THE PUBLIC SCHOOLBOY'S VIEW SIR, —In your number of April 5th,
Mr. Bonham-Carter gave vent to some very Socialistic views on the democratisation (what a bastardly word!) of the Public Schools. He proposes a scheme for establishing a number (25 per cent. to be exact) of State financed scholarships. He thinks that if we members of the Public Schools were to see such schemes in the papers our reaction would be one of shocked dismay. I for one would certainly be dismayed that anyone could be foolish enough to expound them.
He does not seem to realise that to admit members of the Elementary Schools on the terms which he proposes would create a social injustice : for only about 3,000 could be admitted. Compare this figure with the total number of boys educated in the Elementary Schools. It is negligible. In fact, by such action one would be destroying one's own end by creating a new privileged class.
Apart from this, he seems to have entirely ignored the question of religion. In all those Public Schools which are not themselves religious foundations, religion forms the basis of school life. In State Schools no religion is taught. To send elementary schoolboys to the Public Schools would again stir up the cesspool of religious controversy, which forty years ago effectively prevented any religious teaching being included in the curriculum of the State Schools.
What other alternative is there to secure this abolition of privilege? For the State to raise the standards of the Elementary Schools to those of the Public Schools both culturally and financially is clearly out of the question at the present time. Therefore, to give equal opportunity to us all, the alternative would be to lower the level of education in the Public Schools to that in Elementary Schools. This would completely remove all that is best in the Public Schools. All the glory of the cultural opportunity would be lost: all Arnold's ideal of the good civil servant and the ideal of the gentleman considered morally. The period of education would be shortened by two vital years.
Is this end worth the sacrifice? I would say no! I do not approve of our existing privileges, but only when the State is rich enough to raise the standards of elementary education is it time to indulge in schemes of establishing equality of oppOrnmity In education.—Yours faithfully, 25 Wetherby Gardens, S.W. 5. GLYNN WICKHAWL
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