Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1894-05-26


fine lincoln school, this city, at the las,
general meeting Of the city teachers for
Ibis season, on Saturday May i7ih:
criticisms on the Public schools.
There can he nothing more conducive
20 the right conduct OF an individual
tfan for him to have the seeming mis-
fortune Of possessing an enemy who is
ever ready 10 expose his Shortcomings
There can be nothing more wholesome
10 society than the perennial dose oil the
Gultfndcr, whatever his motives may be.
Fhatevcr may be his desires. The
6ultfnder Is a philanthropist-f you
Will excuse the bull-whcther he will OF
no. bis victim is his beneficiary
The public schools have existed in
This country for over two hundred and
hty years, They began their hardy az.
stencc on the stony soil Of New Eng.
land. where in places even the flowers
Of the field protestingly come forth.
Their growth was as slow ass the o7k.
their strength became fully as great.
Their enemies then were more danger
Gus TO the slim saping than they are
today 10 the towering tree. Ia our own
country their enemies are few. their
friends many. They are firmly EN-
heddcd Ia our enlightened system uf
government, and thanks to our coun.
rvs breadth OF thought, they are "a,
stable and solid as the massive granite
ui our mountains. That popular cduca.
ton has is faults. there can not Dee the
slightest room for doubt Critics. both
friendly and unfrendly, have done much
90 eradicate these flaws. But new uucs.
lions come up, new conditions appear,
and the bright angel Of the dawn
heckons Just over beyond the horizon
line.
To give space TO the greater mum.
Der Of current criticisms OF our public
schools IN a paper having a ten iiiuutc
boundary line, would be the work of
the stalistician, and result In simple
enumeration. In order that they may
be more fully reviewed il will be the
province OF this paper to mention but
q few.
The first criticism that creeps to the
front Is that old, old complaint Of poor
English. College professors and high
school teachers are complaining that IL
Is the ghost that wall not down. Il is
umofed-oh, whisper Il gently that
even the grade teachers have Il to con.
tend with. The college professor points
his solemn, attcnuatcd finger M the
high school teacher and exclaims. Thou
lft the man |" The high school teacher
turns 20 the teacher Of the grades and
ftptolchiully asks. How am to blame
when your pupils, as they came to me,
could not even write their names In a
good, grammatical way" Then the last
nlmed-what does she dor She sees
the avenue Of escape as quickly rs did
The ones above, and she shifts the blame
10 the parents. So yon see by q per.
lectly natural method, the cause is
kicked down two flights Of stairs and
out the back door Make light Of Il as
you may however the astounding fact
Is before as that our pupils are deplor.
ably ignorant Of the use Of pure, simple,
cogcnt English II Is q condition and
not a theory that confruuts as. Now,
where lies the causcP Is the college
professor nght1 Does the high school
teacher make no mistake in this2 Is
the grade teacher correct In her
yiewsi Probably an are right There
Is undoubtedly a tendency among a
great many grade teachers to place
too little time upon the practical
use OF English and Tar to much time
upon the science OF lis construction.
For my part, ! should Danish technical
grammar from the grades. However,
not much more than 1.-THE OF the fault
lies here. Pupils are too often led to
believe that school room language and
play ground language are built upon
different scientific foundations. | once
said TO one OF the higher grade pupils.
whom overheard uttcfing an nclegant
and ungrammaucal expression: "Aly
boy, you know that you would not
express yourself in such a manner In
the school room. Why do you do IN"
And he replied "Wcll, u / had used
good grammar the boys would have
laughed nj me and called me stuck up.
II ! had said, Please take pour hands
Oh that rope, he would have made fun
OF me. But when said. Say you. legpo
o. that there rope, he dropped the rope
instantly, lie knew lmeant that There
Is a great deal Of truth In this, deplor.
able as Il may seem. Is Il not fact
that pupils IN too, too many cases.
while they are brought In contact with
fairly good English live hours each day.
during the other ten hours Of their
wakeiulness their impTessiOnablc minds
are made to rub against uninterrupted
examples Of wretchedly poor English.
Not only this, but 1t must be remem.
hered that there are only one hundred
eighty days in the school year, as a rule.
And again, pupils in many cases are
actually laughed at by the people nj
home when they attempt to pui into
practice the correct forms they have
heard At school. Can one wonder, then.
at our poor English
Some critics claim that the condition
of our civilization Is due to the public
schools, that the aslrologer and the
nectomancer flourish today as never
they ilourl8hed before; that In the
middle ages astrologers were appen.
dages only to royalty, while now they
exist and prosper In every city OF our |
country-not excepting Salt Lake CITY |
Itself. They say that In grave matters |
people consult Indian doctors, clairvoy.
ants, seers, soothsayers and an indiyi. |
duals who rest their claims Of power on |
the supernatural. They say that not |
only superstition Is firmly lntrenched in |
society but that ballot boxes are stuffed. |
that religious prosecutions occur-not |
as they did In the good old DAYS of |
yoTe-with iagot, rack and thumb. |
screw; but In the more genteel way of |
ostracism, the 81 am holier than thou" |
way; that riots occur from the limpid /
kennebec to the mighty Oregon; that
people, when they read delight 10 gloat |
over the weaknesses and iraillies of |
humankind, and the crimes and calam. !
lilies of Our race and that uatygp,p.,g H., /