| Show A thoughtful ADDRESS in accordance with the invitation given by territorial boreman a conven convention tiou of school workers was hold held at the utah university ver sity this city on saturday last mention of the proceedings of which will be found in another column we present h however the full axt of the admirable mirable ati opening address of president joseph T kingsbury outlining hig the purposes of the convention and suggesting the objects to which the present aboueid give their attention the paper requires no jio other introduction or commendation men dation ioD than abla abis it is plain practical and vigorous and speaks for itself itsell gentlemen I 1 he matter of bringino the schools of the territory into a closer relation with the university is of the greatest importance and ws we as county superintendents teachers tou chers and men interested in the advancement of the public school system and educational interests gene generally rolly of the territory are here today from all parts of utah to discuss measures that will best bring about the desired end iu in view there to is no do one here who does not know that the final aud aid best WRY way of harmonizing and all parth of the public school system ot of the territory and thus bring about a closer relation between the schools of af our commonwealth and the university ia 18 the establishment of high schools in abb counties and the making of a systematic gradation through the primary schools than through the secondary or high schools to the university this method of gradation in the whole public school 9 system is carried out to a nigh high degree of perfection in the state of kansas kaneas the university there stands at the head of the public schools as here and it bais baa bad a preparatory department connected with it as is the case in regard to the university of utah until mb ab ut ui two years ago when that department was abolished at that time the ai district strict and high schools had deve lopeti 0 suen proportions that the preparatory department was no longer necessary in the development of the public school system the university was recognized as the head aud and ail other oiher portions of the system was graded with a view to giving thorough preparation for the me anti now the public school system of that state is ie considered among the best beat in the united states without a perfect gradation throughout the public abool bucht me and and the greatest effic efficiency ency can not possibly be accomplished where the schools hie aie not dot gracea bradeu every time there is a 8 change made in the teacher the children are put back anti aal made to go over the same work this occurs time and time again and in some instances this Is ie continued until the boy or the stirl karl is ie taken out of school chool altogether and edu rationally cation ally little Is dished for that boy or that girl abrib when whelk the district schools are graded with ft view to preparing pupils fur for the high schools schoola scho olp and the high schools in turn are graded with a view to preparing students for the university there theft is no unnecessary duplication of work antl and thus a great greal saving of money anu ana birne follows where the child is madu made to to go novt ovir r the same thing time and time bime again and thus prevented trum from advancing van cing his time is wa wasted tad and ana thel the loss ot of the she childs t time me in this way in many instances puts pus him bin IQ ID jak a position in life tar far less lesa favor able than the condition under which he would have been placed had he while at school been properly ad danced as he would have been ir in properly graded there is in also a waste or of time and add money in not ilot having the secondary schools held down to schools of preparation tor for university work instead of maintaining in such schools courses that go beyond the deeds of preparatory schools to verNit ver cities les A thorough gradation from the most primary up to the bhe university through the intermediate schools school throughout the entire public school Ischo oll system to is the most moat advanced idea ex tnt at the present time upon the sub eject in tact fact it is now being advocated by some that not only should a thorough system of gradation be maintained it in the schools throughout each state and territory in the united sta es but that the gradation should go still farther it to is advocated that this gradation should be uniform throughout the whole country that the courses aie also in the various state universities should bethe be the same as far as they go it la is realized however that all universities cannot extend and divide their work the same cannot reach the same degree of proficiency and cannot uj an ad equal amount of work in special linea on account of the different conditions with respect to population 11 finance drace aad other things surrounding each one olpe yet it is warranted by the advocate of such a system that each state university could do the same work as far as the work extends and so far a as it if is consistent with the attending circumstances cum stances were such a system established throughout the country it is contended that the preparation tor joir university work would be essentially digil Y the same all over the land and the young man and the young woman could get his or her preparation for any public college in any public secondary school without unnecessary work and herice hence without waste of time and means the objection to this uniformity in the universities is that it would tend to prevent the development of original plans anti and adaptations suitable to surrounding cire s this nati national uniformity in the gradation of all the public schools ii eluding universities Is i not a matter however that we have been called together to discuss we are concerned now with the publio public schools of our own territory and we wish to place them in a condition in proportion to our means at least equally as far advanced as those of auy any other territory or of state under codr our government that this may be brought about it seems to me that the first step should be now taken A committee should be appointed to revise the school law providing for the establishment of high schools in several counties of the territory and to make such buch other changes in the law as way may be necessary to harmonize andl and systematize till all the parts of the public school system me measures asuree s should be taken to present the law as thus revised at the next legislature for careful consideration and its passage should be strongly urged of course the resources of the territory should be carefully as well as aa every other point bearing upon the school an i educational interests in formulating the law jaw no jaw should be framed that would work a great hard hip r upon the people too much should not be contemplated in the jaw at first in my opinion school matters can be carri