The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-02-21
CURRENT HISTORY IN SCHOOLS

CURRENT HISTORY IN SCHOOLS
| The teaching of history in the schools
is one Of the important parts Of oduca-
tion. Instruction in history broadens
the mind, leads the student to thinking
of what men have done in the world,
in it. What meu have done in former
age may be largely mistaken effort or
cruel oppression, But still, it is the
lesson Of mankind, and is useful for in
struction, for doctrine, and for guild
ance, Usually students take an interest
in history that may extend from mod
crate interest to keen interest. But
what is historyf Tt is, so far as we are
able to get it, Il record of the events
and activities in time as it flows along
generation by generation.
We very properly teach to the chill.
dren what our forefathers have done in
this country and what humanity has
| been able to accomplish in all countries.
| But we do not teach them what is 90.
ing on in the world to-day The one
ignored is in the schools There is no
provision in the schools for teaching
the children what is going on in the
world in our own time, no method ap-
piled whereby the pupils will get an
Idea of the worlds present doings in
any direction. But if the events Of the
past are of interest to the pupil, how
much more interesting it would be to
that pupil to be Informed of what is go.
ing on in the world to-day! One can
scarcely doubt that the school could be
made keen delight to tho pupils If
they were informed from day to day of
what is transpiring in the world, hav-
ing that instruction impaired in way
that would be easily comprehended. No
greater reform could be introduced in
the schools than to have in them in
some form summary of the daily
events of the time. There could be
from the news Of the day preparation
of the dispatches that would keep the
students in touch with their times
There have been spasmodic efforts in
this direction. but they have generally
| failed, chiefly for the reason that there
did not seem to be room for this in
struction in the schools, or in general a
sufficient competence developed, on the
part of any one connected with the
schools to give such presentation Of
the news from day to day as would
attract the attention of the pupils, A
| fresh effort in this direction we see is
making in the Washington Irving high
school of New York City. DR.. William
Fl, Murray, superintendent of schools
| of New York recently sent ont to all
his teachers circular in which he said.
MANY pupils have an unnatural sus-
picion of classics They have a natur-
al interest in what other people are
reading and talking about. They should
be induced to read better magazines.
This will tend to overcome the preva-
lent misconception in the minds of
young students that literature belongs
to the past
The hint was taken up in the Wash.
ington Irving high school, which is the
largest high school in Greater New
York, with an enrolment of nearly
5000 pupils. The effort to teach current
history has been taken up through the
use Of The Literary Digest, which is
fair weekly compilation and presenta.
| tion of the leading facts and matters of
interest throughout the world, an able
So1
planned that class in that school is
called ga class in history of the pres
ent." 1t comprises about a dozen of
the more than 400 girls who are study
ing events of the time in The Literary
Digest. The girls like the study, one OF
them saying, 81 like this, because I
want to know what is going on in the
world today another, 81 think this
is keeping me from growing one
sided; " another 81 begin to know what
people are talking about" another, "'I
like to read about live men instead Of
dead men, another, F'My father saws
he is glad ] am doing one thing in
school he understands and sees the use
of another, 81 was able to show nv
brother that he didn't know everv-
thing" And so it goes. The study is
popular with the class; they take an
interest in it; their minds are broadened
by it; they understand better by having
some information about the events of
the day, what history really means.
The opening Of the schools to mod
ern instruction could not take any
more profitable form than the organiza-
tion in them Of some general means
whereby the pupils would be brought
into touch with the events of their
time, and instructed in what is going
OH throughout the world frnm day 10