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Show BRIGHAM YOIG COLLEGE I I Success in life is not measured by a knowledge of text books nor by I college degrees, unless tho education 1 bo acquired can bo applied to tbo ' problems of dally needs; not only ' physical needs but also tho needs of I tho heart and Intellect. Tho Just criticism of former educational methods is that the student comes J from college stuffed with theory ; without tho slightest Idea as to how to approach a common problem of everyday life. Ho Is physically de-ilclont de-ilclont and his morality is too Ideal ( Tor modern business and politics. ' A story is told of ono of our uni versity graduates. As a boy ho showed great promise, therefore, I lils father being a prosperous farm er, decided to give his son all the advantages of education offered In tho state. Tho boy mado splendid use of his time and graduated witlt i high honors. Ho was especially I brilliant in mathematics, having ma- 1 Jorcd in this subject. Ho returned home to help his father put up tho hay. Tho first practical problem ho met was to build a common hay rack. Ills father was thunderstruck when ho found his son absolutely inadequate for this slnglo task. What real uso was his knowledgo of mathematics? Unless an Indtvid- ual can contrlbuto his share in some v way to the welfare of society and $ to tho sum total of human happl- 1 noss, ho cannot hope for permanent i success. This viewpoint by no means narrows tho possibilities of useful employment, for life has becomo so complex in Its demands that the 8 . poet is as necessary as the miller. We are no longer satisfied by bread nlone but demand food for the soul as well. Whllo tho whole tendency of modern education swings towards the utility side, the Interpretation of utility must be given considerable : freedom or people will measure all things from the commercial utility I of production, ignoring aesthetic uti lity altogether. Tho Ilrigham Young College Is , striving to meet tho now ideals and needs of tho pcoplo without losing the cultural benefits which aro so necessary to tho truly educated per-ton. per-ton. The constant policy of tho Fcbool Is to train students to meet I, tho requirements and competition of j modern life In a cultured and prac tical way, with dignity and righteousness. right-eousness. First of all, a student must be fitted vocationally to earn nn honorablo living for himself and children. He must glvo to tho world wor-ld enough useful labor to Insuro a I return to hi in of tho necessaries of life. If ho does not havo this ambition am-bition rnd gets his living from the toil of others, ho Is no bettor than tho parasitic worm In tho apple. Who, created In tho lmngo of tho Creator, would caro to adopt tho creed of a worm? To this end, that ail may bo solf-supportlng, tho ' college ortcrs courses In Normal training, Mechanic Arts, Domestic Science and Aits, and Commercial I Training, with all tho related subjects sub-jects required to make a student capable In his profession or trade. The period of apprenticeship is passed pas-sed forever. Competition demands "efneiency. nfTlclency from tho start. Employers nolonger can afford af-ford to train Inexperienced and Incompetent In-competent workmen. They ask for men who aro quick to 'adapt themselves them-selves from tho first day of employment. employ-ment. This change In trade conditions condi-tions has necessarily changed tho high school and collego curricula The world's workers must go to college col-lege whllo In former years only those who desired social and cultural cultur-al subjects attended these institutions. institu-tions. Tho rise of tho masses and tho decline of aristocracy has chang-ed chang-ed the educational Ideals of tho entire en-tire country. Tho work of tho schools reaches an Importance never known in the history of tho world before and the work of the teacher becomes at last, not tho work of a few Impractical book worniB, who were fit for nothing else, but the work of deep sighted Intelligent mon and women, thoroughly trained in tho needs and problems of dally life. Men and women who value human life to tho extent that they will make teaching a lifo profession to tho sacrifice of other professions, men and women who work for tho love of the art as do tho poet and artist. Tho work of the teacher Is great becauso it comprises all tho needs of humanity. Tho work of tho teacher Is to help humanity to satisfy all those needs in a consistent consist-ent and honest way. Although tho nrlgham Young College offor3 splendid opportunity to students to proparo thomsolves for tho work of tho business world, tho home, and towards degrees load ing to tho higher professions, tho main purposo of the school Is to train students for tho profession of teaching, a life work wherein both men and women supply their individual indi-vidual needs ns also tho needs of tho stato and tho government. Tho demand for Normal graduates Is greater than tho supply, and many young boya and girls aro employed In the schools long boforo they aro prepared, thus bringing down tho standards of oducatlon. Moro and more tho demand for exports to train tho children Is bolng mado and ! tho art of tho teacher is reaching a value hitherto uhthought of a fow years ago. Tho practlco teaching which tho student does In tho Normal Nor-mal school prevonts tho vasto oJ stato funds in training incompetent teachers whllo employed In the service, ser-vice, not forgetting tho injury dono to tho children thoraselvos in tho process. If apprenticeship is a-was-teful process in commercial llfo, It Is doubly wasteful In tho education of tho young. It is scarcely necessary neces-sary to argue tho question of train ing tcacners. ino nceu is so apparent. appar-ent. A number of mechanical scales havo recently appeared for tho measurement meas-urement of teachers. It Is difficult to measure this profession of professions. pro-fessions. It Is almost Impossible for the teacher to specialize. He must know everything, he must feel everything, ev-erything, ho must be everything, If he would fulfill tho needs of our present day civilization. Tho universality uni-versality and background of a Shakespeare Sha-kespeare falls short when it Is realized real-ized that not what he knows and can oxpress but also his personality and heart forco are equally Important If he would lead others on the road to successful living. To train teachers In accordance with tho foregoing Ideals a Normal Training school must bo many Bided In Its interests. Students must have sound bodies, strong brains and clean hearts.. They must bo trained in tho vocations, as there can bo no culturo until tho physical comforts of llfo aro first supplied. Students must bo trained to think and to create out of present matorlal now and hotter ways of doing work. Students must bo taught a religion which will help them to live a grand and happy llfo no matter what tliolr Inherited tendencies and present environment en-vironment may bo. Abovo all stud- ents must understand human life. They must bo socially educated In order to get on smoothly with tho world. Religious fanatics, bombastic bombas-tic social reformers, financial giants havo had their day and served their purpose. Tho world demands clean, honest men, men of faith and works; men who talk less and lift moro, men who bollovo In tho goodness of human lifo and whoso motives aro to advanco civilization and promoto human welfare. To tho end of producing pro-ducing men and women of this typo tho Hrlgham Young collego Is constantly con-stantly striving. Whllo tho tendency of tho collego has over been to train students for tho vocations It contends that tho culural subjects must not bo slighted. slight-ed. It Is bclloved that tho tendency tend-ency of tho present ago to commor-olnllzo commor-olnllzo and placo a money valuo on all productions of tho land as -woll as tho brain Is deteriorating in Its results and will surely end In ruin, unless Ideals of human fairness nnd righteous living aro not constantly taught to the coming generation. LOTTIE KUNZ, Hrlgham Young Collego. |