d too far beyond the limit up to which the people and the nation can be beut bent fitted A feeling of independence rather than dependence shoula be pro at all hazards it is questionable tio as to whether anything for educational interests be done by the state beyond providing buildings and free tuition whether the state should furnish books and stationed stat ioney y as well as aa provide for tree free ionis a matter that can be profitably considered if in doing so it has the lightest tendency to encourage a feeling of dependence de such a thing should not dot be done charity is one of the most moot praiseworthy attributes of man and it highly becomes a state to exercise it itin in behalf of her subjects when done so judiciously but charity that weakens rather than that promotes dependence rather than independence I 1 is a worse than no do charity at all that this is true has been forcibly demonstrated in the history of england when the government became so charitable char liable that the social status became alarming and england was forced by the conditions to which it was evident that she would be reduced owing to the existing existing 9 circumstances to diminish their charitable work and to impose upon tb that a t elan class to which atie hand band of charity b bau been extended must most a greater hip and thus produce a feeling ui oi greater independence in school chool matter as well as in ever every y thing thim else eise measures should be provided that will result remit in elevating the people mo morally politically and religiously in contemplating the establish estable h anent of high sch schools rols in most of the ibe counties of the territory at first we can hardly expect to make them equal equa j to those in older and richer communities yet a good beginning can be made in providing schools commensurate with the population means and other surrounding conditions after high fac bools are established in the it will riot not be long then till the university can abolish its preparatory and ana concentrate all its energies in collegiate work to attempt how ever to curme argue ur gue kuch a cour course be before high schools are established in which the youth of our terr tory could prepare pare themselves theme elves fur for cole collegiate glate courses would either eilber make it necessary neoe seary to lower the standard of the university or ucb a course would kill tit the university completely for want of patronage and besides this many young women and young men would be deprived altogether of a higher education having no opportunity within their reach to obtain the re quiren preparation to enter upon the work in our college courses uoti until however these high schools of which mention has baa been mode made are established the ui district strict schools of the territory should provide such courses of study as will fully prepare p pils for the preparatory department of the university and for the high schools already established there should be bea a u uniformity as far as aa it is possible in the courses of study iu in these high schools and the preparatory work of the university so that pupils in the district schools after they aru are uniformly graded could upon completing their work in those schools hoole ac enter one of the high schools of the preparatory department of the university in north dakota ell the gradation of the schools Is ie such that the preparatory of 0 the is provided courses essentially the same as are given by the schools of the state iu in broer that pupils can upon completion of their studies in the district schools enter cuter any ady high blich school in the state or the preparatory school of the university where this great uniformity exists in the whole public school system there to Is in the whole school matter commendable and a great saving of time and means time is saved for forthe the young man or woman and money for at least the parents besides much more effective work accomplished it to Is desirable to have zie school matters so adjusted that harmonious relations may grow up between the university and all other schools of the territory and that the district schools shall so arrange their work as an to prepare pupils for entrance into the courses of the university it would probably be profitable tor for the present to have satisfactory arrange men a made for entrance examinations into such aub freshman courses so that hat they could be hold held in ane various v a rious counties by the county superintendents or the county board or examiners in behalf of the university faculty I 1 can say that every member is willing williba and ready at any time to work with you to bring about a better educational condi condition tiou aiau tt an now exists in our territory there is no question concerning cono erni UK ane welfare of a people so important ah that last pertaining to the education of the children every effort should to give every child in our country a gjoa g jod common education at least BOU and no DO means should be spared in inculcate ing thoroughly and impressively upon his bis mind the highest regard for morality in the full meaning of the w ard rd it is of the utmost importance to the people or of the territory that no delay be entertained for a moment in putting inputting utah upon a basis educationally tio nally equally as good in proportion to circumstances as avy any other commonwealth mon wealth in our nation let us show to the world that the people of utah has both the capability as well as an the inclination to build up the public school i system the real bula bulwark rk ot of individual and national independence every man who has children growing WOW up is in a 8 position to understand and to realize fully the necessity of doing all within the power of a state to advance the educational interests of the people he can appreciate well the importance of exerting on every side aide a moral influence about the chilo child the adult the man and the woman he can comprehend the importance of filling the mind with ideas of interest and giving to it culture from the fact that by so eo doing the auld iD leand and unprofitable thoughts will be crowded out adu he be cannot afford to be satisfied to have hla his child acquire only the simple rudiments of an education elu catlon because the mind la Is not then sufficiently developed and cultivated to be able to reabon to the beet beat advantage our young men and women will have the battle of life to wage and will be ou 0 n fronted with t oe oae above their peers if th their ea rm minds in d 8 are not developed and cultivated beyond that reached in the district schools and even the high schools As many as possible should receive collegiate training not alone by far on account of the facts with which they may become familiar but alsi ale on rf the culture they receive and on account of the development of their reasoning powers by which they will be able to cope satisfactorily facto rily with their fellow man |
