Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-01-27
Plea for High School Bonds by
Civic Committee of Women Clubs

Editor Deseret News: 1t does seem
as though the time had come when
all right minded citizens of Salt Lake
City should put aside personal. section
al, political and religious differences
in this matter of the school bond cleo
tion. which involves the vital inter
ests OF the city In that 1t concerns
deeply the educational life and dcvel-
opment OF the community.
For years the needs of better school
accommodations, especially those of
the High school, have been pressing,
but now We have actually come to the
point when the board of education
must say to the citizens of Salt Lake,
I'VE must have more buildings: we
must have more room, OF we cannot
give to our children the schooling
which you demand for them and which
they should have and richly deserve,
II we are to pose before the country
as a self-respecting body of citizens"
Just supposing that we. as q close
corporation, might keep quiet as to
our weaknesses and our fnilings. what
should we have TO say to those from
other parts of the country who are
desirous of locating here, when they
ask, What about the schools? Have
you good and adequate school accom-
modations? II we should tell them the
truth we should be compelled to say
In answer to that question, mo. We
cannot guarantee to you school ac-
commodations; we have good business
opportunities: we have a fine and
beautiful city and all that but we are
short on school facilities"
That. / say. would be a statement OF
fact. Then think of what that would
mean for us. We all know what it
would mean and / need not speak of 1t.
But. eliminate the matter of immigra-
ton entirely Let us suppose that we
decree for ourselves such an impos-
sible and suicidal policy as to build
a wall about our city and keep out all
comers. We are up against the prob
lem of providing for even the natural
Increase of our own population. TO
demonstrate for the high school alone
In 1900 we had 46s enrolled pupils. In
1910 there were 1866. Just think of
that percentage of increase, Has the
population of our city increased in
like proportion? Assuredly not What
then has been the cause? 1t is this,
namely, that the people of our city in
common with those of other cities,
have come more and more to recognize
and believe in the public high school
as the proper place for the higher edu-
The school in the pretentlousness of
It's buildings has certainly not ap-
pealed to them. The equipment, the
best we could offer, has always been
meager, so that was not an inducement
There is one. and but one. deduction to
be made from these premises and that
1s, that there is something in the pub
lie high school that appeals to us. This
something is perhaps hard to Define
but there is one thing in this connection
that may be said. The training given
by the school is now recognized by all
leading educational institutions, such
as universities and technical schools,
as being of very high character, so
that our graduates or those recon-
by the principal have no diff
Guilty In being admitted into these in
stitutions with the result that we have
our sons and daughters as the
strong factor In tho University
OF Utah; while the school Is
also represented by sterling students in
Yale, Princeton, Cornell, We'll
lesley, Smith. Michigan, Stanford,
Berkeley and many other colleges. De-
spite untoward conditions, therefore,
the standard of scholarship has always
been kept in the foreground But let
us come back to the main question. We
KNOW tndt tne attendance at our high
school has increased enormously and
we have seen why this increase has
taken place. We are proud of this
showing and think We want 1t to con-
tinue. But here we are. Every foot OF
space in the main building. the Science
building. the Gymnasium and the Union
building is now being used and even
now there is not room for the classes
Every time that there Is movement
of classes our boys and girls have to
move rapidly from one to two blocks
between buildings in all kinds of wealth
slush, mud and snow. The
eternal climbing Of stairs. and other
inconvenience too numerous to men
ton. come after they have reached the
buildings. / shall not speak of the
and the unhygienic condi-
tions incident to this daily routine. II
you wish to know everything ask your
sons and daughters who are in attend
ance. Suffice it to say that conditions
are bad, bad, bad, and we must get
right to work to correct them.
l have said that the present enroll
mont is 1,566. The increase this year
over last year is 26S Have we any rea-
son to expect that next years increase