The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1914-01-22
(From Saturdays Daiiy.)

Zens sat at the banquet given by the
domestic science department in the
commercial room at the Normal school
last night, following the reception
given to President Charles McKenny
in the library. After the enjoyable
banquet, served by the girls of the do.
| nestle science classes, President Nc
Farland called upon Mrs. Sara Sher-
man-Pryor for reading. Mrs. Pryor
responded with a we'll presented selec-
ton from Kipling.
Prof. Froysaa and Miss Fjelde play
ed Shubert's Serenade and then Presi-
dent Mcfarland called upon Prof.
Charlton Andrews, who gave the toast
"Our Guest" paying tribute to Presi-
dent McKenny for the inspiration he
has brought to both the members of
the faculty and the students during the
past week.
President McKenny, as the principal
speaker of the evening and guest of
honor, chose for his theme, "Critic-
isms of the Modern. School-The Pros
and Cons of the Matter"
Declaring that it was irrational for
the teacher to resent any criticism of
the school, because the schools belong
to the public and the teacher is mere
ly connected with them by chance, the
speaker mentioned and answered
some of the most heard of criticisms
of schools today.
"They say said the speaker, that
the boy completing the eighth grade
nowadays is not fitted to go into in.
dustry. "But l want to say that the
boy of fourteen ought not to be fit to
go into modern industry. The boys
who finish the eighth grade now are
several years younger than were those
who finished that grade several years
ago, and, are, therefore, less fit to take
a place in modern industry, almost
bound to fall into the class of day la
borers later on.
"They say that the children do not
write uniformly" said the speaker and
forget that no two people are alike
and that each person the world over
have an individuality of his own.
Teach class of pupils in penmanship
until each writes exactly as the other
and in less than year after, their
penmanship will differ as before. This
is natural, it is the law of individual
ity. But, said the speaker, while this
may be true, there is no excuse for
sending out pupils who write slovenly
and poorly. 1t is the business of the
school to turn out good penman, but
uniform penmen it cannot produce.
"They say" said President McKenny
"the boy or girl nowadays cannot add
column of figures rapidly, forgetting
the psychological principle that the
more rapid the movement of the pupil
the less he is able to think. They say
the boy or girl of today cannot spell
as we'll as they could in the good old
times and forget that all of the time
then was spent on spelling, reading,
arithmetic and writing, while many
more, and as important, if not more so,
subjects: Domestic Science, Manual
Training, etc., have been added to the
curriculum of today. The additional
subjects are also entitled to their part
of the pupils time.
IF we aim to place our children In
to industry today we should keep them
in school at least two years beyond
the eighth grade" the speaker said.
And to provide for this he would have
two kinds of schools for the eighth
grade graduate to choose from. A
school Offering two.year course Tor
those who intend to enter the busi-
ness world and the regular high school
course fitting its pupils for college
work. In answer to the criticism that
the high school is not fitting the gra-
duates for the business world, the
speaker said he was not so sure, but
that they should in a way be fitted for
such work upon graduation If they
chose it.
President McKenny took occasion to
mention that If he in a measure
brought inspiration to the normal
school here, he in turn was repaid
many times in the same manner.
Among the many guests present last
evening were: Judge and Mrs. Cofey,
of jamestown; Mr.. and Mrs. Frank
White, DR.. and Mrs. Zimmerman, Miss
Minnie J. Nelson, Supt. and Mrs. G.
W. Hanna, Mr.. and Mrs. J. J. EARLY,
Mr.. M. T. Lee, Mrs. o. A. Barton, Prof.
C. v. Taylor, Mrs L. P. Hyde, Mr.. and
Mrs. A. F. Pierce, Rev. and Mrs. Chas.
vermilya, Rev. and Mrs. Willard Cros~
by Lyon, Mr.. and Mrs. E. c. Hilborn,