Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-10-09

practical education manual training
and domestic science have In some OF
the states become a part of the public
school curriculum. Utah Is just Begin.
ming TO realize the advantages OF hav-
ing them, and In limited way they
have been introduced In some OF our
schools.
MERITS OF MANUAL TRAINING.
The merits OF manual training and
| domestic science are obvious. No time
need be taken to explain this. Certain
| ~ man, II by the skill learned at
| school, can drive a nail straight. hang
| q screen door, or put washer on the
kitchen tap Is Of more service To him
self to his family and community than
| II he could not perform these acts. A
young woman Is more capable OF look
| ing after a home II she can sew and
has good ideas on cooking. II Is not
necessary to dwell on this; but simply
to admit their advantages and aid In
their encouragement
VALUE OF DOMESTIC SCIENCE.
The value OF domestic science and
manual training In the school H. over
estimated The trouble with innova-
tons is that too much is expected OF
them. Then after trial II what was
lOOhtu IOT is llOl ItdllEcui lHt venture
Is pronounced n failure. Domestic
science as taught in the public schools
Is not to train the girl to become a COM
petent cook or finished dressmaker
manual training Is not to furnish the
boy with n trade. We ought not TO
try to specialize in the public schools
This can better be done after the school
age.
BROAD SUBJECTS REQUIRED.
The subjects to which an American
youth devotes so many years OF His
early life should be selected more for
| their breadth than their depth. AS
In the public schools the child lays the
| foundation which IL TO be the support
| or basis of his future efforts, il is high
| ly essential that the foundation be a
| broad one. Certainly the curriculum
| should be chosen from the standpoint OF
utility but with a wide conception of
| utility.
One trouble In this practical age Is
| that We expect Immediate returns. We
haven't the patience to wait for final
| effects, In our desire to measure de-
fnltely the results of education we are
apt 70 undervalue and overlook
that part OF education which
contributes to happiness and aids IN de-
veloplng character and in perfecting the
human nature.
THE ARTISTIC NATURE
II knowledge Of music learned in
youth, makes a mans life fuller and
more appreciatlve, II while listening TO
simple airs to sacred music he exper-
fences intense enjoyment who will say
that the time required to educate his ar
tistic nature was not well spent? Mu-
sic instead Of being simply a recreation
should become an essential feature in
our schools.
The child acquiring facility for free
hand drawing In school can ever after
express his thoughts on subject with
few simple strokes of the pen. That
acquisition Of skill is a perpetual source
OF enjoyment. With additional instruc-
ton on colorng and criticism. intell-
gent reading on the different schools Of
art, he acquires enough knowledge on
the subject to enable him to appreciate
a good picture, This being admitted,
art as taught in the schools Is from a
unitarian standpoint
MORAL TRAINING.
Taking little OF the time from in
tellectual studies, and devotlng It to the
moral training of school children, II Is
| believed, will result beneficlally. There
is good reason for urging this TO be
| done. There is something wrong with
our system of education, when statistics
| show that there are more criminals
among the educated than the non-edu-
| Gated class. Whether a systematic
ethical training viii be effectual in re-
| moving evil Is yet to be proved. IL
| doubtless would be OF some value, In
moral influence, much depends upon the
teacher, its being a case where per-
sonaity and example are more than
precept Example and precept and per-
sonality combined would surely bring
about good. II care not who teaches
my boy Greek, said the author Of Tom
| Browns School Days. but let me select
the master who is with him in his
hours of rest and of play" Doubtless
he had in mind that good man, DR. Ar
mold. the famous teacher at Rugby,
whose moral influence 1t felt through
cut all England
SHOULD READ GOOD BOOKS.
OF ethical value next to associating
with worthy people, Is the reading OF
good books. There are many many
books containing moral stories which
might be read with profit There Is
one book, however, of world renown be-
longing to this class, which Is not
| given the same interest that our fore
fathers bestowed upon It, There may
be serious objections to having the
Bible taught in our schools, but to read
II IN class would surely call for no crit
icism In this way the pupil would
unconsciously lmbibe feeling of rev.
erence, and get ideas OF ethical value.
One argument In favor OF the kinder
garten is that the Bible stories told
help to develop the spiritual nature of
the child II Bible stories are good
thing in the kindergarten why aren't
they good in the grades? No one yet
has satisfactorily explained why the
child's spiritual development should
not go on after 1t IL six years Of age,
But some may argue that II is not ex-
pected of the schools to teach morals
and reverence; that Il Is the duty of the
church and the home, But some chill
dren do not go to church. and some
have not good principles taught in the
home. While the schools are universal
and If they reach whom the others can
not. No one should complain of the pre-
rogatlve Besides It usually requires
the efforts OF the schools the family and
the church to make good citizens. The
Bible should be read not incidentally
but have q definite time and place. not
only for it's ethical, but for its literary,
historical and artistic value.