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Show I HALF-DAY SCHOOL IN OODEN IS COMMENTED ON DY J. C. KENNEDY I Distinguished Lecturer at Chautauqua Draws the Line as to the Benefits to be Derived From Part-Day School Miss Maude Willis Pleases Audience by Her Readings Miss McCheyne Tells How I t to Make Sandwiches. The attendance at the evening ses sion of the Chautauqua yesterday was the largest of the week. The program yesterday was almost wholly one of entertainment, there being only two lectures, given and they were very Interesting and instructive in-structive The first event of the day whs the children's play hour, the play being directed by Miss Maude Stevens This war from 10 to 11 a m. and from 10:30 to 11:30, Miss McCheyne conducted con-ducted a domestic science class, with about 80 liadles In attendance And. by the way, there were also ses era members of the sterner sex present and, from an expression of one of them, they certainly received some valuable advice. Miss McCheyne's discussion was upon the subject of "Sandwiches for All Occasions " She began with a few remarks about bread-making, as good bread, she said, was the first requisite for a good sandwich, After the bi'ead had been made, theoretically, theoretic-ally, she explained the making of many kinds of sandwiches The lesson les-son was given in a very interesting manner. At 2 p. m.. Miss Maude Willis of New York was introduced to the Chau-tauqu&ns, Chau-tauqu&ns, as a dramatic reader and read "The Fortune Hunter."' This drama is too well known to need comment, but comment on Miss Willis' Wil-lis' Interpretation of it will not end with the present Chautauqua, In It she prosed to be a finished reader In every sense of the word, possessing posses-sing voice of pleasing quality and a rare knowledge of interpretation. But the thing that reached the audience most of all was the charm of her personality per-sonality and it is not too much to say that, when she leaves Ogden. 6he will leave a host of friends She moved her audience at will and her work of yesterday proved one of the mot pleasing features of the Chau tauqua thus far Following Mi6s Willis' reading John C. Kennedy gave his lecture. if "The Past, Present and Future of Our Public Schools." As in his pre-BK, pre-BK, ceding lectures, Mr. Kennedy proved himself to be thoroughly ersed In the first and second topics of his subject sub-ject and from their evolution presented present-ed a logical review of the third He first sketched the history of education edu-cation In America, beginning with the early New England schools, in which reading, writing and arithmetic were the only subjects taught and these but four months in the year and four years to complete the course. In those dsys before the Revolutionary war he said, the graduates of Harvard Har-vard college were about as well , equipped, educationally, as the ordi nary high school graduate of the present day. I About 1780, however, a change began be-gan to take place, and the "district schools" were introduced. Religion at that time had considerable to do with education because the Protestants Protest-ants desired that their children should be able t6 read the bible for themselves When religious differ encps later caused disunion' among the people, education had a serious setback. The real foundation of the pres ent American public school system was laid In the years between 1820 and 1850. In those years the cities began to deelop and the working people did not want to send their children to the so-called "charity" schools as the name attached a sort of disgrace to them, and yet could not afford to send them to the private schools The frontiersmen too. the most democratic dem-ocratic people of that day, desired the publi: schools. Through these two forces, together with that of the great educators of the time, who also strongly advocated a free public school syBtem, that institution received receiv-ed its inception. From the result of that pioneer work, the public school system has so grown In size and in the extent of its curriculum, that any child can get any amount of education educa-tion of any kind desired. In the public schoolB of today the curriculum has been finely rounded out, the equipment vastly increased both in volume and variety. The teaching method are greatly improved improv-ed and the teachers in general are giving much better service, through having received normal school and college training in special work. At this -point the speaker referred to the recent agitation of the school question in Ogden and said that such an agitation showed that the citizens were very much alive to their needs as a difference of opinion was always a sign of life and a good sign. Changes in a school system, he said, should be carefully considered as a change did not always denote prog rcss. In legard to the "half-day" or "part school " system, he said that it was already In force in a number of cities, where work and plementary instruction in-struction were alternated by the half-day, half-day, week or two week periods The alternate week system was first tried In Cincinnati. O.. and had now been changed to alternate two week periods. pe-riods. The latter scheme has proven the more successful as the longer period of concentration In the school and fhop enables the student to bet ter grasp the ideas In both types of instruction and to work them together. to-gether. ThiB plan Is also being tried out in Pittsburg, In the high schools, and in each case the students at all times are under the supervision of the