The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1909-02-19

A. ~ PWOTo.
The following article was written
by Superintendent F. e. Converse OF
the Beloit. Wis, schools. formerly
OF this city, and is reprinted from
the Beloit News:
Many reliable signs indicate that
during the next ten years there will
be the greatest development and ad-
vancement in public instruction ever
seen in any preceding decade.
Universities, colleges, public high
schools and elementary schools are
being criticised, and the value of
their work, and the results obtained,
are being more carefully estimated
than ever before. At the same time
1t is perfectly clear that the people
are not losing faith in popular edu-
cation. The universities are receiv-
ing larger appropriations. the col
leges are receiving increased endow-
ments, new and better buildings are
constantly being erected all over the
country for the public schools, bet
ter equipment is being provided, and
salaries of teachers are slowly but
surely increasing with the demand
for and effort to secure stronger
teachers, and to induce them to re-
main in the work instead of leaving
it for more profitable employment.
No tax is paid SO willingly as the
school tax, and the increasing
amount of money being spent by the
people on the public schools, indi-
Gates their faith in the system. But
it also indicates their desire to i'm
prove the systemic get better re-
suits.
The public school is factory; it's
product is men and women; its raw
material is boys and girls from all
sorts of homes and with greatly
varying aptitude and degrees of ca
pacity. The owners of a factory are
constantly studying how to improve
its product and how to save waste Of
raw material, they are constantly
adding better machines, improved
equipment, ETC., for these purposes.
This apparently is the attitude of
thinking people toward the public
schools. Faith in popular education
and the public school system is
stronger than ever, but they want to
improve the product and save waste.
This waste is terrific, over half of the
people drop out before reaching the
high school. The reason for this loss
is not because the boys and girls
must go to work. Experience shows
that almost all parents will manage
to keep their children in school just
as long as the children want to go
and do the work satisfactorily. Par
ents desire that their children have
better education and better
chance in life than they had. They
believe in the high school, the col
lege, and higher education They
want their children to have an edu
cation, if the children have a bent
in that direction. But what about
the half or more of our children who
have not the bent of mind or .nclin
alton TO work for a purely literary
education? These are found in the
homes of the well to do as well as in
the homes of the poor, and genius
is found in all sorts of homes. Par
ents are asking the question, Ought
not this half of our boys and girls.
who, cannot develop their mental side
any further through books alone, re-
ceive as much consideration as the
rest, and ought they not to have spe-
cial provision made for them" The
greatest need is that of the boys and
girls between the ages of thirteen
and sixteen who are too young to be-
gin learning a business or trade
regularly, or to enter upon their life
work, and yet have come to stand
still in their progress in book learn
ing. Many of these find their place
in the busy wo1ld and in time are
successful and influential citizens.
But many, leaving school as soon as
the law permits, having no regular
employment, are out Of work much
of the time, and bring up families in
poverty.
People are realizing that life today
is very different, more varied and
more complex than it was a genera
ton ago when land was cheap and
abundant, and manufacturing was
undeveloped. The feeling is strong
that this half of the children is not
receiving the benfit from the schools
that it needs and ought to receive;
that it does not receive as practical
training as life demands. The
people are proud of our schools. They
believe they are efficient and all
right as far as they go, but they
are rapidly coming to believe that
they are too limited, that their scope
must be enlarged and broadened.
The demand is here and rapidly
becoming insistent, that the larg.
majority of boys and girls who do
not go to college shall not only be
taught how TO live, but also how to
get n living. Not that they be. made
skilled mechanics. This would be ut
terly unwise to attempt because i'm
possible on account of youth and i'm
maturity. II is no more possible
than to make a professor of Latin
through the limited Latin instruc-
ton OF the schools. But that the
ccihilit aud ammonium t;Ao Of ba