From Here to There

Recently, at a general conference in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the American Alumni Council and the American College Public Relations Association, some representatives of the bigger private preparatory schools foregathered to discuss their money-raising problems. The conversations were instructive. One and all, they returned again and again to a criticism made several years ago by ex-President Conant of Harvard, that private schools are “undemocratic” and should, therefore, be abolished.

The anger at Dr. Conant for “selling out his own” (after all, Harvard itself is a private institution supported largely by voluntary contributions) runs deep and strong among the preparatory school people. Since the Conant criticism has actually deprived them of money needed for scholarship purposes (big industrialists have been loath to give to institutions which a former Harvard president has labelled “undemocratic”), they would like to force a repudiation of the damaging statement.

JC

About the Author

John Chamberlain

John Chamberlain (1903–1995) was an American writer.

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Recently, at a general conference in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the American Alumni Council and the American College Public Relations Association, some representatives of the bigger private preparatory schools foregathered to discuss their money-raising problems. The conversations were instructive. One and all, they returned again and again to a criticism made several years ago by ex-President Conant of Harvard, that private schools are “undemocratic” and should, therefore, be abolished.

The anger at Dr. Conant for “selling out his own” (after all, Harvard itself is a private institution supported largely by voluntary contributions) runs deep and strong among the preparatory school people. Since the Conant criticism has actually deprived them of money needed for scholarship purposes (big industrialists have been loath to give to institutions which a former Harvard president has labelled “undemocratic”), they would like to force a repudiation of the damaging statement.