The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1910-10-27

blame him instead OF the condition OF
society which has produced 1t. Every
school district of a certain size ought
j., to be compelled by law to furnish \
bui ding and grounds large enough
and equipped with the best appliances
for the complete physical develop
!: ment OF every child within its juris-
diction. Many schools make use Of
the modern games Of football. base.
ball, basket ball, tennis, etc., but these
games, benefit only few, and would
not detract from them Why could
we not have military drill out in the
open air in season and make It COM
; pulscry for every boy in school? Look
at the average school boy with his
bumped shoulders and wobbly walk!
What's the matter with him? What
does he need? I'll tel you. He needs
to be put through \ series OF we'll
graded, setting-up exercises; he needs
to be drilled on how to respond in.
stantly to commands; ne needs to
, know personal hygiene and how to
conserve his own physical powers for
the betterment of his own existence
and that Of the race.
! In the second place, the schools
must conserve the American boy, NOR
ally. How this can be done success
! fu ly does not yet appear; but every
true teacher who mas the a1truistic
spirit burdening his soul realizes that
the moral fibre of the American boy
is fast disintegrating and must De
conserved through the agency Of the
public school The home which used
to take care of this training a gener.
alton ago, has completely disappeared.
! In it's place, there is sort Of pseudo
home, where the boy comes to eat
and sleep, and which no longer has
an important influence upon his mora,
ife. In fact, the family life is rap.
idlv decaying, and as witness we need
only mention the police and divorce
courts. Who is going to train the
products Of such delinquent parentage
in morals? The homo cannot for !.
is broken up. The charoh cannot, for
1T is neither adapted to adolescsnt ma
ture nor can 1t reach this particular
class of boys. If there was some sys-
tematic attempt upon the part OF the
churches to teach morals-not neces.
sarily religious instruction 1t here
might be some hope of brighter out
'ook in the future. Since the family
and the church have failed, it is the
duty Of the state, through it's public
schools, to take over the question of
moral training, in order to preserve
itself Moral training must form a
definite part of the school curriculum
Of the future or speedy decay OF
the American boy will result.
l. In the third place, we must con
serve the American boy inte lectually
by giving him a course Of study that
viii, prepare him to earn his own liv-
ing honestly with hands and brain in
order to fulfill, in some measure at
least, his duties as an American clti
zen. We have been putting too much
stress upon the cultural aspects OF
educational and too little upon the vo
cational: we have been worshippet
the antiquated and fossiliZed courses
of study of our grandfathers too long;
We have been dominated over and
standardized by higher institutions
until schools and courses are as near
" alike as peas in a pod. A noted
educator of a neighboring state has
said lately: SCHOOLS that are stand
ardized are crystallized, and thing
that is crystalHized has no principle
of life in it," Our cirricula as we
find them today need to be completely
revolutionized and modernized and
made to fit the average boy-not the
boy to fit the course. Our school,
Under the preeenl courses have failet
to fit theto fit the boys for q place
in life, and still we are al
; agreed upon the proposition
that schools should meet tn,
real needs of the communities in
which they exist. Why do tho vast
majority Of boys from IA to 16 year.
Of age become tired of school anG
quit? Simply because there is moth.
ing there for them. Mr.. Mayne o
the Minnesota Agricultural school, II
recent address, said: THE grea'
; multitude Of our boys are fitted fol
nothing because Of the unsuitabiltt!
Of our schools. Take the army d
boys in the state over 16 years o
age and put them in line. March them
by and ask the question. What ar
they fitted fort" They are fitted tt
become clerks In stores, possibly tt
go to some higher institution o.