The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-02-18

come district schools are graded and
priced, your child must have q So
education or none, or plead poverty
AID get somebody TO give him an ed.
ucat'on free. He could pay for a 81
education, or perhaps d 81 education.
bat the school wont let him, and s.
education, the only sort the school
deals in, be canno. afford. To steal
ne won't, and to beg he is ashamed
The result is, he leaves school ard
drags himself up to manhood without
an education, even in tle common
branches
The territory does rot attempt 20
give a tree liberal education to all.
Suca thing can not be afforded,
and, il it could, would be neither
necessary nor desirable. But, at
present, what the territory does az
propriate is shared by all scholars IN
ali tle district schools, besides what
is given to the University. This [
consider neither necessary nor desir-
able. 1 approve of an appropriation
for the University, to assist in keep
ing up high education for the COM
paratiye few who may need it, In
the public interest, or VINO have
special talent or ambition for euch
education.
Leaving the University with it's sp
preparation, whatever it might be, my
plan would be to devote the rest OF
the territorial appropriation for edu-
calionsl purposes TO the establishment
and maintenance of free common
schools throughout the territory, only
"the three Rs"-reedipg, writing and
arithmetic, TO be taught in those
schools. AS a good reader is good
speller, l should consider spell
ling included under the read
ing branch. These three branches
alone, well learned, are good,
sound, common school education,
perhaps all that the ierrit Try ought TO
insure for the generality OF school
children, and, l presume, all that it
is we'll able to insure. What Is a
good theatrical acton? He ia q good
reader. Whist is a good bookkeepeI?
He is good penman and arithme-
ticisn.
Between the common school and
the university would come the differ
ent varieties of graded schools in
numerous branches, select schools,
high schools, academies, colleges.
These | should leave to private enter
prise. excepting that may say that
university is collection OF colleges.
Territorial appropriations for toe
well to do are needless and wasJeful.
Says one, Would you not teach
grammar in your free common
schools?" No. d" Nor geography"
No. Nor history?" No. "Nor
botany ?" Nc. | would teach only
the three fundamental branches
named above. But this l would
dol would have the COM
mon school readers to consist
almost exclusively of good, sound,
entertaining, illustrated, elementary
treatises on grammar, geography,
history, biography, natural history,
geology, natural philosophy, and al
the various arts and sciences. Suc1
reading would tend to destroy the
appetite for useless novels. These
elementary books on the various de
psrtments of useful knowledge
would have read and reread, until
the scholars were qu.t3 familiar
with their contents, 90 as to be actu-
ally well read children, having a
better acquaintance with ali these
various kinds of book knowledge than
most grown up people have. a well
read man is an intelligent man, ard
well-read child is an intelligent
child.
There is another reform which
should he glad ID see carried into
effect in the common schools. /
would have the books, pens, ink,
states, etc.. furnished by the schools
and kept there, excepting that
the copy books might be taken
home by the children when
written full. This would be an
immense economic advantage, for
by following this plan half the num-
Der of books would be sufficient, and
they would last half as long again, as
under the present system Of every
child furnishing and taking care OF
its own books. Thus 1 would have
no carrying of books to and from
school every day, or twice a day.
There would be no Lesson learning at
home. All that work would be done
in the schools, where it ought to be.
Five hours a day is quite long enough
for a child to be engaged in studying
book learning. 1t is long CROUCH for
an adult to devote to close study daily.
The rest of the day should be devoted
to phyeical labor or recreation, or
both.
II it is not the absolute duty of the
state, l believe it is IFS highest interest
and best policy to give free educa-
ton in these fundamental branches
to all children, or as nearly free as
Can reasonably be afforded, leaving
more extended and higher education,
as have said, to private enterprise,
with the exception of a subsidy to
the university. This. 1 think. would
be far better than our present dis
trict school system, as all children
would receive g plain, sound educa'
ton in those branches which are the
groundwork of al school education,
and thereby ell would enjoy oppor-
tunitJ for seif-dsye'opment and
hea.thful stimulus therein, while the
value OF their future services to the
;tate and the community would be
correspondingly enhanced.
SCHOLA STICUs.
4 KO-FenceF.
TOOELE CRY. february rs 80.