Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1909-10-06

the manufactured product of thai
school must be measured just as crit
ically by what it is worth as a prod
uct of any factory. | am confront
ed with some questions in my nina
concerning the philosophy of our
present high schools, and if l said
anything concretely it would be this,
that the present Wisconsin high
school tries to teach too much, too
much. 1t has gone from a local
proposition to state wide PROPOSE
ton 1t is today too much of a re
cruiting station for the University OF
Wisconsin. 1t has no business to be
such an institution. 1t is supported
by local taxation for local purposes,
for local enlightenment. 1t has no
business today to be in relation with
the University of Wisconsin. in my
private opinion. Therefore, the cur
riculum of the high school is based
upon the necessities of the university
to an extent, in my opinion, that is
subversive of the best interests of
the great majority of the pupils IL
the high schools. / do not like the
situation. l am regent of the
university I believe, gentlemen, that
we are sacrificing large amount of
usefulness in the future to a theory,
theory that our system of education
the head If that be true, where is
the country district school today?
The poorest school in the state OF
Wisconsin, the most wonderful
school, the most important school,
and good for nothing today practical
ly. Now then, we have been con-
sumed too much with an idea of the
head and not enough of the feet, for
the head can not say to the feet, 4
have no need of thee" | am con-
fronted with the fact that large
number of young men turned out at
our high school are loaded down
with something that they do not I'M
derstand; | am confronted with the
fac, and ! thought of it when Pro
lessor O'Shea was talking, with re-
fronted with regard to the fact in
practical business way with relation
to the young men that have been put
upon algebra when they knew scarce
/ " ANYTHING about arithmetic. Now,
this is putting the cart before the
horse Things are not in their right
relation. | believe that arithmetic
should be taught in the high scnooi
to the last day of the pupils life ana
taught practically, taught intensely
| am not so certain about the propo-
sition of algebra, or what is so-calied
higher mathematics but when you
bring me a pupil graduated at my
high school that can not cast up ac-
counts or calculate a creamery owl
dend in percentage, | am asking my
self the question, 20, algebra, what
are YOU good for" and the pupil tell
ing me that he did not understand
Inercentage, that he went through II
| and did not understand It,
Now. the teachers are not to blame
The teachers of the high school To-Day
gentlemen, are among the most con
scientious men struggling under
load which. in my opinion, is too great
for them and they did not put 1t upon
themselves either. The state has been
carried away, completely carried
away. with the idea of standing ac-
credited to the university. | do not
like that proposition. It interiors
with the peoples college, with its To-
cal usefulness, as [ said a moment ago.
| Now, these are some of the thoughts
! that perplex me. | present them 70
] YOU not with the idea that there is
| fnality in them. o. no! There IS
nc fnality in any of our thoughts, but
| present them to you from the stand
| ing of my observation as to the prod
net turned out CT our high school.
Now. | find that the after education
of the young man. after he has left
the high school, the after education,
| is more important than any he has
ever had Should that be so? /
would like you to fit young men so
| that they can become competent dis
! DOS61S Oh lu6lF IUIluuS anu PAL llSuie'A
ly of public trust, particularly of the
trust of other people. | said to the
Countess of Aberdeen one time while
engaged in a months tour with her
and her husband, the count of Aber-
i deem. in the three eastern provinces
of Canada, that | was at once struck
with the Scottish people, with the
wonderful marvellous. ability of the
/ Scottish people to fill places of trust
and confidence, and l said to her that
noticed that every factor in the en-
ploy of the Hudson Bay company is
a Scotchman, and then when | go
south into the West Indies and the
great sugar estates, at the head of
every one is a Scotchman, and at the
head of nearly all the fiduciary and
| financial institutions Of England is a
! Scotchman, and the bursar on the
1 lire Sc Scotch