The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1921-09-02
WHAT'S THE MATTER
WITH OUR SCHOOLS?'

OF topic of present and absorbing
interest is from the pen of Edwin I.
Barber, editor of the Shoshone Jour-
nal. 1t argues from the premises that
something really is the matter with
our schools and sets forth unmistak-
ably what the trouble is, to wit that
we have departed too far from the
essentials OF public school education
with proper mental and moral teach
ing therein by adding new and ex-
pensive departments from year to
year. 1t has been shown that these
innovations sometimes cause the hir-
ing OF an extra teacher whose time
and talents are not more than half
the time employed in the work for
which he or she is paid while the pay
goes on full time. The new and ex-
pensive ideas of this sort appear gen
orally in the high schools, not usually
in the grades. in the high school de
partments we find one teacher for ev-
cry ten or fifteen pupils, while in the.
grades there are from thirty to fifty
pupils per teacher. would seem
that it would not be too much to re-
quire that high school teachers be
qualified to handle as many pupils as
grade teachers and that they be en-
ployed all the time of the school day
just as the grade teachers are en-
ployed. If this be insisted upon then
and not until then will present COM
plants be met and satisfied. 1t should
be said that Mr.. Barber was a school
man before coming to Idaho. In his
old Kansas home he was long super
intendent of public instruction. Tn
doubtedly he knows what he is writ
ing about in the subjoined contribu-
ton.
By EDWIN Il. BARBER
The public which patronizes and
pays for the public schools is asking
everybody, Whats the matter with
our schools?" Yet at the meeting
called for the high school building
last Saturday evening by the Board OF
Education, there were less than doz-
en- question askers sufficiently inter
ested to attend the meeting and learn
by the Board. Those who were pres
cnt learned that the Board is facing
the financial problem produced by the
public demanding more school for the
available funds than those funds will
purchase.
Last year the district expenses
were several thousand dollars more
than the income. This year the work
planned by the Board and already
contracted for will cost more than the
estimated icome of the district. Eth
er we must have less school, more
taxes, or run behind still further. A
sure road to bankruptcy for either in
dividual or municipality is to contin-
ually run behind in the operating eX-
pense account.
The financial problem facing the
Shoshone schools is not a local con-
dition facing Shoshone alone. 1t is
widespread and general condition
facing the public system of the whole
nation. SO there must be some gen
eral fundamental cause producing
such general condition which varies
only in degree in various cities and
communities.
There is but one way to correct an
evil of any kind and that is to learn
the cause, then proceed to eliminate
the cause.
What, then, is the underlying cause
of this widespread condition which is
surely forcing all our public schools
into either bankruptcy or excessive
taxation?
Here is the opinion of the Journal.
The public schools have been diverted
from their original purpose into a
channel which has no measurable linn
il as to its possibilities for useful ac
tivities, and each added activity adds
to the cost of Incorporating system.
The function of the public school
originally, was to build the mental
ana moral foundation upon which the
life activity of the child might be
erected. Some 20 years ago there
arose "A demand for the schools TO de-
part from this foundation principle
and under the cry OF "progressivism"
conduct the schools along the lines of
what these seif-styled "progressives'
termed useful work" They demand
ed that the schools be expanded" and
placed upon purely "utiiitarian" ba-
SIS, to be measured by the child's
money earning capacity. Some form
Of physical technical ability was to be
the unit of value in school activities.
The idea of conhning the work Of the
schools to developing only the mental
and moral powers Of the child was
laughed to scorn. Its advocates were
relageted to the "old-fogy and reac-
tlonary" class.
Mental power is not tangible as the
ply steal. The superficial and careless
individual is therefore les sapt to rec
ogniZe its presence or its value. So
these progressive" demanded more
spectacular results from Duh schools,
results they could measure By the
physical eye They took for their
unit of measure the pay chech instead
of the mental development Of the
child.
Every high school has developed
ambition 10 become a COM
plete technical training school. Every
one Of them added TO its course Of in
struction just as many uti!iiaTian de-
partments a. the various Boards of
Education could be ine1ced. or cajol-
Ell 10 adopt. Each new department
added hundreds of dollar 70 the oper-