He has no choice in the matter.

The title "Preparatory" seals his doom.

His business is, not to give his pupils the education that is best suited to their capacities and their years, but to prepare them for admission to a more advanced school.

The more scholarships he can win at Eton, Harrow, Winchester, Rugby, and the rest, the higher will be the repute of his school; and as the competition between school and school is fierce and unintermittent, he cannot afford to throw away a single chance.

In other words, he cannot afford to make a single serious experiment.