The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1930-06-06

m6UC duuTeSS given ny Mloo Liz
abeth Ireland, state superintend-
ent of public instruction, on May
26th at the high school audi
torium.
During the last half of the past
century birth and death rates
have decreased. Fifty years ago
the average number of children
in each family was six, and now
the average number is a fraction
less than three. With the spread
of material comfort and advance
of medical knowledge and the ap-
probation of social and mental n.y.
giene, the span of life expectancy
has been increased from thirty
five or forty years to fifty-eight
years. In summing up this gain
it may be said that one third of
the burden of disease and early
death, which weighed upon the
shoulders of men fifty years ago,
has been lifted from his shoulders.
Birth Rate And Education
The decline of the birth rate
and the extension of the span of
life working together have pro-
duced changes, in the ratio of
the number of children to the
number of adults, that are revol-
utionary in character. And it is
only when we view this ratio IN
relation to it's economic, social
and educational implications that
we realize its full significance.
In 1920, there were 63,500,0 900
white persons above Is years of
age. II the ratio between the
number of adults and children
had remained the same as it was
in 1890 there would have been
81, 1000, 900 children but statistics
showed that there were 81, SOC, 900
children in 1920. This mea that
while in 1890 in agrarian civil
zation we had one adult, who had
to support and educate two chill
dren, in 1920 each adult on the
average had to support and edu-
cate but n child.
This relationship can be shown
in another way. If we consider
adults those who are twenty years
or over and children those who
are under sixteen, the ratio be-
tween the two groups show inter
esting comparisons. According to
this definition Of adults and chill
dren, in 1890 for every 1000 chill
dren there were 780 adults. I'm
til 1850 there was practically no
change in this ratio. However, in
1900 there were 1850 adults for
every 1000 children; in 1920
there were 1880 adults for every
thousand children; and it is
very reasonable to assume that
the new census figures will show
that for every thousand children
there will be two thousand adults,
or the early ratio directly revers-
ed. These changes in the relation
ship of ratios between adults and
children have far reaching effects
when considering the economic
power of a nation to educate its
children. If the factors that have
been enumerated are sound and
reason to assume that high school
enrolment will become static only
when every boy and girl Of elig-
ible age and mentality are en-
rolled in the secondary school.
There may be those who long for
the good old days OF the limited
ten percent enrolment in the /
formal academic high school cur !
riculum, but those days are gone '
never to return. High school ed {
ucation for all has been decreed t
by the forces of Il present So {
ciety and we could not, if we |
would, stem the tide of enroll t
ment. 4
Changes Taking Place '
Society has changed the high d
school in many ways. 1t has |
brought into the high school chill .
dren from all classes and all lev |
els of mental ability. 1t has rend- l
cred obsolete much of the theory 8
and many of the practices of the d
high schools of the past. 1t has .
a whole series of problems d
and plunged the curriculum max |
ars into the most perpleXed state u
Of mind as to the most desirable ;
courses to include. 1t has shatter- .
I'd the traditional mould of sec u
education and opened the Il
way to bold experimentation along $
lew lines. 1t has broken the ties Ii
which bound the secondary school 81
the privileged class and the o.
4ristocratic ideals of social life.
t has given us a new conception
# secondary education, its func- "
ion being to help each individual p
discover his talents and then to a.
lelp him to develop them so that ei
he individual can find his place m
n the present complex society. 81
The old tradition that know Ell
edge is education, and that edu- 81
.ation is for the leisure class ST
les hard. Common sense, COM N
non observation and practical s
ife in a complex i%ntegrated in 81
lustrial society, more than the II
york OF the trained psychologist, bt