Morris tribune., 1920-05-28
DR.. YOUNG DISCUSSES
EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS
Commencement Speaker Approaches
Subject From the Various Points
of View

"Who is an efficient teacher?"
and who is an efficient product of
the teaeher?" asked DR.. J. S. Young,
speaker at the commencement exer-
cises on Wednesday evening, and
then, in gratifying contrast to the
usual method of teachers, answered
the questions himself.
An efficient teacher, to his way of
thinking is first a good animal"
namely, healthy person, and lone
who has sense enough to keep it by
not indulging in forms of social life
which destroy it. The teacher who
comes to her work in the morning. so
tired from her social activities of
the night before that she has lost
her energy has no right to accept the
money that is paid her, and you had
better lock the school-house door
than allow her to teach," said Mr..
Young.
Secondly she must have common
sense, stated the speaker, and thirdly
a professional education. A good
general education, which he called
a reserve power" was mentioned as
the fourth essential, and pleasing
personality as the fifth. This is
perhaps the greatest of all, he stated,
and implies sympathy with, and faith
in children. The teachers who stand
out in our minds as the really great
men and women are those whose per-
sonalities have been strong and
tial he called the ability to grow pro-
fessionally and educationally, and
the seventh the ability to work in CO.
operation with other people"
In speaking of the product" of
teaching, namely, the efficient pupil.
DR.. Young mentioned first of all, as
in the case of the teacher, "health,"
warning the audience that our former
methods tended to develop "a twenty
five horse power head on One-horse
power body" Intellectually, the
child must learn to concentrate, to
develop his memory and imagination,
to think, and to judge for himself.
Industrial1y, he must be fitted to
earn his own living, and should b9
allowed to do what he likes to do,
and what he is best adapted for" So
cially a young persons school life
should teach him to "be good
neighbor." The greatest value which
can be derived from an education is
the desire to study still more, and
this he said generally occurs, for in
the words of the small boy, them as
has, gifts" From an ethical stand
point, he concluded, an education is
a success, only insofar as it develops
the character of the student. "It is
what you are, and not what you
know, that counts" said DR.. Young.
He gave statistics regarding the
percentage of collegiate and nom
collegiate men who had become fam
Gus, and emphasized the fact that
careful and purposeful preparation
for life really does pay. '1t take
hundred years to grow fine large
oak" he advised, land just six weeks
to grow a squash" Statistics show,
he said, that the greatest works of
all great men have been achieved be-
tween the ages of twenty-four and
sixty-four; "this gives you forty
years-forty years-to serve, he re-
marked, "and isn't that worth pre-
pairing for?
The first number on the program
was a piano selection by Estella
-Watzke. This was followed by the
invocation, pronounced by Rev. G.
L. Powell. The high school quartet
consisting of Clara Lang, Virginia
Uo+11zo NEiI5rod Adams opd porpioo
Richardson, sang several songs. The
speaker was introduced by Supt.
Utne, who spoke Of him as zone of
those 42-centimeter men, whom it is
a privilege to meet" Mr.. Young is
professor of political science at the
University of Minnesota.
Mr.. Utne also presented scholar
ships offered by several of the COL
leges of the state to Clara Lang as
valedictorian, and to Borden Powell,
who had the highest average Of the
boys Of the class.
In her saIutatory "That Which is
to Come" given by Myrtle Lime, she
spoke of the preparation which young
people should make for "That Which
is to Come" that is, later life. She
spoke of the need for physical
strength, for intellectual develop
ment, and for sterling character, the
foundation for which must be laid
in youth.
Miss Clara Lang, the valedictorian,
had as her subject Follow the
Gleam," and gave emphasis to the
thought that in whatever field Of
life the graduates may walk during |
their future careers their most cher
ished ideal should be to "follow the |
gleam" of their best selves, and that
in so doing could they best repay |
those who had made sacrifices to en-
able them to obtain an education,
and those teachers who had sought |