SECONDARY SCHOOLS FOR AMERICAN YOUTH

,by Lester A. Williams '03. American noon, Co., 1944; 537 pages.

Secondary Schools for American Youth is an excellent book. It consists of two parts: the first a history of the various educational institutions that served our nation through the nineteenth century; the second an appraisal of public high schools, their aims and objectives, with the results that they are showing.

The historical section deals with the founding, the growth and the decline (with causes) of such institutions as the Latin Grammar School, the coeducational "Academy", the "Female Seminary." It tells of the tyranny of the nineteenth century colleges in dictating to the schools entrance requirements in the shape of specific Greek and Latin authors to be read, English classics to be studied, etc.

The author chooses to ignore church schools of the Groton, St. Paul's, St. John's type, the "prep" schools like Exeter, The Hill, Lawrenceville, etc., and also the "country day schools" which have become vogue of late.

On the other hand he is an advocate of genuine democracy in secondary education, and, as such, devotes four-fifths of his volume to the public high school, its teachers, its curriculum, its extra-curriculum activities.

For one who has not spent a great deal of his recent life as an administrative officer of public schools, he does an excellent job.

The book is readable, modern in its outlook, and truly convincing. If there are small errors in his historical facts (Reverend Eleazar Wheelock did not found Moor's Charity School in 1735, for example), these can be forgiven in the light of the understanding picture that is drawn of that citadel of democracy, the American public high school.

Dr. John M. Comstock '77 is the author of a bound volume of 62 pages, Chelsea—The Origin of Chelsea, Vermont, and a Record of ItsInstitutions and Individuals. The author is very well qualified to write this book. He was born in the nearby town of Williamstown and has lived in Chelsea since 1879, where he has been very active in town affairs. As the only published history of the town this is a very valuable piece of work, and will be welcomed by historians interested in local history. Genealogists as well will find some information of value to them in the small volume. The only criticism to be offered is that the author did not have more time to write a more comprehensive history.