The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-12-24
CHOOSE briggs
FOR PRESIDENT
Utah Teachers Adopt Resolu-
tons and Elect Officers
for Ensuing Year.
CLOSE OF BIG GATHERING
COMMITTEE TO FORMULATE AND
DEFINE SCHOOL NEEDS.

President. F. NJ DriSgS, Superln- -
:. fendent of the state school for the 9:
- deaf, Ogden. o
:. First vice president, John S. (:
:. Welch. supervisor of grammar {:
Z. grades. Salt Lake City. @
d. Second S-ice president, d. II. Z.
:, Robinson, principal of schools Z.
/. Manti :.
Director for three years, d. G. .
Jensen, Logan.
o ., &. 9, % . 8, Z: s: {: . g = p 8: q . (:
The most successful session yet held
Of the Utah State Teachers association
closed yesterday afternoon with the
election of officers for the coming year.
Professor Frank NJ. briggs was elected
president after an exciting contest, his
chief opponent. John S. WEIGH of Salt
Lake. being twenty-eight votes behind.
In line with the recommendations OF
the retiring president. DR. George
Thomas of Logan, in his annual ad-
dress, an important step was taken t>
the convention in the provision OF "a
committee to formulate and define
school needs and 10 take steps in the
direction OF crystallizing these needs
into legislation.
The convention this year has been at
tended by 1900 persons, and the work
Of the gathering has been more than
usually comprehensive, covering all
the branches Of school work There
have been in attendance three of til.
leading educators of the nation in the
persons Of DR.. Jacob Gould Schur-
man. president Of Cornell university;
Mrs. Florence Miner, head Of Detroit
university. the foremost educator of htr
sex in the land, and DR.. ]. A. Acker-
man. state superintendent of schools
Of Oregon. Each of these has delivered
addresses which have been an inspira-
ton to the assembled teachers. The
departmental meetings. where distinct
i've branches were covered exhaustive
~ were entered into enthusiastically
and were of more than ordinary value.
The last gathering Of the convention
was held In the Assembly hall at p:
m. the president. Dr. George Thomas,
presiding. There was music at the
opening by the salt Lake concert quar-
tette. and the speaker of the afternoon
was DR.. J. II. Alderman of Oregon.
The School Follows
DR.. Ackerman's address was on the
subject, The School Follows. 1t Does
Not Lead" and was in a measure an
extension OF his address in the Taber-
nacle on the previous evening. BY the
school he said, he meant the teacher
ans he pointed out that any teacher
vino endeavored. in the administrators
Of his or her school. to put in force
any rule not backed by public opinion
would surely lose the fruits of his or
her labOrs. If such a rule viii not
stand public opinion and public discus
sion, there must be something wrong.
and a teacher I'm such position should
at once recede from il. He took to
himself and superintendent generally
the same proposition.
DR.. Alderman paid a tribute 10 the
value of the press in education work
considering it one of the greatest fac
tors and one TO which due credit was
not always given. He believed il the
duty Of the teacher TO keep in touch
with the press, and that when an ex-
ceptional article on educational lines
appeared should personally thank the
editor. For example. an editorial ap-
peariug I'm one of the leading papers
THE HERALD Wednesday morning in
line with the suggestions of the press
dent. DR.. Thomas. deserved the thanks
Of every teacher in Utah
Teachers, too. should follow the work
af their legislators and be ready to
give their assistance 10 them when
/
teacher has an influence which he or
she should be prepared 10 use. Too
of;en the profession is too ready with
fire thoughts, but lacking in action.
Always the action Of school men
should be in the line of following intel
ligent public opinion. Too many feel
that they are leading the hosts of CIV
iiization. They are wiser when they
Try TO follow public opinion and pubic
conscience Of the American people.
Courses of Study.
Dr. Alderman dealt exhaustively
with the courses Of study. which he
iyaukly admitted were overcrowded. in
many cases BY legislative enactment
lie showed how the elementary courses
nab grown since the birth of the nation
and that the overcrowding came from
outside, from sociological rather than
pedagogic sources. Books were becom-
ing thicker and thicker. and as a re-
suit scholars thinner and thinner He
pleaded for the cutting down of the
size Of many Of the books Systems OF
'"inS lessons in vogue in many school
rooms he denounced as making 80 per
cent OF the work done useless. he
'.ould, he said, Discharge the teacher
VINO took home exercises to correct
Tho teacher should endeavor TO have
.Hr work done in the SCiloOl room 20
Set results, and il would be more sue
dent.
lie closed with a high tribute TO the
,lah teachers. who, he admitted, were
-eAerally in advance of his own state
lie commended particularly the music
"i the children he had heard during the
invention. paying a personal tribute
ID Professor William A. Wetzell. he
mad never heard better music from
children anywhere. 1t was. he said
with regret he would leave them. but
with new ideals that he would return
10 his Oregon home.
After solos by Mrs. Bessie Browning
ne convention settled down 10 the bus
mess Of the association.
DIR. George Thomas. retiring pres;-
cent. in a brief speech thanked tf-
members for the loyal support they had
given and for the manner in which
they had recognized his services
Resolutions Are Adopted.
The committee on resolutions. COM
pilsing Carl r. Marcusson, w. NJ. Boy
zen and John w. Smith submitted the
GLOWING set of resolutions which.
AFTER lengthy discussion. was adopted:
Resolved
l. That the ever growing popular,-
Importance and efficiency OF the
Slah Teachers association has been