THE BOYS' HIGH SCHOOL.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11152, 19 December 1901, Page 4

THE BOYS' HIGH SCHOOL.

At the prize-giving- in connection with the j Boys 7 High School last night, tire headmaster, Mr C. E. Beran-Brown, annonnced some important changes which ft is proposed to make in the -work of the school. Roughly speaking, it- is intended to give less time to Latin, except in. the case of boys -who are destined for the professions, or -who show a special aptitude for the classics, and to' devote more attention 'to -what may be termed commercial education, especially adapted to fit the boys for a business career. To some extent Mr Bevan-Brown is following out the views expressed in th.e> report of the Secretary of Education in regard to the teaching of languages, to which we referred yesterday. Wβ hare little doubt that the new departure wiH meet with very general approval on the part of parents. This ia such a utilitarian age that there is a danger, so far as the general publio are concerned, of their attaching too little importance to culture for culture's sake, and too much to the acquisition of so-called "practical" knowledge, which many of thsm value solely from the point of view of whether it is readily convertible into £ s d in enabling a boy to earn a> livelihood. There is, of course, something more in education, if it is properly carried out, than this. It

is as true as ever it was that man cannot live by bread alone, and a properly organised system of education would recognise this fact. It should not only fit a boy to earn Tiis living, but should aim at quickening his moral and intellectual sense, so that he may enjoy the reiinemente of life the more, and contribute! his share to the uplifting of society. In hia laudable attempt to modernisa the system of instruction- at the Boys' High School, Mr Bevan-Brown does not intend to overlook these weightier matters. What he sees is that in the case of the very large number of (boys who come to ihe High School merely for a year or two by "way of "finishing off," the time at present spent in giving them a mere of Latin—too slight to be of any use in after life'—might be much more profitably devoted to some other 6ubjecte. These boys will be encouraged to direct their efforts to the "modern side" of the school, rather fehan to the classical. In the case of boys' who are able to devote sufficient time to the study ot classics, and who desire such training either for the sake of the culture whdch it brings, or as training for the professions, they will find 'teaching of the same high class in the school as that which, has given it a reputation for sound scholarship in tha past. In fact, by concentrating the classical teaching on those boys who are best able to do justice to.it, the result should be to make it more effective. The • public -will watch with some interest to see how the new system works out in practice, and we have little doubt that on the whole it will be found a distinct change for the better.