The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-01-12
LOCAL sTARTPo1NT IN STUDIES

city taNoriug the idea of making the
center Of school activity begin at home.
1t was urged that the various studies
conid he more appropriately and in
terestlngly presented if the illustra'
tious. the mathematics, aud thc gen
eral school work were so directed ms
to attract the pupils attention hy oh
iccts Immediately around that pupil,
and processes that he would know OF
by conversation. We sec that this idea
has been taken np bv Speaker Champ
! Clark, and he is quoted rs saying:
II had anything to do with the max
ing OF the courses for the schools Of olIc
| country, the first thing ] would have In"
children taught would be the history Ut
! their own locality. then of the state ana
| then OF the Nation, and if there was any
time left | would let them study the rest.
This is precisely the idea that was
urged here number OF years ago. The
writing of text books immediately
| adapted to this locality was urged, and
tho advantage OF this change pointed
out. In geography the pupil could he
taught by his Immediate surroundings
best of all The direction that ne took
To 90 to school in the morning, the dis
tance to the school. the location of the
school with respect TO the city, OF the
city with with respect TO the county
and State, the location of the State
with respect TO the United States. the
location Of the United States with rc.
spcct to the world, would he the begin
nings of geography. aud the location
and comparative Importance of the DIT
ferent cities and counties of the State
would come in in due order.
| In mathematics after the four prime
! principles are mastered. would come
problems relating TO the area aud
! division of public lands the measure
mcnt of water; what an acre foot OF
water means; the measurement OF
streams and of flow over welrs; the
distribution Of water from the streams
! in due proportion; the use of water IN
| driving machinery of various kinds; the
| constituents Of ores; the extraction of
| their values: what a given percentage
| of metals in the ores means and all
that sort Of thing, would be as good
| Hl'uldl tA't''o'o .S 'Nh ''''~ I'''''''''
and would be of immediate interest
and utility to the student,
In like manner. the history of the
settlement OF the State could bc gwen
| without scctarian bias. and from that
the student could appropriately pass
to the history of the United States, Of
| Euealnd. Of the various countries Of
| Europe, and finally TO the history Of
all the nations of the world, giving
preference to the peoples from which
| VIC have had our origin, and to those
| with whom VIC come IN most immediate
contact. In this way The pupil would
| have A. personal incentive and immc-
diatc personal connection all through
with the matter which he WAS study
ing
In geology VIC would have the gcol-
ogy Of Utah come first; not the geology
| of Great Britain. AS so often has been
! the order in schools. I'm botany the
same; in zoology the same, In all eases
we would begin with the immediate sur
rouudings of the neighborhood where
| the school is. If il is true, as il prob
. bly, is that in some respects we would
lack in text books on these matters,
| there would be no great difficulty III
supplying such books. They would cost
more at first, to be sure, than the rou
| tine text books written in a sort of
impcrsonal and general way without
reference to any particular locality.
These books arc well enough III their
way. but they should he discarded cx-
cept where their general features are
| found useful, in favor of books sucn
as are indicated above that put the
pupils in their studies in immediate
contact with their surroundings.
There is a commcnda bic movement
to reach out in this direction, and some
books have been prepared Of recent
wears that would be exactly appropriate
in this changed form of instruction.
| The book recently issued by Professor
Paul OF the University Of Utah is one
directly in point. 1t is a good book,
aud with some additions would be
scryiccabc in such new system of
instruction.,
Some of Prof, Tnlmagc books. with
| various corrections and climinatioDs.
would also serve a useful purpose in
geology and minoralogy. But the
School of Mines in the University ought
to be able to get ont text book that
would be III every way scrviceable In
this line
Apostle Whitucv's book, "The Max
ing of a State, is so badly Prejudiced
aud one-sideJ, that it would require
to be thoroughly ovcrhauled and re
written before it would be fit to he
used in the schools, IT has sub
stratum of truth, however. that would
be useful 20 far as that might be avail
able in an entirely different spirit
from the use il is put to by Whitney,
The subject is not without its diff
culties, as we realize. but a we'll
| diraDtpd honest nffort rhis 1iro.fi ipn