The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-07-11
AssAILs TIE COLLEGES.

The educators in their National con
vcntion in Denver have been striking
high and low. finding fault with pretty
much everybody, and trying TO make IT
appear that they are the only persons
who deserve real consideration. 1t is
natural. Of course. for enthusiasts in
any profession TO Gas they say in Utah)
"magnify their calling but thcro is
such thing as pushing even this fair
to-average motto To an extreme, and
making it a nuisance and bore
We gave some attention in these
columns recently TO tho scathing de
nunciations by these peda agogucs Of the
taxpayers because they did not come
forth more literally IN support of the
demands made by the teachers, This
dcnunciation, made in bitterness. was
in disregard OF tho enormous sums Of
money that is paid every year by the
Taxpayers throughout the country for
tho support Of the public schools. And
those Denver pedagogues also rallied at
the "'little education OF the people,
apparently forgetting that they and
their predecessors are blameworthy, so
far as any blame can be attached to
anybody. for this "ittle education. -
For with more competent teachers, bet
ter education would undoubtedly have
been imparted to the generation now
in control Of public affairs. For the
public schools have been in operation
l. Il, i
have been such as to better satisfy the
exactions, in the educational line, of
these Denver compliments.
We find reported in yesterday morn
ing's dispatches n sentiment that ap-
parcntly met with approval in the con
vention, which, put in the form Of II
question. was, |Why is it that young
man degenerates within six months after
he enters collcgc?" First, we should
say that this is probably vastly er-
roneous assumption as applied TO the
mass of college students, If it is true.
or even approximately true, 1T is the
severest arraignment Of colleges that
has even been made by anybody. For
it necessarily implies in the query form
in which it is stated that it is the col
lcgc life that creates this degeneration.
But if college life makes those who live
it degenerate, then the less we have of
it the better, and we should abolish
our colleges at once.
1t follows, therefore, that the as
scrtion put in the form of question.
needs, first of all, TO be proved true
as to n sufficient number Of the stu
dents of the colleges 10 make it worth
consideration. We should say, then,
that if it is true Of sufficient number
to make the question worth the putting,
then the utmost diligence should be ex
ercised by the college authorities in
wedding out these degenerates that
are not able to stand even six months
Of college life. For it can fairly be as
sumed that where a student is de-
moralized by SIX months Of college life,
it is a good deal better for him TO get
out Of the college altogether than to
keep on.
We imagine that if the college au-
thorities Of this country consider the
question as assumed Of sufficient i'm
portance to be dealt with, either by re-
ply or methods of reformation, there will
not be much difficulty in applying the
cure The question seemed to assume
that all Of the college students dcgen-
crate within SIX months after entering
the college. It would be interesting,
therefore, for the person who puts it |
in this way TO state, il he can, why it |
is that multitudes Of good men gradu-
ate every year from the colleges. Do |
they recover from their degeneracy 2 !
IF so, what brings about this recovery? |
Does "the hair Of the dog cure the |
bite?'' Or, as our homeopathic friends |
say, is il a case OF "similia similibus |
curantur7' Is that degeneracy a help |
to the students In their subsequent
career, or is it handicap TO them? If |
there is anything at all in this PROPOSE
tion that the young man degenerates
within six months after entering col |
lege, more light should be shed upon
1T, What is the effect Of that degen-
eracy! How far does it extend, and
how is it cured? For certainly il does
not continue until the end, as a rule,
although doubtless some go through col.
lege without any particular benefit |
from their college training. But it is
hard to imagine that this training has
really done them any harm. even though |
1t has not improved them, And al |
though they are not made by it |
strong and able citizens, it remains that |
large number, perhaps the majority. |
Of the college students, are helped by
their college course and come out
strong, well-equipped citizens.
Was this Denver educational convcn.
tion merely a sort of scolding match,
or was it convention of good men |
of sound Judgment, whose deliberations
are entitled to consideration and re-
spect7 Doubtless the latter is true in |
the main, and certainly must be true |
Of large numbers of those who at !