Eastern Utah advocate. [volume] (Price, Utah) 1895-1915, 1915-01-28
PRINCIPAL BJARNAsoN TELLS
WHAT HIGH SCHOOL ~ DOING

This IN an age OF unrest time
whom every institution Il criticised
hsman society IN passing through n
process Of rcadjustmcnt and Just what
the result win be II difficult 20 deter
mine. The most significant criticism
offered during recent years has ar
fectcd our schools--pubiic and pri-
vatc. They have been criticised by
professional men and laymen. the
learned and the unlcarned the sophis-
ticated and the unsophiHticated. They
have been charged with being too
liberalization far removed from
the ordinary practical affairs OF life
In keeping with this general spirit
81 criticism. 10 an editorial recently
published In Tho Advocate But In
stead 81 criticising our high school for
being too theoretical the article COM
plains % the courses given NJ being
too practical IN ~ much ns they
come Into competition with business
men 81 Price who are paying city H.
ccnHea and contributing In taxes to-
wards the maintenance OF the inatitu-
ton"
Shall We resort 10 the purely theo-
rctical In order Co avoid coming into
competition with some petty. dis
gruntlod business mani or shall We
cndeayor 10 meet the modern de-
manda In education and give our
young people a training which Will
flt them 10 enter the competitive In
duS,rics OF nfeg
Those who advocate the new ideal
In education urge that the schools
should take on M many aH possible OF
the practical affairs OF daily life. that
they train our boys and girls 90 meet
real life situations In all their vary
INK phases. Teachers are expected
60 train children TO DO by having
them DO the real things which they
viii be- expected 90 do In later life
And this entering into real life activi-
ties IN what n meant by practical
education. Thus II We want boy
skilled In mechanic arts. he should
be trained not only to MAKE useful
articles. but to know their cost In
labor and material and then the
price nj which they might he sold 10
aH Ia compensate the maker Tor his
work. This can not be learned
thrugh text books and training In
manual arts alone. hut by actual ox-
perienco with the entire process 81
buying the material. making the ar
tlole and selling the finished product
Now whenever q boy makes useful
article In the school shops and makes
present of II 90 his parents or
friends or finds buyer for HIS prod
uct, he NECESSARILY comes Into compe-
tition with carpenters and furniture
dealers Of the community But are
there any business men In Price ~
narrow minded that they would de-
prive a hoy 81 this training In order
TO make a few pennies ON such extra
sales.
How shall n child be taught 20 walk
unless he be allowed 20 walk and how
can a hoy learn 90 compete with
others In the process Of making a
living unless he be given an opportnn-
ity 10 do some real competingg
In much the same way have our
courses In home economics and house
hold management been criticised. We
have heard IL said that our girls learn
to cook In test tubes only whereas
they should be- permitted 20 cook food
that someone must eat In order 20
make their training practical In or
der 10 overcome this objection some
| high schools have established cafe
tcrias where meals are cooked. served
ana sold by the students who thus
gain experience with the whole proc
ess. n Is not enough Tor the house
wife IN these days ~ expensive liv-
/ Ing 20 be able 10 cook and serve good
1uhstnntlnls. but she must be- able 10
determine tho cost as Well But whom
ever this IL done the girls come into
competition with the hotel and res
taurant keepers.
This demand Tor practical expert
enCe has been met IA our high school
by giving the girls an opportunity 90
make cpkes candles, etc. which have
been sTryed TO friends and patrons OF
the institution. In every instance.
however. the materials have been
purchased from local dealers and the
money taken In from such sources has
been used In building up the depart
ment and we might incidentally re-
mark that the instructor Ia charge
has IN this way addea over two hum
dred dollars worth Of equipment 20
the department within the ast two OF
three years. The girls have thus been
/ receiving a training In real life sltua-
tons by meeting them. Does any fair
minded citizen be he merchant, husi-
ness man or what not. object TO this
practical training because OF It's COM
petitiye aspect We certainly trust
that the business men OF Price are
above such pets'uess.
When the school garden was first
introduced into our school systems
the children did little more than