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

A ilolal logthe country at5largety554
j As to how this might be accom-
4 plished, he made the Following state
\ ment:
We need NOT change the present: sys-
4 TENT OF teac1ing tho children to intro
4 ducs agriculture into the schools. but
merely revise the text books to some
extent The problem Will be tho Same
i materially, bat instead or having q
\ VIII man who buys 30 many shares OF
4 mining stock ana sells It u certain per
cent higher than the cost.
4 Mako have the problem deal
4 ing with agricultural life. For
\ instance place the problem before
4 the pupils: How much will it require
| to feed horse during the winter II he
eats SO many pounds of hay and grain
| n day.? or How many horses Will u
stack of hay OF certain dimensions feed
during the winter?'
4 He explained further that 1t should
be possible 50 to arrange the work II,
nature study. which is being estab-
lished with success in many Of the best
common schools of the country that 1t
| will deal with the life cycles and with
| agricultural processes in some detail
as well as with experiments upon the.
more obvious and general aspects of
nature. 81
| This substantial agreement of opin-
ion among leading educators OF our
State, was not affected by the fact
that varying plans are proposed. Minor
differences as to details are Of course
inevitable. One of these came out in
response 70 DR. Widtsoe, when DR..
Paul of the nature study department
of the University, showed that the
complete agricultural cycle Of life in
plant and animal is less convenient for
common school lessons than the more
direct object lessons from the specimen
in hand. Otherwise, he said, he could
heartily agree with the ideas of DR..
Widtsoe.
Thus 1t has developed, that it is not
necessary in this case for others to
attempt to decide when doctors disa-.
gree, for all are at one here on this
question. We therefore think that
solution Of this pressing problem of
public need, could now be worked out
that should both meet the views of
the educators and also satisfy the pub
lie demand for more of Industrial ao-
tivity, or at least more of frst-hand
Knowing and doing, in the public and
high schools Of the State.
And in following out this desidera-
ton in school life. we think farther
that no better suggestion could be
given than that made by Mrs. Miner
in the course of her beautiful and In
spirational addresses before tho con-
yention:
You Of the free and untrammelled
west should do much toward this need
ed reform. No matter what the east
has done, no matter what conventions
and section OF the country may have
established, see to it that you do not
fall under the spell. Our problem is to
shake off the calling letters OF these
same conventions; yours to work out a
system of education fitted to the vast
ness and power Of your magnificent en-
vironments. Do not follow savishly
the traditions of long-establshed
| schools, Study your own Industrial
and social conditions and make your
schools, not in imitation OF any other
existing ones, but put into them the
freedom Of your Lown vast country.
Daro to do the unconventional thing if
| you believe in 1t, and we. who may
| not always follow the lead of our con
victions, will learn Of you the better
way