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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 26, 1963)
MEDKOKD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDKOKD. OBEGO.V THOHtiUAY, SKHIKMBER 26, 1963 Q JJ Public' Schools of England Plan Fee Increases for Fall . fETE? KNOX I aboul 30 pounds ($84) since last I top schools it is usually neces- enccs one reason for the! passes throush one invariably I class-consciousness and an in-1 mine thorn Is In create snrh I an nnhlir n-hnnl mm in ih . laroH with v.n,.i,i!,. .i,,i United Press International LONDON (UPI) - Britain's upper crust has dug deeper than ever into its pockets this year for the privilege of educating its sons in the country's elite schools. The coming week is back to school week in many of the 100 or so top fee-paying academies and colleges known here as public schools and at almost all of them the charges have gone up. Most of the big name estab lishments Eton, Rugby, Har row and Winchester among about 30 pounds ($84) since last year. Ten years ago the parent payout was about 300 pounds ($840). On top of the fees parents must part with another 100 pounds ($280) or so for uni forms and pocket money. The costs mount higher if the boys or girls at the equivalent fe male schools want to take part in such extras as horse back riding, boating, fencing and dancing. Despite the high fees, which demand heavy sacrifices from many parents, the public schools tnis year again as in tne past them now charge about 500 have more applicants for places pounds ($1,400) annually and J than they can handle, on average have increased fees To get a boy into one of the top schools it is usually neces sary to enroll his name at birth. Most are booked up well into the 1970's, and have long waiting lists. heavy rise in fees. Even in these days of dimin ishing class distinctions the the i passes through emerges with Why the crush? The answer "old scno01 'je" remains a pow- seems to be that parents de pend on the public school sys tem to give their children a unique status symbol along with a first class education. In the old days, public schools were regarded as places where erful attraction to British par ents thinking of their children's future. One Socialist M.P. once estimated it was worth 2,000 pounds (about $6,000) a year to i if y a businessman through social contacts. invariably accent, per- more importance was attached Tie and Accent Count to brawn than brain. Now, all require a stiff entrance exami nation, and employ top teachers Dotn tor the classics and sci It is not only the tie that distinguishes the public school man. It is also the voice and haps best described in police record terms as "well spoken." Like the tie, it can be the pass word to jobs. In a nation where only 100,000 children out of a total school population of 8 million can qual- tor a public school educa tionand a basic requirement is to be rich enough to pay for it the system naturally has had its critics. For years it has been de nounced by educationalists and manner of speech. The boy who I many MP.'s as a nursery for class-consciousness and an in strument to perpetuate the life of the "establishment," the mythical elite said to run the country. The labor party has plans for trying to broaden the base of the public schools so their better features can be retained, by scholarships and grants to needy parents that will permit boys from a wider social strata to gain entry. Improve Free System At the same time, other op ponents of the public schools say that the best way to under mine them is to create such a good free system in Britain that parents won't be interested in buying their children an educa tion. There is, in fact, a long- estab lished free system through which the average bright child can work his way up to top honors and the best jobs. Labor Leader Harold Wilson is one who succeeded this way. The list of national leaders, however, is heavily weighted on the side of public school men. In the present House of Com mons close to half the 630 M.P.'s are public school men. In the conservative government about three-quarters of the office holders sport "old school ties." Eton alone produced men like Prime Minister Harold MacMil lan, and the present ministers of defense, Commonwealth Af fairs, Education, Agriculture, and Aviation and others. Vice Premier R. A. Butler went to another top school, Marlborough, and ex-Premier Sir Winston Churchill to Har row. Even the ranks of the Social ist Labor party are heavily laced with ex-public school men. Although Wilson went through the state system, the two former leaders Lord Attlee and Hugh Gaitskell were both from pub lic schools. Whether the public school pic ture will change in the years ahead if a Labor government is elected to office in the next gen eral elections remains to be seen. One thing that seems certain, however, is that the social status of the public school man or woman will hold high for a good many years yet. cS W us.