Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-12-26
WHERE DocToRs DO AGREE.

What to doi''when doctors disagree"
is a question that most people prefer
not to decide; but as to what should be
done when doctors are q unit In opin-
ion seems neither to admit of any
doubt nor to permit unnecessary delay.
AS our readers know, we but recent
ly raised these important questions;
Shall the schools teach agriculture?
If So how, where, and by what means
and methods?
We referred recently to the PROPOSE
ton to establish separate agricultural
high schools for this purpose: and
stated that just here the opinions of
educators might be expected to differ.
But we are gratitied to observe that
there is no apparent division Of opln-
ion as to the main idea. AS to whether
the schools for industrial subjects
should be separate, or whether they
should be made part of the present
system Of schools. Our readers may
recall that was the subject of q recent
| communication to this paper by Dr.
| Vim. NJ, Stewart Of the State Normal.
He took the ground that industrial
education must be made part OF the
regular system of instruction and
| should not be attempted in d separate
| and necessarily competing system OF
| parallel schools. He urged the enoH-
! nous expense and the rivalry. keen and
unpleasant as well as the social detr-
| ment to pupils resulting from such
| segregation, MS reasons why q seDar-
ate system of Industrial schools should
not be established.
We felt convinced even at that time,
that Dr. Stewart had advanced the
right solution, but withheld our views
/ until we 4 could learn what might
| be said on the other side
| Of the question. Thus far every
| thing we have been able To
| hear from those who should best un-
derstand the merits of this question,
has served only to deepen our first con-
viction that two sets of public schools
should not be contemplated.
First President Kinssbury of the
University maintained before the Utah
! Teachers association that 1t would be
one of the grayest of educational and
| economic mistakes to undertake TO du-
| pIicate the present system OF public
] schools with a parallel system for agri-
| cultural and mechanical pursuits.
No adverse opinion could be found
/! among all the vast body Of assembled
! teachers who heard the statement, Had
] the question been put to vote, we have
| no doubt that there would have been
| unanimity of opinion in support of the
1 view that it is better to supplement the
| present school system with desired and
I practicable Improvements than to at
tempt to createa new and distinct sys
tenn for the purpose OF introducing
another phase of education.
DR.. Widtsoe. president of The Agri-
| cultural college,, took the same view
| While discussing the aims of intro
ducing agriculture into tho schools.
| His argument was that It IL a diff
cult thing to get nen interested in farm
life after they have passed the grade
school and high school stages, and
! that we must start early and get them
interested. while they are yet young.
in the lower branches of learning. He
belives that there comes time In the
lives Of al! men when they must earn
a living for themselves. and II they
have been trained in the agricultural