The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-10-06
BUILDING OF
CHARACTER IS
SCHOOLS TASK
Forward : Looking Educators
See Great Opportunity and
Duty, Says Miss Palmer
POINTS TO LOEB CASE
Chicago Scandal Causes Many
. to Ask Questions About
School System

Mandan, N. D., Oct G.-Moral in
struction--building of character to
fit young men and women to meet
the complexities of the increasing
tenseness of economic life in the ma
tion-is subject engrossing the at
tention of leading educators of the
times, Miss Bertha r. Palmer of Bis
marck, a candidate for the office of
State Superintendent of Public In
struction, told the kiwanis club here
today in non-political address.
"Our national bill for education
the past year was two billion one
hundred and fifty million dollars"
said Miss Palmer. 1--WE have fine
buildings, special teachers and mo.
dern equipment. And yet the scandal
in Chicago has resulted, not because
of our school system but in spite of
it. Wien things like this can happen
and do happen. we may we'll ask If
we are getting the worth of what we
pay for in our schools, and if there
is not great deal of waste which
might be eliminated if the public will
but take an intelligent interest in
the problem"
Building Character
The situation has brought before
educators and the public the neces-
sity of building character of students
and to emphasize the fundamentals
in our school system, Miss Palmer
said.
/ eve hear great deal about fun
! u A. l..
would be wonderful if we are able
to teach everything in the public
schools but there is limit here be-
cause Of the expense. The public
should consider, as we'll the educa-
tors, what these fundamental sub
jects are, upon which public money
is to be spent. Indeed, there is no
such thing as public money. This is
but the money which is paid by diff
ferent individuals into common
purse in order that all may have the
benefit of certain privileges which
they could not have by their own re-
sources.
ain our school circles we hear SO
much about making living and the
needs of industry that the question
arises sometime if we have not put
too much stress upon the unitarian
value of what we get in school rather
> than upon the making of great char
acters. We today teach everything
from stenography to psychology with
the same emphasis as though all
things are equally important"
In drilling the students in the fun
damentals Of education and in build
ing his character, the teacher plays
an all-important part, Miss Palmer
said, in urging the maintenance of a
high standard of teaching in the pub
lie schools. Among the necessities of
education, Miss Palmer declared, was
broadening of the system of athlc-
tics, or physical instruction, to in
clude great many boys and girls
instead Of the few who may be on
the school teams. She also urged al
Ifirmer preparation in the broad
know.s dye needed by students taki>s
commercial courses in the schools.
Good Basis Needed
Gail business courses require COM
,percial English, commercial spelling,
commercial penmanship," she said.
"If these subjects are taught with
the right concentration, in the
grades, will it be necessary to en-
phasize the commercial viewpoint
later? AS public we have perhaps
been interested in obtaining teachers
who could teach special subject
with special emphasis rather than the |
fact that they are teaching boys and
girls to become men and women"
Miss Palmer, in her brief talk, told I
Of her travels in Europe the past
summer as North Dakota delegate |
to the World Sunday School conven-
tion and her studies of the education |
al systems abroad. She found at !
Rugby an ideal which might we'll
pervade all school systems, she said. |
The boys are taught to be gentle
men," she said, and they are taught
that mo gentleman lies, takes that
which does not belong to him or
plays cards for money" These prin- !
ciples, she found, were drilled into
the student by incorporation with
the study of such subjects as Eng-1
lish, mathematics, and not as special
courses.