Here's a fascinating editorial note in the Nov 27, 1903 issue of the American Hebrew. As you can see, it opposes one element of the appeal for funds for a larger building needed by the Rabbi Jacob Joseph Yeshiva, then very new: that the yeshiva provides secular education under the same roof as its religious education. This is in effect the very critique most often leveled from the right at the Torah U-madda idea of Yeshiva University, albeit here the argument is very different - it desires the secular education to take place in public schools as anything less is incompatible with democractic ideals.
Could it be that this comment was authored by someone in opposition to an orthodox yeshiva education, in general? It seems to me unrealistic of the writer to expect alot of students to attend both yeshiva and public school. If so, then this comment has no relevance to the frum community's attitude today toward secular studies under the same roof.
ReplyDeleteWho were the editors of the American Hebrew, and who were its readers? Knowing that will take us a long way toward understanding the actual motive of the writer's critique....