Salt Lake Tribune | 1910-01-23 | Page 13 | Inadequacy of the Present High School

Inadequacy of the" I Present High School I Editor Tribune The plea of the civic commltteo of the Utan Federation of Women's Clubs asking qualltled citizens to make the effort to get out and vote for the' bonds for the new Salt Lake high school next Saturday Is not addressed to that portion of our population consisting of the fathers and mothers of the girls and boys who now attend the high school-They school-They don't need urging. They know all about tho absolute Inadequacy In-adequacy ofHhc buildings, the antiquity of the arrangements In the main building, build-ing, both from the standpoint of equipment equip-ment and sanitation. You 'can't tell them anything about the rickety stairways, the wabbly floors or tho .overcrowding. They no doubt often send up a petition to Divine Di-vine Providence that Jack or, Jill be sent homo without a broken head or worse. Rather Ik this plea made to tho general gen-eral public which doesn't and could not know thfe real condltlono. However. If there 'are any fathers or mothers who arc doubters, let. them visit any grade school in the,clty. then take their lives In their hands and go through tho main high school building. , The contrast con-trast will be convincing. Through constant contact with many generations of vigorous young hands and feet, the steps are worn down to the disappearing dis-appearing point, ; the banisters simply holding on by the skin of their teeth. And there are four nights of these stairs. These same decades of bouncing youth have produced a teetering typo of floor which would moke the stout person wince. , . Leaving the beauty of construction and decoration which should be In evidence evi-dence in the interior of all such Institutions Institu-tions entirely out of tho question, and confining ourselves to merest necessities, let us get the facts. Tho enrollment of the high school In 1000 was -IflO. in 1910 it Is 1630. The normal capacity of the old building build-ing Is -150: the normal capacity of the science building Is 300; the normal capac-ltv capac-ltv of tho union building Is 350, making a to'lal capacity of 1100; excess of capacity, Present conditions make changing and shifting of classes from building to building build-ing absolutely Imperative. Tho distance from the union to the sclenco building Is one block, the lime for changing classes from five to seven minutes. These changes often have to be made several times a day, In all sorts of weather, und there Is no possibility of 1 relief under present conditions. Don't ydu think our girls and boys are worthy of better things? Listen to this, for It Is a fact. T.I hi re is not another city In tho United States half the size of Salt Lake tM that has such an Inadequate high school as ours. That Is tho statement of an educator who knows. Have you heard IH about Ogden's fine now high school? And do you believe in our public school sys- tern and In our high school as tho peo- pie's college? Prof. Eaton told the high school pupils a story apropos of the situation the other day. It went something llko this: "A boy came here to school three years ago, nice little fellow, only weighed 103 pounds. I liked him and watched him. Tho beginning of the next year he told mo he weighed 135. but ho was growing rap-Idly, rap-Idly, and by the end of the year he'd gone up to 150 pounds. He was a fine, husky boy, so when the third year opened and he didn't show up I wont out after him I found him, and to my question IH as to why he didn't put lii'an appearance, vM he ans.werod, !I am not coming back.' 'We can't gqt along without you,' 1 said. 'Why 11 can't you come back?" 'Aw, dad got me IH a suit when I started In and I've worn It ever since. He 'won't get me another. vM Look at me!' and lie was a sight. He'd ll grown tall as well as broad, and he was 11 vstlcklng out at the ends and bulging and 11 bursting through on all sides." Reminds 11 mo of tho situation here when we wero 11 4G0 strong and now with 1C30. "I won- 11 der If father is going to buy us a new 11 Tf this chance to raise money for the high school falls through now. It will bo IH some years according to, law before anoth- 11 er bond issue can be voted upon. 11 What are we' to do In the meantime? IH The normal building fund will not tako 11 care of the high school situation In tho IB least. For in time It will be found neces- IB sary to raise tho salaries of our teachers 11 to equal those of teachers of surrounding 11 statcs In order that we may have the IH best to bring in new blood. Is our city 11 to he the only ono In the United States IH which. Instead of pointing out Its high IH school ns one of the city's boauty spots, IH must needs hide it In a fringe of trees, H and trust to luck that the stranger with- IH in the gates will p"ass it by unnoticed? 11 Vote for the bonds and tnist to the IH board of education to do the squaro vM Civfc COMMITTEE. FEDERATION OF H WOMEN'S CLUBS. , H