The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-07-13
have a war with Mexico, that is the
way it ought to start.
THE TEACHERS CONVENTION.

! labors were finished yesterday, and the
delegates are mostly on their way to
their homes by now. 1t has been q
! strenuous week; the numerous sections
of the association having meetings from
time TO time, and these meetings occu.
pying much of the spare room that was
available. But all were fully accom-
modated and the capacity of Salt Lake
| City to take care of Il convention like
this is well demonstrated.
The attendance at the convention
was fully ms large as could have been
expected. The numbers attending were
greater than those III conventions held
on the west coast, and, as we are as
sured, about the same in numbers as at
tended the association IS convention in
Denver All who came were well taken
care Of, and were fully contented with
the hospitality of the city.
The papers read by the teachers were
of high order of merit, and they Of
fered a wide variety of treatment.
Some teachers seemed to favor the idea
of making the schools more professional
than they have been heretofore, allow
ing the teachers greater control and
independence of the local school boards.
4 good deal of criticism of boards of
education was INDUCED in, and one
would suppose from some Of the senti-
ments expressed that the teachers had
on the average a rather poor opinion Of
boards of education in general, espe-
cially when the teachers get away from
home. Other speakers, on the contrary,
favored not only full participation Of
the boards Of education in the school
work, but OF parents, and indeed Of the
whole community; it being urged that
unless the whole public is favorably in
terested in the school work, that work
is likely to languish and to suffer. We
think there can be no question that the
latter view is the better one to take.
At the same time, wide discussion is
desirable in all matters OF public con-
cern, and SO 1t was good to see these
wide variations Of opinions frankly
and freely expressed.
A decided tendency was noticeable
in the addresses as delivered in favor
OF making the schools more practical,
and getting away from the old Idea
that the grade and the high schools are
chiefly serviceable in preparing stu
dents for colleges and universities. This
is the old school ideal; but a very de-
cided tendency was manifested to get
away from 1t. The new tendency is to
new studies, especially to
strengthen manual training and to H.
troduce the study of agriculture in the
grade schools. The idea appears to be
to make each system of school work
measureably complete in itself-in the
grades, the high schools, the technical
schools, the vocation schools: and the
colleges and the universities for those
who have the time to reach them I'm
doubtedly, this reaching out toward
the practical idea, to make the schools
as Immediately serviceable as they can
he made in practical
utility, is the direction which the
school work is likely to take. There has
been in the past too much time given
30 studies preparatory 10 advanced
grades and theoretical instruction in the
higher institutions of learning; the re-
suit being that the pupils SO instructed
were left high and dry between the
two ideals. They have been getting
too little of a practical nature, and too
much of what they will never find use
for, We have no doubt that the ten
dency Of the school instruction must
tend more and more to the practical
and less and less to the theoretical and
10 preparation for professional life
Those who wish to educate their chill
dren thoroughly on the old basis and
have the time and the money to do
so to the utmost possible extent that
the higher education institutions can
provide. Will utilize the grade schools
and the high schools as steps in the
direction sought; but those children who
have neither the taste nor the time to
pursue finished courses of instruction
to the ultimate limits. will be gwen a
better start in life from the practical
schools as changed. They Will be put
in touch with their environment and
instructed in those things which their
daily life will touch; and this unques-
tionably will be a great improvement
over the old methods.
The sessions of the convention and
of the different sections thereof pro-
ceeded with all due harmony. The con.
flict over the election of president. that
was expected. did not materialize. the
convention settling down with practical
unanimlty upon DR.. Joseph Swain.
whose election was Unopposed. The
convention Will be held next year in St
Paul, and probably in Oakland in 1915.
the year the Panama Canal Exposition
is TO be held in San Francisco, across
the bay.
lt was. all in all great convention
Of managers OF great work, the great
est work .r.aliI fbat l. bnipo Jnoo -