Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-10-19
SAYS
SCHOOLS ARE
MAKING GAINS
Principal Calls Institutions
Public Will Creature,
Relates Growth.

Two speakers Of the day at Wednes
day Rotary luncheon were Principal
Bruce Millikin of the Great Falls high
school, and the Rev. George Mecklen-
burg, the new pastor of the Methodist
church in this city.
Principal Millikin of the high school
spoke in a sensible and forceful way,
using as his general subject the peril
nent problems of our present school
system. His remarks were prefaced by
the statement that the schools are the
creature of public will and must there
fore find approval on the part of the
supporting people. The speaker did not
claim that the school system Is UP to
what it should be, but claimed that
there had been much progress made
during the last few years, especially in
the lower grades, because Of the intro
duction of the kindergarten system, in
the more practical development of the
high schools and in closing up of the
gap which formerly existed between
grade work and that of the high school
and the higher institutions. The
speaker emphasized the size Of the
educational problem and ventured the
opinion that there is no institution in
the country greater. Indeed, it was
stated that the superintendent of
! schools in this city probably handles
about the largest institution in the city.
| So the schools have much to do. They
have not reached out as far as they
may in the development of good morals
and in the building Of character. Too
many pupils still go out of school who
are short on the principles of citizen
ship. Adverse criticism is now often
encountered because we are perhaps
too largely tied down by tradition. Our
high schools were formerly too much
under the domination of the colleges
this is being overcome. Some of us
| are accustomed to think that we were
better scholars when we were in school
than the average of the present day.
This probably is not correct, said Mil
likin. We specialize more nowadays.
but as q whole we were not better
spoilers in the old days than the stu
dents of the present age nor could we
reckon better.
Schools Are Crowded
Ii is a problem how we are going TO
continue school development. Foca-
tional and practical work in our high
schools costs much money. For in
| SlA1iNt. uuIAbS lue idoI iS" tCdlS tHt
number of students in the high schools
of Minnesota has increased from five to
20 to each thousand of population. This
introduces higher expense. In the state
of Montana, there are now 22.8 per
thousand of population in our high
schools. All of orr high schools and
colleges are crowded. Probably we
will have TO introduce the junior col
lege in order to meet the emergency.
Then, again. said Millikin, the standard
Of our teachers went down during the
war. 1t is hard TO get high class in
structors now at the salaries that are
offered. The speaker concluded his re-
marks by suggesting that probably the
state would eventually have to aid To-
cal funds in order to carry forward
the demands of education, and we now
have before US for solution the problem
Of how we are going to handle this i'm
portant institution of the community
and Of the state.
The Rev. Mecklenburg called atten-
ton to some of the encouraging signs
of the times and reached the conclu-
sion that we were coming into greater
and better civilization. He said that
the impression would be gained from
current publications and magazines, If
there were no other information, that
our people are possessed with q mighty
discomfort that approaches almost to a
revolt against civilization. 1t is a
time of disbelief and questioning and a
lack of faith in our institutions, in
our government and in ourselves. This
statement of the situation was forcibly
illustrated by the fable Of q business
man who was blue and not happy. He
was finally supplied with all sorts Of
machinery and helpful improvements to
perform the work in his business. Still
he was not happy. He was supplied
with all sorts of new pleasures such as
have come into our modern life. He
still was not happy. Preaching was
made easy. Sermons were made short
err. Spiritual things were presented
along easier grades. Still he was not
happy. And then it appeared that his
faith was dead. We learn from all
this that it is a lack of faith in funda-
mentals which has led US into all of this
discomfort and revolt. Out o. it, there
is the suffering of the present. Yet.
the speaker concluded. this is the blood
that builds. We could not go on as
we were going in 1914, along the road
of materialism. The signs of today are
better. The discomfort of the present
will lead out into that complete democ-
AoNy " "hlth VIC dLt All lDUhlHR anu
striving. We are now ready to seek
the truth and to reach out along the
highway to greater civilizations.
Cooperate With kiwanIs
The kiwanis club on Monday, Octo-
Der 30, observes what was designated
by the last international convention as
Commercial day. The Rotary club was
asked to cooperate. On motion, it was
voted that the Rotary club urge upon
its members a large attendance at this
Kiwanis event but that the regular Ro-
tary luncheon on Wednesday of that
week be held just the same.
Rotarian We're V. Lopez reported re-
garding the establishment of a Rotary
shelf in the library and it was voted
that one be established. Each Rotari-
an will be asked to contribute one
book. This will not be a tax-simply a
request.
Miss Myrel Stenson. a sophomore in
the high school. gave a piano selection
and responded to an encore. Rotarian
Lopez, who is chairman of the program
committee at the present time, an
n%ounced that from time to time other
high school students would favor the
Rotary with musical or entertainment