Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-02-15
ONE PHASE OF OUR SCHOOL sys-
TEN

In some quarters In this state, and
particularly In this city. public opinion
is little "touchy" on the school ques-
ton, and II is perhaps better for the
present purpose of the News" that II
should be so. rather than that II should
be calloused. That purpose is to lay
before parents few facts with view
to melting agitation and. If possible,
the discovery and practical application
Of a remedy for what many conserva-
tive citizens regard as n great evil, as
ISOLATED with the elaborate and costly
school system OF this city. and, though
in lesser degree probably, with the
schools OF the State generally.
It Is complained that the education
provided for by and acquired in this
schools fails to ft boy for the prac-
teal duties of life; and not only this
but that 1t gives him false notions of
life and It's real obligations 1t Is
claimed that n boy who goes through
the whole course OF instruction em-
braced within the public school system
of this city will leave the high schoo.
destitute, in great degree at least.
of the qualifications necessary to en-
sure his success In the struggle of life.
Worse than this, his mind is likely to
be prejudlced against acquiring those
qualifications after leaving school.
To Illustrate in a thoroughly practical
manner precisely what is here meant,
we here give as given to us.
the facts relating to a peculiar though
simple investigation which was recently
made by gentleman of this city, who
has raised to maturity large family of
sons and daughters, has had a wide
and varied experience In the practical
affairs OF life, and was DESTROYS of as
certaining for himself the trend in the
public schools of this city. He selected
n certain school for his Inquiries and
took all the boys in 1t above the fifth
grade. He caused to be put to each
boy the question. What vocation do you
Intend to follow? Fifty boys answered
the question, and of that total one re-
piled that he wanted to be farmer
and one that he desired to he oarpen-
ter. while forty-eight chose the pro-
tors. lawyers, dentists. architects. etc.
The noble trade OF blacksmith, the
useful one OF wheelwright, the neces-
sary ones of mason. painter. machlnist,
ETC.. We're all overlooked. Not q boy of
the forty-eight failed to regard with
aversion all such occupations. Each of
them desired some stylish" and "high-
toned" method of making n living. 1t
might be urged that boys In the sixth,
seventh and eighth grades are not old
enough to fix upon their future call
ings in life: but there is only too good
reason to fear that the selections they
make while so young become more and
more confirmed while they are in the
high school: and that their resolution
not to learn u trade, nor to become a
farmer, liz unalterable by the time
they graduate from the State univer-
sity. or some college.
IL parents generally In this city de-
sire that all their sons shall become
professional" men, then our present
school system Is about what Is wanted:
but those parents who desire to see
their sons become independent and in
dustrious workers, earning n livelihood
by transforming the elements of ma
ture Into shapes and commodities to he
OF use to man, and who object to the
shams and sophlstrfes by which
parasite is made to appear more honor
able than u producer, have good
grounds on which to ask for reform
in our present methods of education.
1t is not here intended to reflect upon
the teachers in the schools. Their work
Ia laid out for them and they must
keep within its lines. Nor is It in |
tended to deny that the evils here COM
planned of are found in most cities |
where the American school system pre- |
walls. The age of an error may be so |
great as to make that error venerable, |
but can never make 1t a truth: nor canl
the universally of evil ever make it |
good. Let the iconoclasm for which |
Utah is famous be applied to her |
schools, until they conform to common |
sense and the needs of human exist
ence.