The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-12-30

school houses scattered through the
twenty-seven counties of the state, and
with apex the University of Utah. hav-
ing on its rolls practically 1000 stu
dents, with a separate school system
consisting of two universities and a
number of other schools supported by
the Mormon church, as well as many
private \ schools. Utah educatiOnally
stands heads and shoulders above any
intermOuntan state. That is, speak
ing generally: in many particulars
Utah is ahead not only of the inter-
mountain states, but of both east and
west.
The University of Utah is one exam
pie of TN ,tate's progressive education
a policy. Not only does ii comprise
school of arts aD1 sciences granting all
the usual degrees. a state school of
mines where every branch of engineer
ing, including chemical engineering, is
taught, but the university is unique as
comprising within itself the state nor
NAL school. This innovation is being
copied by the Universities of Chicago
and Columbia, where the normal schools
are conducted ia close connection with
the universities proper, and other uni
versities, could they maintain them,
would welcome state normals as ad-
juncts.
States Normal School.
The state normal school of Utah is
the best school for professional train
ing of teachers i'm the United States,
barring only the school of education of
the University of Chicago. That Utah
should place it's normal school in the
same class as Chicago and then close
the class would be directly provocative
of derision if it were done without ex-
PLANTATION. The explanation is that Titan
and Chicago divide between them prac-
tically the whole stock of traditions
and principles handed down by the late
Colonel Park of the Illinois state nor
NAL Colonel Park was the foremost
teacher of teachers in his day. When
he died his staff, all but two, went over
TO the Chicago school of education. The
two, W. NJ. Stewart and j. ID. Mac
Knight, came here. The former is the
principal and the latter head of the
primary department of the school. An
other member of its staff who added to
the schools reputation was Horace
Cummings, recently professor of ma
ture study there, now superintendent
of the church schools. He was chosen
recently by the National Educational
association to prepare Its official text
book on nature study to be used
throughout the country. The book is
now in course OF preparation.
Common School System.
The common school system of the
state comprises nearly 700 school houses
for a school population of 1886, for
whose education the state in the last
year set aside the sum of $4S0,O2O, per
capita expenditure of $4.63. In the
present school year there are being
erected eighteen new school buildings
and one addition in ten out OF the
twenty-seven counties. This activity IN
e A. fu not earn M
MED by overburdening taxation. From
the few county superintendent re
ports which have reached the state su-
Lerintendent's office at this writing, it
looks as if the county levies this year
would not exceed ? or mills on the
dollar The district tax by law cannot
be over mills unless the residents of
a district get together and agree to per-
nit a bigger levy. They may then as
sess themselves as high as 20 mills. In
Cache county, where six new buildings
are being erected this year in as many
districts at a total cost Of $27,101, the
biggest voluntary district tax is 141s
mills. Where no new buildings are be-
ing put up the district taxes will not
be over or mills. In the past while
state and county school funds have
been increasing, many poor districts
have been forced for want of money TO
| limit their terms to five or six months,
d
J Nth a surplus on hand. To end this
state of affairs the last legislature
passed an act permitting consolidation
of the districts in any county of $4,000
population, Salt Lake county CONSOLE
dated into two and Weber county into
one district, and the other counties of
the state viii do all i'm their power to
bring about further consolidation leg
islatiOn.
Weakest Link in Chain.
The High schools of the state are on
a high educational plane, but otherwise
they form a weak link of the school
system of the state. The reason is that
in the country districts the ''acade-
mics" as the church schools of corre-
spending grade are called, claim the
fealty of a majority of the children of
high school age. As result, the ten
dency has been created for the edu-
cational authorities to concentrate their
efforts on the common schools anC
leave the High school field TO the acad-
emies. a recent amendment TO the
state constitution by which the legis-
lature is authorized to appropriate state
funds 10 the aid of High schools will
if it is taken advantage of, which is by
no means a fOregone conclusion
strengthen the weak link considerably.
school is as strong as its weakest
teacher. Therefore, the people of Utah
attach muCn importance 10 the Secur-
ing of good teachers. The cry for COM
potent men and women is so great that
I'm Salt Lake the Brown school, a corre-
spOndence institution, has been estab-
lished whose speciality is the training
Of school teachers. In connection with
il is an agency for securing men and
women 10 work in the intermountain
schools. In connection with the agency
there is a great and constant cry for
men and women. For Jobs there is M
cry The jobs are there waiting 10 be