Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-05-20
High School Conference
Urges Change In The
Administration OF State
Educational Affairs

<, S- "a 49, tE.eF
Administration OF State
Educational Affairs
N%5ontinued from Pare ~
The colleges and, high schools Of the
country are jeopardized by the youth
~blolosicaliy untitled for education. Of
which there are two clasees: the stu
dent without purpose and the student
without ability. Mr.. Elliott maintain
ed. The schools are attempting, the
impossible i'll trying to put ability
where no ability is.
n do. not wish to deny any young
person Of the right to attend school,
he said, hut 1t is unfair that. the
presence Of the u~nprepared, incapable
student should deter others in shift:
ing the machinery of advancement
back into low gear in order to keep
pace with all the material. The tend
ency ia to prorcreate mediocrity."
Attendance More than Doubles.
In the last two years the attendance
ia the colleges, technical schools and
universities over tho country has
somewhat than doubled, There
Is no institution Of such a nature but
what is overweight. with students at
the present time. The number prov
ing incapable can be seen in the fol-
lowing exArnple:x-Of 100 freshmen
entering . western university, Sc took
up sophomore work; SO became Jun
Tors and "a graduated as seniors. Also,
800 of the students entering the Uni
versity Of Minnesota last fall have
retired" by request or otherwise.
In quoting an article from a cur
rent publication, MI. Elliott said: I'm
democracy there should be one thing
which noncy nno buy, which In
fluence cannot buy, but which worth
can buy, and that thing is education"
Religion in Schools.
superintendent W. B. Simcox open
ed the discussion of religion in the
public schools this morning with a
paper I'm which he upheld such study,
maintaining that a definite course
should be arran Sed and capable, spir-
itually minded teachers obtained for
the work. "In the schools students
learn of the religion of Buddha, Mo
manned, the Greeks. the B%aylonians,
and SO forth. but the Christian re-
liEion is excluded. Plato. Socrates and
others become we'll recognized but
Christ, or Paul, or Moses are left In
the dark. Such discrimination places
the Bible in a. lower position among
the books of time than other docu-
ments."
The place for instruction in re-
ligion is in the public school along
with other studies"
Schmidt Speaks.
A number Of points in disfavor OF
religious education were brought out
in q talk by Professor c. c. schmi6a
The first point was:
While the cultivation of the re.
ngious nature appeals to our judg-
ment as a worthy objective in the
rearing Of ~ youth, it has not been
shown that the study Of the Bible
cstechisn1s. doctrines and rituals nee.
essarily contributes to the develop
ment of religion in the soul of the
child.
Second. The more extensive study
of religion does not necessarily i'm
prove >the brand Of Christianity.
Third. II our youth arc not refciv-
ing satisfactory religious INSTRUCTION
the fault probably lies. in tho qualit,
Of he instruction rather than Tho
quantity.
Fourth. If the usual period Of Sun.
day school instruction is not sufficient
lengthen it,"
Among the. other points was: The
plan proposed for providing instruc,
ton in church schools does net wiz
the confidence of a practical admins,
TRAITOR
Following Mfr. schmidts talk, Dear
. ~ 04uIleS III IL. II. HeGlcE, DTeSl
dent OF the Minot normal school. gave
strong talks in favor OF the giving o.
religious instruction.
Business Meeting.
Resides the report of the resolutions
committee at the business meeting
shortly before noon. a committee was
appointed to consider the reorsaniza
ton o. the conference. The plan is te
place it under some definite leader.
] shin arnnny fl,e tnaokn~c - ~ n&..a
The committee was scheduled to NEE
this afternoon. Members Of the srour
are: G. A. Mcfarland, Dean JOSEPH
Kennedy, E.. J. Taylor. G.. ". Hanna
and Dean Ella Fulton.
Round table discussions were in Or
der for the conference during this aft
ernoon.
John Does Democracy.
Splendid addresses we're given. a
the afternoon and evening sessions OF
the conference. At the evening SEES.
) sion, Chancellor f. G.. Elliott Of The
University of Montana spokelon THE
Democracy of John Doe" in which he
ldecfared that the greatest single is,
sue before the American people i:
that Of sane political education"
The speaker called attention to the
more than one hundred million PEG.
pie in America-America of all ma.
tionalities, of all grades of intelli,
gencc and Of all economic conditions
who try to govern themselves upor
the theory that every man and WON.
an is an expert In the profession Of
politics. America now faces the SUI
preme task. he said. OF perfcctins the
machinery of government so that il
will coon plish effectively the wort
of a democratic civilization. For q
century. the people have followed &
leadership which has proclaimed the
doctrine Of education for citizenship
and at the same time the schools
have constantly tended to emphasiz.
a narrow in%dividualistic self-interest
ASA result. the people are economi,
: cally illiterate and the prey Of every
consuming partisa nship. Continuing
he said:
Democracy in practice must conn
to be understood in the progress Of
all. through the cooperation Of all
under the leadership Of the w1sest
We have not yet solved the most diff.
f1cult. of all educational problems. tina
OF training for efficient political &C.
tion\ Until such training becomes Al
integral part of our scheme of uni.
versal education the curses of mod.
ern civilization--the black curse O.
disease, the green curse OF greed, the
rod curse of anarchy. the yellow curst
Of industrial incompetency, and thu
grey curse of monotony-will con,
tinue to render impotent and to della