Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-12-22
Utah TEACHERS
IN CONVENTION \ ' |: |
Fifteenth Annual Session Gets
Under Way With Two
Gatherings.
WHAT THE Pr oFEssIoN NEEDS.
WHAT THE PR 0FEssION NEEDS
President Thomas Outlines Changes
Which Must be Made TO Secure
All Applied Efficiency.

Iii an opening session attended by
1900 teachers the Fifteenth annual
convention of the state association
The teachers gathered in tho Assenb-
~ hall, but for the evening session
this building was found too small and
President Jacob Gould Schunman was
listened to in the tabernacle
In calling the assembly to order
President George Thomas of Logan,
spoke at length upon the needs of the
state teachers, urging upon them the
necessity8of meeting their problems as
= q larger unit, and of working together
for whatever things they need as Il
body.
Specifically he mentioned the need
to eliminate politics from the school
system, to secure a new law guaran-
feeling that school funds will be in the
hands of reliable banks, to abolish
: the salary Of members OF boards of.
education, thus making the position
+ and honorary one. to establish a coup-
ty unit. replacing the now obsolete
after long and faithful service, and to
cease employing the Child teacher"
A selection from the Lafayette
4 school orchestra opened the afternoon
program, this being followed by an
address of welcome by Mathonihah
Thomas = hope" he said amid much
applause, that you can get what YOU
want in Salt Lake cheaper than the
residents of the city can.
A CHANGE NEEDED.
The present system he said was
bad for the teachers, who should be
employed on yearly contracts giving
stead of on the present Irregular basis,
and he hoped the teachers would work
together to educate boards of trustees
as well as to educate their children.
President ]. Il. Kingsbury responded
to the address thanking Mr.. Thomas
for his kindly sentiments. and adVo-
eating that schools make haste slowly
toward industrial education, clinging
to the older subjects and if education
in Industrial matters must be given,
+ then let 1t be In connection with the
schools and not independent of them.
d. H. Christensen urged against too
great an ovcrcrowding of the school
curriculum. Fred G. Graham rendered
several solos after which President
Thomas delivered vigorous address.
The following committees were named
and an adjournment was taken until
evening:
Audit Committee-A. G. Nelson,
II STATE SUPERINTENDENT, LEWIS 1CSdicS5
OF Cache county and Miss Tillie Peter
son OF Weber county.
Committee on esolutions-Superin-
tendent Marcusson of Carbon county,
Superintendent Boyden of Summit
county and Superintendent j. w.
Smith of Salt Lake County.
MUST SEEK EMPLOYMENT.
In calling the attention of the teach
asers ito the needs OF their profession,
i Prest Thomas said that no profession
was on such an unprofessional basis
as that OF the state teachers. There
were in the profession, he said, some
WHO were wholly unprepared for it..
some willing TO leave to become home
builders, some disappointed at condi-
tons as they encountered them, and
some who were prepared to make 1t a
life work Means, he urged, should De
devised to stop the other professions
from sappng the strength of the teach
:. ers. The men who are leaving because
of unsatisfactory conditions, he urged,
should be held back by vigorous et-
fort to better these conditions.
Dr.. Thomas then outlined at length
ways and means to better the existing!
state of affairs. The first thing, he
urged, is to eliminate politics, and
make the fitness of the teacher to do
his work his only qualification.
The banking of school funds he CON
sdered an important matter. On this
point he said that the first and most
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