Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-11-18

who are competent to look after the
schools under their jurisdiction We
also need competent teachers, TO lmpart
information 10, ana train the children
to become morally and Intellectually
strong. n the schools Themselves, or
positions connected with them, Should
over be 80 degraded as 10 be considered
worth no more than a little doucour
or tip, to be given for services
rendered tho great chiefs Of partisan
ship, IL would be time Tor all citizens
to come together and call hat The
schools are one Of the most important
institutions OF this country on them
depends. largely, the future OF the ma
ton They should be sheltered from
the strife, passions ana hubbub OF
common NE AS places consccratod to
higher service
According to official reports iGoO9,-
68l pupils attended the public schools
OF this country the fiscal year ending
June 30 1904 Although this is most
gratifying exhibit there is said to be
an actual decrease IN the percentage
showing the ratio to the entire popu-
latlon MS compared with the preceding
six years. The total cost Of the school
system was 5ii5L62J, denotlng an
increase OF about Si6.0oOOoo over the
previous year This IS wonderful
showing. what are the results?
one Miss shaw has been writing a
series Of articles for the Worlds Work
ON the schools Of the country and In
the November number she states her
conclusions as 10 whether they can be
considered successful or not. Physl-
cally she says. the results are meager
signs Of disease, due to ignorance are
depressIngly frequent Mentally the
showing is equally meager I'm proof OF
which the gentle critic states that II
the graduates Of public schools had
learned to reason. they would not be
gllled over and over by the same lying
advertisements they would not be the
readlest dupes OF yellow journalism
there would be more conversation and
less drlyel; Imagination would make
simple and inexpensive pleasures more
acceptable Morally we are told the
showing Is poorer still There are
many influences that suggest the get
ting Of money without work The
schools do not counteract these iniiu-
ences as they might
The reasons given for these alleged
poor results, are, principally badly
paid teachers. and incompetent boards
Miss Shaw takes the position that good
falarles should be paid to teachers
and that they should be earned. No
man or woman she says, Of cheap ana
superficial ideals can give an equiva-
lent OF n good salary, a teacher whose
language still has traces Of dialect and
whose nst is ready for the slow or dar-
ing pupil NAV have a nlnety-nlne-per-
cent knowledge Of wood-carylng or
geography and yet be an unfit teacher
As for boards OF education, she admits
that. as rule they know something
about wallpaper. about coal, and about
the making Of rubber hose, and that
some OF them use that knowledge In
the honest conduct OF the school bust
ness. while others misuse It at the ex-
pense Of the public ] have found few
places, Miss Shaw says where even
such school business as the purchase
and distribution Of supplies was well
conducted. Grocers who carried on
their business In the fashion OF these
boards" would be desplsed as dishon'
est careless, or incompetent
It Ia interesting reading and the
criticism OF a friend cannot but be OF
benefit. II accepted In friendly spirit
IN this country we pride ourselves over
our schools and the results obtained,
We can afford to listen TO the other
side. and turn just criticism TO adyan-
tase