The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-08-24
THE EARLY SCHOOL GALL.


There is getting TO be good deal of
comment upon the action of the board
of education of this city in advancing
the opening Of the schools by one week
ahead of the time usually fixed there
for, The date fixed this year is next
Monday. August 29tb. Certainly an
awkward time, because n good many
people off on their vacations would not
expect to be back until the end of Au.
gust. Nobody had thought about the
schools opening until after Labor Day,
for to open before places holiday al.
most right at the beginning of the
school year, thus interfering with the
programme. of getting settled, Those
who are already back from their vaca-
tions or expect 10 be back within few
days. will hardly be ready and their
children properly prepared for the
school opening by next Monday. There
was no reason to expect this early
school opening. The people did not pre-
pare for 1T, and undoubtedly the open
ing will show a smaller attendance
fore for that reason. A number can
not be here and number of others
who are here Will not be ready.
There is also complaint by reason of
the fact that in the majority of indi-
vidual cases children are already over.
burdened with study and the work
they will do In the ''middle of the
summer will be listless and OF small
account. They urge that the children
should have & longer vacation, espe'
cially this year. when, contrary to the
usual course of events, the sultry spell
has not even yet been broken Or
dinarily this is broken by the middle of
August, but not so this year.
Others say that the children should
have longer vacation anyway, as they
the schools week longer at the close
of the year, which would bring the close
of schools past the middle of June,
so that the summer vacation would be
shortened by at least fortnight.
Another proposition is that school
children need to be better clothed when
school begins and this is very con
siderable item in families where there
are a large number of children, Many
families will feel this keenly. BY per-
money on their own account this earn
ing would 60 far toward providing
funds for dresses and shoes. Besides,
the weather has a good deal to do with
the clothing. Children going to school
III this hot weather need light clothes,
and new suits of light clothes would
have to be bought if the children are
to be comfortable during the hot spell.
This, however, cannot be expected to
last much longer, and the new summer
clothes would be out of use as soon
as the cool weather comes. and new and
| heavier clothing will have to be bought
Again, it is urged, the teachers re
quested and received an increase of sal
ary amounting in the higher grades tc
| about $3.50 q month, The custom ha:
been, and no doubt will be repeated this
year, to give two weeks vacation each
year at Christmas and at Easter oil
conference time. Under the new sys
tenn the teachers will be required tc
work two weeks in addition, and III
consequence Will be required to work
at reduction of salary rather thar
an advance.
| We think that these reasons are GU
mulative, and should be considered by
the Board, 1t might well be thong
that they are sufficient to cause re
consideration of the date, and the fix
ing of new date which would not b'
prior to Labor Day.