The Daily Missoulian., 1914-04-09

of my remarks upon matters OF edu
cation before the socialists. leading t
bitter denunciation and criticism o
me- that would like to have the op
portunity to say in print what / sale
before the meeting. Some people, ap
Z parently with malicious purpose o.
i with total lack Of the power of un.
derstanding spoken discourse, are ac.
cusing me with denouncing teacher:
and offering severe criticism of the
profession, when, as a matter OF fact
was arraigning the public for the
criticisms which are now being at
tribEted to me.
would like to have space enough
to present in order the various points
Z of my address These are taken from
my notes and are given as concisely as
possible. Here they are:
A curious law of democracy is that
no institution can exist for long
period of time without public approva
coming through the understanding OF
its value. The public schools can ad-
vance no faster than the public APP
preciation can grow. While there are
some things done in the conduct of the
pupllC SCHOOlS llIdl nave HUI DGGH
sanctioned, these must get approval
otherwise they will be dropped out
y The public must be brought into
closer contact with the schools and be
INDUCED to study and know what the
schools are trying to, do. This is the
greatest need in respect to the schools
today. The schools have been held
back and are being held back even now
because the public has not and does
not understand the changes that have
been introduced.
Sometimes the public have inter-
fered in the affairs Of the schools to
the detriment of the schools; people
have done this by insisting upon the
appointment of teachers or upon the
removal of teachers and superinten-
has not been generous in its treatment
of teachers. Most people from the fact
that they have spent five or six hours
d day for eight to twelve years in
school think they know teachers In
fact, they are acquainted with them
better than with any other class of
public servants. Acquaintance often
leads to cOntemptuoCs attitudes, and
SO teachers are sneeringly referred to
as school ma'ams,' 'old maid school
teachers etc. The teachers deserve
better than this; their work is hard
and the public is increasing it's de-
mands pretty rapidly.
The schools, like every institution
governed by human beings, are and
have been under the domination of the
law of habit. This means that the
people who follow the profession
adopts ways and methods of doing
their work, and they don't like to be
respect they do not differ from mer-
chants or railroad men. Each class of
people fall into practices that they can
follow easier than they can find and
adopt new Ways. This is the way all
institutions tend to resist change. The
school people need the intelligent
criticism and active interest of the
public. The railroad men, the mer-
chant and the teacher are alike in this
that they must know and feel public
demand, otherwise their business will
stagnate.
The patrons of the schools, as we'll
as the patrons Of a great store or a
railroad, who stand on the outside and
know them only by their results, are
often better able to appreciate what
is wanted and to criticize the work and
methods than the professional people
themselves. This is why all the great
reforms in schools as well as in rail-
roads have come from the outside 1t
is not the school men or the railroad
men that introduce the change
Changes are forced upon them from
outside by their patrons
The public must be drawn closer to
the schools and induced to get better
with them and to know
better the difficulties Under which
their work is done. The teachers will
do no more than they are required to
do. When they come together in their
meetings, they are too apt to discuss
matters affecting their professional in
of salaries, promo
lions. vacations, etc. It is then not
enough for the public to elect trus-
tee and leave him or her to suggest
and enforce such changes as he may
be cognizant of being needed. The
public must be continually active in
making known what is wanted of the
schools and what it is ready and able
to pay for.
The public in making demands of
The schools must be made aware of the
under which teachers work
and the restrictions that have grown
mp around the schools. The hours of
school work are short, recesses are
frequent and vacations come often.
Every time the public asks for some
thing new to be introduced into the
schools, IT shows not the slightest dis
position to give the teachers a chance
TO work this out by modification
of hours OF vacations. The new work
must be crowded in under the old con-
ditions that belong to a remote time.
Domestic science and manual training
have been forced in. and rightly, and