-';- 0" it FASHION TRENDS Fall fashion trends for men are pointed up here in a light-toned glen plaid British wool worsted suit (left) with two buttons and (right in three-button sport jacket in a British woolen fabric, featuring a bold masculine pattern, flap pocket, two side vents. Your Money's Worth By SYLVIA PORTER Copyright, Hall Syndicate, Inc. TEEN-AGE BUYING EXPLOSION v Cris, 13 going on 14, bought her back-to-school wardrobe for the first time entirely on her own this fall and in what our daughter did, how and why she did it, lies a story of multi billion dollar importance to businessmen the nation over. There was no point whatsoever in my tagging along on on this shopping trip. I would have been tolerated but I was distinctly not needed. There was no point whatsoever in my offering guidance on what she should buy or wear. She selected one of New York's best stores, bought what every other girl in her age group in her school in New York City is wearing this fall slim skirts, simple blouses, plain sweaters, classic shirt-waist dresses, loaf ers. I would have been silly if I had suggested she be an "in dividual" or rebel against any now popular style and I don't like to appear silly, particularly before Cris. There was no point whatsoever in my scolding her when she came bouncing in with her purchases, for criticism would have been unwarranted. She bought conservative things, showed good taste and color sense. Moreover, her choices were con siderably less expensive than mine would have been. I ac tually "saved" money by staying away. Cris has emerged on the economic scene of the United States and what an explosive force "she" is and will be. She has more than 11 million sister teen-agers right now and Ihey directly spend SO billion a year. Teen-age boys and girls have allowances and earnings of almost $11 bil lion, spend these to (lie hill. By l!ll5 there will he 23 mil lion hoys and girls 13 In 1!), a growth of 30 per cent since lflWl against an 8 per rent growth in our total population and an actually I per cent drop In Die 23-3!) age group. With in two years 'population projections indicate half the people in our country will be under 25 years of age. By 1!I70 the teen-age population will be 27 million and they'll be spend ing at least $18 billion a year Spectacular statistic can be piled on top of spectacular statistic about the surging teen-age market. Never have we had a youth market even approaching this, for never did we have a baby boom paralleling that of the early post-World War II years. Those infants are now in their teens, and they are going to blow the lid off the consumer market. Rich as the market is, it also is baffling, but just from studying my own sources Cris and her until-death-do-us-part girl friends I submit these points to all involved in the Icon-age market. (1) Make your sales pitch directly to them, for they are the buyers. Even at the youngest teen-age where Cris is now they buy wholly or mostly on their own clothes ranging from shoes to coats, drug slore items ranging from soap to sham poos, and, of course. Ihey make their own decisions on records, radios, sports equipment. (2) Do not forget for a moment that they are the most conformist of all age groups. Thus, it is a major error to stress Ihe individuality or exclusiveness of your product. (A charm ing dress I bought Cris last Christmas she wore only once and Ihen hegrudginRly. for the skirt was flared and, "We're not wearing those " A preteen still under her Mother's influence has inherited that one.) 13) Also do not forget that they are conservative by their yardsticks anyway and money-conscious. You'll pull them in if you olfer a staple item at a price Ihey believe is right. (I) Be honest, don't try to kid Ihpm one bit about the quality, value or eflect of any product or service. They are looking at ynur stuff with clear eyes, resent being fooled even more than adults. (5) Don't talk down to them, try to be young with them or attempt to woo them with their slang. They can "feel" a phony 10 feet away. As for their slang, they change the mean ing of words from day to day. (6) Take advantage of their brand-consciousness which i; astonishingly high. They actually talk brand names. (7) Vy one practical hint for parents is obvious, but impor tant: Severely limit the number of things your teen-ager can buy, for nature will make it obsolescent almost overnight. With the restricted total Cris bought, this time I think her present size and her wardrobe's life will reach Ihe deadline simul taneously. I I (BaMITWIWll OPEN MONDAY AND FRIDAY UNTIL 9 P.M. SAVE 5 3 DAYS ONLY Sporterized Model 95 Mauser 7mm Rifles Every gun modified, refinished and proof tested. All parts matched by serial numbers. Features the famous Mauser action made in Germany. d) ) 88 4X Wida Field Rifle Scope 328a K Charae All Yo Sears Price Nine-element achromatic lens system, crosshair reticule. Fits most center fire rifles. ur Hunting Needs Easy Payment Plan Economical Outside Frame Umbrella Tents 95 Ted Williams 3 V--lb. FortreP Sleeping Bag Check Sears low price With sewn-in floor Sets up in a jiffy, provides plenty of "elbow room" inside. 6.74-oz. drill in green color. 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