New Ulm review., 1913-02-19

their high school course should mees
something definite to them a. q pre-.
paration for life. A thoro course -
manual training will give the bOyR
respect for the dignity Of physical
labor. Give the labor of the hand equal
respect with that Of the brain and
the aristocracy Of intellect will be
doomed and the equality of man be-,
come more apparent.
"3. A commercial course embOdying
business arithmetic, geography and
English so that the pupil when he
leaves High School for the business
world will be in position to Offer
services that are worth something b.
the busy man rather than to make
q nuisance OF himself until he h1s
learned the rudiments of business
forms, at no small cost of time and
patience on the part Of his employer,
Stenography and typewriting should
form part of this course so that
our girls and boys need not sgo away
from home to at themselves for this
branch OF industry. A more extended
and more practical study of book-keep-
ing is also demanded.
-. The Grammar Grades should he
brought together under one roof aRa
departmental work instituted. Ex-
pertinent has proven that this plan
works to better advantage in grades
above the intermediate and this should
be one of the first steps taken. The
Board of Education Is considering
plans of building at the present time
and this is one of the ideas being
investigated. It would eliminate the
loss of time which now occurs whea
the upper grade boys come from the
Washington School to the main build
ing for shop work and would give
teachers chance to specialize in
their strongest branches instead OF
forcing them to scatter their fire over
all branches OF upper grade work.
IS. Further needs of our schools
are health inspection and various
other provisions for the physical well
being of the pupils. Chief among
these needs is one for course In
physical training. 1t does not seem
fair to me for q whole community
to expect a small body of men at
their own expense to furnish the Chi
dren of the city all the advantage
of physical training and it seems TO-
me that the time has come to make
for this branch OF educa'
ton in our schools. Anything which
is so positively for the good OF the
whole community certainly is q mat
ter for general support by taxation.
Il do not strongly advocate the
here of an agricultural
course because New Ulm is not now
an agricultural community.
interests have sprung
up and flourished to an extent thai
makes it probable that our city viii
develop along manufacturing lines
even more in the future than In the
past and l therefore advocate thai
our school system be planned with
this end in mind rather more than
that of agriculture, splendid tho the
agricultural work may be-"
The remainder of Mr.. Hess talk
was in the nature OF an answer TO-
The various criticisms that have as
sailed our common school system dus-
ng the past few years. He thinks
hat the criticism does not come from
he friends of the schools in too may
instances and that the motives promp
ing it may not always be the highest.
lie characterized the criticism as be-
ng destructive rather than construc
i've and as such not worthy Of the
Ierious consideration that should be
.iven to criticism that tends to Offer
solution of the problems confront
ng the system today. He answered
,arious charges made against the
chools Of the present in detail and
eft with his audience the assurance
hat the system as it exists is we'll
breast of the times and that the
chools will be what the people wish
hem to be and faults in them lie >
hiefly with the unawakened public: