The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1918-05-04

The educational committee of
the Duluth Commercial Club has
not yet reached the point where it
feels warranted in drawing def
mite conclusions concerning the
local public school systems and
in making recommendations to the
public as to notifications, addi-
tons or eliminations.
That the educational committee
of the Duluth Commercial Club
proposes to offer expert advice,
based on the viewpoint of prac-
tical business men was intimated
by Edward A. Silberstein at the
regular monthly meeting of the
Club last Monday night.
Last winter, the Duluth Com
mercial Club issued mandates to
the members of the school board
to appear and explain why, Messrs.
Croft & Boerner were selected as
architects for the new U. S. Grant
school. That experience showed
some of the members Of the Club
a fine avenue to public service and
even personal publicity, hence it
has been followed more or less
zealously ever since.
For many weeks, now, supervis-
ors and heads of departments in
the public schools have formally
appeared before the members of
the Commercial Club and explain
ed the details of their work, both
as to theory and practice. This
has served good purpose in CIV
ing busy men Of commerce direct
information as to modern eduea-
tional tendencies and systems,
something that has not claimed the
thought and attention of many Of
them since they left the public
schools to enter commercial pur-
suits.
At the monthly meeting of the
Duluth Commercial Club, last
Monday night, short addresses
were made by Supt. Hoke and
William Noyes, director Of the de-
partment of industrial education.
"No. million dollar corporation
receives so little attention from
it's stockholders as the public
Schools" said Mr.. Silberstein in
a few pertinent Introductory re-
marks. eve elect a school board
and feel that orr responsibility is
at an end. The school board elects
a superintendent and teachers and
considers it's duty ended"
Mr.. Silberstein then referred to
the efforts of the educational COM
mittee of the Commercial Club and
stated that the point had not been
reached for drawing definite con-
illusions and making recommends
tions.
Supt. Hoke, being introduced,
referred to a school system as a
business proposition. A city school
system has all the elements of a
business house-a budget, admin.
istration, employees and production
output. A business firm may be
under one roof. A city school sys.
tenn spreads all over a municipal
ity.s
Supt. Hoke declared that a
school system should be so arrang.
ed that all the boys and girls will
not come out of school alike. His
idea was that they should have
a personality and individuality,
rather than to bear a common
stamp, somthing like a fine hand.
made article as compared with one
machine-made. w..
Supt. Hoke told about the New
England Idea in early American
education, where boys and girls
were taught to read the Bible
Later, the Latin grammar school
was developed to prepare students
for the professions. Back in 1s41,
Horace Mann and other American
educators went to Europe and
brought back the Prussian system
of state schools, providing fol-
eight years Of elementary study
and four years of highschool work
Under that system, the students,
in theory, went into. the profes-
'sions. In practice, many did not;