The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-06-14

of every High school student. In re-
cent instance the spelling of simple
words was ridiculous. the construction
Of sentences so awkward as to require
rewriting.
Nor were these students of the poor
er grade. They were boys and girls
who ranked well. who had ambition
and energy enough to attempt preten-
tious work. and who will probably at
tain a fair education in time. Put at
their graduation they We're not fitted
to write the simplest reports of events
i'm form for publication without re-
vision.
1t must be apparent that a system
which is unable to educate pupils in
the primary language of expression is
not adapted to fit men and women for
the most important duties of every
day life; and 1t is just conclusion to
assume that the system is radically de-
fective which does not give the child
thorough knowledge of English, ca
pacity of accurate observation and a
power to express the results of this OBJ
servation.
Again, it must be obvious to edu-
Gators that too little attention is paid
here to the technical phases of educa-
ton, TO manual training and its CO.
related branches of instruction. The
time given to manual training in the
grade schools is pitifully short, al
though a thorough course of instruc-
ton in that line would be of the great
est value to the individual pupil end
who has learned to use his hands in
diligently, to plan and execute work
for himself, has learned 10 make his
way in the world. The boy who fin
ishes his educational term with nothing
at his. command but the knowledge de-
rived from his textbooks IS handi-
| capped for life unless he has been for
tunate enough to learn practical things
at home. Most of the graduates of the
public schools spend years of prepara-
ton after they enter real life before
| they are competent to earn more than
a bare living. A very large proportion
never get beyond the subordinate class
of those who work for small salaries
or wages. Being equipped only for
clerical or similar work. they fall into
the routine necessitated by the mex
orable demands of life and are sub
merged hOpelessly. Only the few es-
cape who have means enough to secure
a technical training after they leave
the public schools. or who have
strength of character enough to make
them superior to their environment and
to wrest success from adverse condi-
tons.
A public school training should equip
the boy or girl to do the common
things of life we'll; to write well. to do
problems well, to think clearly and ex-
press thoughts exactly and fully. It
should fit pupils to perform the man.
ual tasks satisfactorily, to handle the
ordinary TOOLS meet the daily tasks of
business and domestic economy, and to
do all these things conscientiously.
1t might be unfair to say that the
public school system fails utterly to
meet these conditions; it is not unjust
TO say that large proportion of the
grade and High school graduates have
to learn how to meet the requirements
after they leave school, The schools
teach patriotism splendidly, they es-
tablish good standards of conduct and
regard for ethical law. they accomplish
a good purpose, but they do not meas
ure up to the possibilities that lie in a
well-directed educational system for
which the public willingly coends enor-
nous sums of money.
|