Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-12-01

cause of this lack that so many states
are agitating for strictly agricultural
strictly Industrial, strictly commercial.
| high SCHOOLS. Certain leading educa-
tors within the great corn belt of this
| country are now asserting that the
| tendency of the day is undoubtedly to-
ward giving the farmer better and
moro applied training, not only in the
lower grades OF the public schools,
but in the colleges and universities as
well. This Is what Miss Jessie Field
Is doing in Page county, Iowa, anu
what Prof. o. H. Benson is doing IN
Wright county. Iowa. They are set
ting an example to their fellow county
superintendent when is causing an
awakening all along the line ana is
tending to make the work in the coun-
try schools more. practical and also
more attractive.
Agricultural high schools have been
In operation for several years past In
half dozen towns in Minnesota, and
without exception they have proved
practical. The work is being carried
on with equal success in Wisconsin,
while numerous other grain belt states
are agitnting the matter with every
prospect OF either county or district
agricultural high schools being estab-
lished in the near future.
Yet we know that this agricultural
instruction could just as well be given
In any regular high school, without the
enormous expense of duplicating the
building apparatus. books, heating
plants, laboratories, etc, already re-
duircd for Il high school of any kind
We admit the force of the argument
of the proponents of the strictly ngri-
cultural high schools, und we claim
that all they ask can be provided
without the enormous waste of means
which separate high schools would
entail They urge that the work OF the
graded schools should be supplement-
ed either by county or district high
schools. if the interest which is awak-
cned In the young people is to be con-
tinucd until they have either secured
sufficient practical training or are of
the age and condition to admit them to
the regular land grant agricultural
colleges. Very true: but the main
business of the schools is not to make
farmers simply, but to make good citi-
zens. And even the children of farm
ers should not be limited to one course
and practically required to obtain only
one kind of training. They should
have the same opportunities that 9TH
ers have to prepare for any phase
of life in which they may prefer to
operate, whether that be agriculture.
commerce, art or the learned profess
sions, or the various forms of en-
In our new city high school. we
trust that no separation between "cul-
tural' and vocational" studies will be
that all the students shall
receive true culture and also some
industrial or vocational training there
in and that there will not be one kind
or course of studies provided for the
cultured" and another kind for the
Common people"
There should be various courses. but
all should be required to take some
cultural subjects and also one or more
of the vocational or practical forms
of training.
The public schools should not become
separable into castles or vocations, hav-
ing some schools patronized chiefly by
the rich or wel-to-do and some that
are patronized by the children of mo
laborer. or even farmers For
II we have certain Latin schools and
certain other industrial schools. there
will be a separation of the masses of
into more or less specific
groups: and this condition will serve
to aggravate social distinctions, IL not
to pave the way for further jealouses
between labor and capital and greater
nnimosities between the rich nd the
poor