Page:Essays on the Higher Education.djvu/77

 American higher education, must come mainly from the accomplishment of two results. The first of these is the careful organization of our entire system of education, upon the basis of an improved primary education, and in accordance with the principle of a natural twofold division of courses of prescribed studies in the secondary education. The second is a closer and more intelligent alliance between the two parts of the secondary education.

One thing greatly to be desired and striven after, as affording needed relief to the preparatory schools, is an improvement in the primary education. No one acquainted with the facts needs to be told how faulty is the knowledge of the most elementary subjects possessed by the average child of twelve or fourteen, whether he has. been trained in a public or a private school. How blundering is his use, in speech, reading, or writing, of his mother-tongue! With how little real notion of what our good planet is, in structure and aspect, has he learned long lists of unpronounceable names of mountains, rivers, and cities—not to say hamlets and villages! For how many years has he struggled with the fundamental mysteries of number, and spent his time wearisomely in doing "sums," the like of which are not to be found in real life upon this earth, and, as we trust, not in the heavens above! And yet how often