The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-12-23
SMARTLY RAPS
POPULAR IDOLS
OF EDUCATION
Mrs. Miner Urges Teachers to
Get Out of Conventional Rut
of Present School System.
UTTERS SPIRITED PLEA
FOR MODERN METHODS
DAYS WORK OF STATE coNvEN-
TON COVERS A WIDE
RANGE.


+ system of education which was +
y right hundred years ago is as far =
y behind in the race of progress as Is
\ the OK cart behind the locomobile y
y which won the recent Vanderbilt cup =
y race.
\ We have made of our educational =
\ system a fetch; we have bowed ,
y down to an idol and have gone on y
y casting our children into the arms y
y of this consuming Moloch, uncon- =
= scious sacrifice.
y The unit of our present school or =
+ ganization is the class; the unit of =
+ the new education must be the indi- y
4 vidual-
y Teachers must cease TO be task =
\ masters; they must become leaders =
y They must remember that the person p
= who drives usually goes behind and =
y that is exactly where he belongs. +
y We have been sending too many =
y people to college. Young men and +
y young women have fallen victims to =
y the idea that the only education is \
y that which scholastic attainments
y give.
+ Too many teachers are Journalists; y
y are pedagOgically starched; are not y
\ flexible enough to meet the demands =
y that any live. energetic school makes
\ upon them.-Mrs. Florence Miner y
%<%%<<<*<*<+*%<<<+<*<<<<<<
Mrs. Florence Miner. head of the De-
troit university school. and the. only wo-
position as the head of a great school for
boys. in a vigorous and foreeful address
in the tabernacle last evening pointed out
evils existing in the present school sys-
tenn. Some hard blows were dealt the
common school structure which has been
the pride of educators, in her paper, the
title of which, School Waste. was no
misnOmer
incidentally. Dr. j. H. Alderman, state
superintendent of schools of the state OF
oregon. took d few falls out of the pres
ent methods By pointing out briefly and
clearly what were not the functions OF the
school
The meeting was attended by an audi
ence which nearly filled the body of the
tabernacle and must have numbered 800
persons The immense audience was indie
alive of the interest of the public geif-
orally in the present convention and IN
the eminent educators who are present
DIR. George Thomas. president of the
association. again presided, and after solos
by Fred Graham introduced Dr. Acker-
man, who in witty and common sense
talk held his audience for an hour. he
began with a tribute to A G Nelson,
state superintendent. and the Utah teach
ers on account of whom he was inclined
to envy his brother superintendent He
then recited what he believed to be the
functions of the public school, as follows:
School Functions.
Primary Functions-To produce the fin
est specimens of manhood and womanhood
and to give them power; the extent of
democratic education can stop nowhere
short of embracing the entire people with
out any distinction of race. color, sex or
creed; to inculcate in all classes pru-
dence, thrift frugality and economy with
out holding up the almighty dollar as the
supreme end of existence; TO meet the
demands of the century that will soon
dawn: to fit the youths of America for
the practical duties of life, the same as
the conscious aim of society.
Secondary Functions-TO do the great
est good to the greatest number; to be a
positive factor in the culture of the com
munity; to be distinctly American; the
development of manhood rather than
training for citizenship; the recognition of
the fact that all people cannot economi-
cally do all things we'll; to look to the
needs of the real children rather than
those of the imaginary child Of the pub
lie school machine
Not School Functions.
Dr. Alderman then took up his subject.
the non-functions of the school. and in
the same concise manner outlined these.
1t Is. he said, not the function of the
school to take the place of society. nor
is it to amuse the children. Something
must be wrong when the school becomes
a place OF amusement. though he would
not send a child to a teacher who had
not a sense of humor or who was not
capable of looking upon the lighter things
OF life II Is decidedly not 10 turn work
into play. though there are parents who
imagine that teachers are there to give
the children a good time
He concluded with an appeal to the
teachers not TO attempt to beat the rec
ord of any one. but TO beat their own rec
erds and to do better each year than be-
fore
The girls chorus of the city schools
sang several selections which were aD-
plauded and encOred.
Mrs. Florence Miner was then intro
duced as one who had risen to distinction
in the teaching profession. After ref
Continued on Page 2.