attention by their vigour and definiteness ; but lie seems to me to think too much in terms of schemes rather than of boys and girls.
I should lice to make two comments on his suggestion of entry to the " secondary school proper at 15 to 19.
First, this age—the middle of adolescence, when boys are most likely to be awkward, shy and even suspicious—is surely a most unsuitable one at which to make new contacts, and to absorb new influences.
Secondly, the secondary school as it stands is the only educational institution—indeed, I think, the only institution of any kind—in this country in which all classes of the community live together in considerable numbers on absolutely equal terms. , This is not due to any exclusiveness on the part of other schools, but it just happens to be the fact that the sons of working men are very rarely found in the public schools, or the sons of professional and comparatively prosperous men in the elementary or central schools. Moreover, there is no hard-and-fast line at present between the public school and the secondary school.
These facts, though more or less accidental, are, I believe, of the utmost importance to national unity. If Lord Eustace Percy's suggestions were carried out there would immediately be a hard and fast line drawn between the rich man's private and public school education with its break at thirteen, and the poor man's elementary, intermediate and secondary school education with its breaks at eleven and fifteen. Intermediate- school boys could not be taken into the public schools at fifteen, for they would rarely mix easily with boys who had already been there two years. Incidentally, I think the new secondary schools would be at a great disadvantage in pre- paring boys for the Universities as compared with the public schools.
Finally, I wish to protest against the dogmatic statement that ".policies of reconstruction adopted on their own merits will save pounds." They may, but there is no a priori reason for expecting them to do so, and the assumption must encourage dishonest thinking. Advocates of economy are far too ready to soothe themselves and the people with the' plea that " you can get just as good an article " at half the price. Until the specification of the new article has been fully made out, and subjected to a searching scrutiny,the advertisement should be read with suspicion.—I am, Sir, Sic., Harlin!! Road, Mossley Hill, Liverpool.
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