Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-17
A TIMELY SUGGESTION.

|
Institute held last Saturday at Hebcr
| City, Prof. Mosiah Hall. of the State
| University. recommended a radical
change In the present curriculum OF
the common schools Most educators
agree that the course of study is badly
crowded: that children have so many
studies to pursue that their minds
are kept In a constant whirl and they
are unable to center their efforts upon
anything. Prof. Hall contends that
fewer subjects must be taught and
these must he taught more thoroughly
and effectively.
Some of us remember the time when
the three RS constituted the course
of study. When geography was intro
duced, II was received with much
hostility by the older boys, and when
grammar was added a small rebellion
arose-many refused TO study this new
subject. Since then. Notwithstanding
the protest of pupil and often of
teacher. there has been forced into
the curriculum. from the outside, sub
ject after subject until the whole is
so top heavy that II Is likely to fall
of its own weight. 1t was believed
that children should know something
of the history of the country. hence
United States history WAS placed in
the curriculum The w. c. Il.
A. succeeded in having Congress
pass a new law compelling the
schools. to teach physiology and hy-
gicne Advocates of culture, at length
succeeded in having art and music
recognized as essential subjects. The
'irslstent demand to make nature study
a part of the curriculum was listened
to, and at present there is an earnest
effort being made to force the schools
to teach manual training. domestic
science. domestic art, and agriculture
But this is not all; as a sort of last
straw on the camel's back. some en-
thusiasts are insisting that one or
more foreign languages should be
taught by the schools-and the very
last subject mentioned as being abso-
lGtely necessary TO a we'll balanced and
nicely rounded curriculum, up to 1890
O'Clock last night. is Clvics.
The three RS have expanded Into
seventeen subjects. and the well bal
anced school is expected TO instruct the
students in reading writing arithmetic,
spelling. grammar. geography. history,
hygiene and physiology, drawing
music, nature study. manual training,
domestic science, domestic art. agrI-
culture, a foreign language and ciyics.
II is not uncommon to see a little
child staggering to school under an
arm full of books. reminding one of
State Supt. Ackerma8's statement at
our State Teachers association last
year: During the last decade, the text
books have been getting thicker and
thicker and the children thinner and
thinner'-or Johnny's answer TO the
teachers question: "Why are you late.
Johnny" why. teacher. L had to go
back to get the rest of my books"
So far az we know no effective ef-
fort has been made to corrcIate or
better to amalgamate these subjects
Prof Hall is. we believe. the first of
our educators 10 suggest. or rather TO
offer. a definite way of lessenine the
subjects required In our common
schools. He took a strong decisive
stand Saturday In favor of uniting ma
ture study and geography under the
head OF nature-geography, laying
stress on the science side of the sub
ject in the lower grades These SUBJ
jects. he contends. can better be taught
together than separately
II the Professor is right, and we be-
lieye ne is this should be hailed with
Joy by both teacher and pupil as it
would do away with one recitation
period each day during the eight years
of school
We gather, farther. from the Pro-
fessors remarks. that all the art neces-
sary could and should, be correlated
with ma ~e-geography This would
do cay with one other of the
branches OF our burdensome curricu-
lum. as separate subject
We believe this suggestion is timely
and far reaching and hope to see it
carefully and unbiasedIy considered
by the people and educators of our
State. What our schools need is Less
quantity and more quality-smalIer
scope and greater efficiency"