The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-01-04
GIVEN
TWO HONORS
BY TEACHERS
DR.. George Thomas Chosen
President and City Selected
fer Convention.
ACADEMY OF SCIENCE
IS ALSO ORGANIZED
IMPORTANT MEETINGS ARE
HELD AND SEVERAL NOTABLE
ADDRESSES ARE MADE.
By ELIZABETH H. coRAY.

Provo, Jan. 3.-DF. George Thomas, Of
Logan. member OF the faculty of the
Agricultural college. and also a member
of the Logan school board, will head the
Utah Teachers association for the next
year. There was little excitement con-
nected with the election. although it was
evident that there was strong feeling un-
derlying the nominations 1t had been
generally conceded that the choice had
narrowed down to two men, and when
Dr. Merrill of the university was named
il was with no precOncerted action, and
came as a surprise. Immediately after
ID. II. Christensen secured the floor, and
in a short but eulogistic speech named
HDr. Thomas, laying especial emphasis on
the fact that he was a member of
school board. SecOnding motions were
heard from all over the house and finally
a motion to make the choice unanimous
was made but failed. Roylance of the
University of Utah finally secured the
floor and named Frank r. briggs of Og-
den Mr.. briggs followed the only course
possible, and in spite OF the fact that
he had consented TO run only under the
pressure of his friends, declined the nom
inatiOn and moved TO make DR.. Thomas
election unanimous, which was done.
j. II. Paul, OF the University of Utah,
was given the first vice presidency. and
Frank Fishburn the second, while z. NJ
WEiIesides, OF Davis county. ana W. y
Rawlings, of Provo, were made additional
directors 10 serve one and twO-year
terms. with A. S. Martin, OF Salt Lake,
the hoIdOver. The office of secretary ana
treasurer. the only Salaried office in the
association. will go by appointment OF
the executive committee, and will, for
convenience, 90 to Logan man, since
the president lives there. The next meet
ing of the association Will also go to
Logan.
The only other business transacted was
the adoption Of an amendment to the con-
stitution, proposed at the first session, by
which the arts and crafts department is
divided into two departments. The re-
port of the enrolment committee pre-
scented a mild subject for discussion, when
IL was proposed to change the enrolment
by granting life memberships for the sum
of SO and making all holders of such the
only active members. Although the sub
jeet was to be left in allegiance for a
whole year, it caused a furry 1t was
voted down. The resolutions presented
were of the usual order. thanking the
public. the various clubs and the private
individuals who had made the success Of
the affair possible.
Preceding the election, DIR. Gordy spoke
briefly on the life of Socrates. drawing
from IL a lesson for all teachers.
Superintendents' Section.
At the meeting of the superintendent
section in the morning the addresses
which had been scheduled TO be given by
several local superintendents were given
S SHzzai o'' andSDr. Gordy IDr suzzaiio out
lined the development 81 the school cur
ricuum in the United States and Dr..
Ciordy urged the need of adapting the
subjects of instruction in schools to the
requirements of good citizenship. Both
men were at their best
DR.. SuZzallO explained that in this coun-
try and elsewhere the effort has always
been to prepare the child for what the
public has considered it necessary for the
child to be or to do. In early New Eng
land the emphasis was placed upon the
subject Of reading, which was deemed
essential by religious New England. since
one must read to know the word of God.
Attention to spelling came later, and only
as an aid to reading and this, declared
DR.. SuzzallO, is the logical progress. As
commercial relations grew less simple,
arithmetic and writing became neces-
sary, and were put into the schools.
Their basis was economic. In the big
towns like Boston they were taught in
separate schools. and We're taught with
reading and writing insthe poorer schools
only through necessity. The religious
ideal prevailed almost to the American
Revolution AT that time the relations of
England and the colonies made a knoWl-
edge OF history and geography necessary,
and these subjects were gradually put
into the schools. Not till almost our
own time were the sO-called expressive
subiects-music. drawing. manual train
ing. etc.-Dut into the schools. and then
only as a result OF a better understanding
of child psychology
Steps Yet 10 Be Taken.
Many steps in the Development DR.. SUI
zalo thinks are yet to be taken. Thus
tar ecouomfc subjects are sneaked into
The school course In school arithmetic,
banking is taught: in history. the growth
OF Industries is touched. But elementary
economies proper is not admitted to the
curriculum With respect to sciences the
case is better. for much elementary SCI
ence is taught in elementary schools, UNI
der the name of nature study.
III SuZzallo thinks that the modern
grade school course is a patch work ana
should be reconstructed The difficulty.
he thinks. comes from a failure TO adapt
school subjects perfectly to the demands
of the modern public upon the chlld- IN
early New England the schools needed
the demand of the public that the child