school professors. If the "half day" plan Is put In ogue. It would only be successful where the industrial part of the work would Involve thought and result in really 'educating the child. As an illustration il-lustration of this the speaker said that it would be useless for a child to &perd a half day in school and the other half day in mechanically feeding a machine in some factory, acting as errand boy for some mercantile mer-cantile establishment or kindred types of labor. This would be destructive education in stead of constructive The constructive Industrial education on the "half day" plan would be where the student could pass a part of his time as an apprentice to some tradesman or in a commercial establishment estab-lishment where he could get real com' mercial experience. While the idea is a Rood one, there is great danger that It would fail in Its purpose and thtt many of the students would pass their time upon the streets, unless they were kept under careful surveillance. surveil-lance. As to the girl students, it has been said that they could get the necessary neces-sary instruction In domestic science and arts In the homes and also help their mothers. But there is a danger dan-ger that instead of being a help, they would be a hindrance and In most rases the mothers would not have time to Instruct them in the two branches of study mentioned Yet industrial eXucatrc and manual training for th; boys and -icmestic science and apis for the girls are c-s-partments lo the modern public schools that are proving highly essential es-sential and beneficial and will be a blR part of the schools of the future Mr, Kennedy also gave a review of the school system of Gary, Ind., which proved very Interesting These schools, he said, are In session all day long and 12 months In the year. They have been successful because Superintendent Wirt began on virgin ground to build up the syBtem and has all of his teachers working with him. In the first place each school Is a social center and has 20 acres of ground for physical education, gardening, gar-dening, etc. As to discipline, the plan in Gary is to let the children talk in school and not to be "talked at'' This keeps them actively interested all the time in their studies. In literature, liter-ature, for Instance, they act out the different stories that they study and thus get greater development. In the domestic science department, the girls are not "shown how to do the cooking" but "do it " Each of the older girls has a helper from one of the lower grades and In this manner man-ner they get the practical experience that they need. In the manual training department, the rurniture that Is made is used and not torn to pieces to be made over Egain. This has a tendency to get the boys to realize that they are doing useful work from the time they are in school and their Interest is, therefore, greater than It would be if they knew that their usefulness would not commence until after their graduation grad-uation Their theoretical work is also carefully care-fully connected with the practical, so that the real object of the schools which is to fit the students to take their place as useful citizens of the community is accommplished The Miccess attained in the Gary schools, as regains this object, may be realized real-ized vben according to the school statistics each graduate has at least three positions offered him upon his gradur.tion. Superintendent Wirt has the trade unions of the city in sympathy with him through the hiring of union mechanics me-chanics as teachers In his manual trainnif, department and also the United States Steel corporation for the good work that he is accomplishing No difficulty is experienced in getting get-ting th children to come to school, as the schools and grounds hav been made the recreation centers of the city, with the campus features In the summer and skating rinks and kindrtd sports in the winter There Is a gymnasium and swimming tank In each school and by means of these the students are being physically built up. The social center feature of the system has also bpen of great benefit bene-fit to the entirp community and a Inrge part of the success of the system sys-tem is due to it In his concluding remarkB. Mr Kennedy Ken-nedy said that in the schools of the future vocational and industrial education edu-cation was necessary and was sure to come, but that the children must learn their principles. The right thing must be found for each student and the Important thing was to teach them to work aJid to be useful in life There must be more democracy among the teaching fraternity and boards of education and the teachers teach-ers must at all times have freedom of speech. The salaries of the teachers teach-ers should be increased as they are now much lower than thoBe of tradesmen trades-men while their labors are vastly more important. The compulsory education and child labor laws must be improved and more stringently enforced and the cities and states should see to It that the children receive proper nourishment. nourish-ment. Even at the present time In some cities of the east and to Eur ope, there is a kitchen in each school and each student has at least one meal fit flip nrhnnl vprv rlav Th health of the students should be carefully looked after, through hav-1 I lug a periodical physical examination and a record kept of it by the parents and the instructions of the physician followed ouL Their education should be general, so that they may develop powers to enjoy as well as I to create. I And, lastly, it should be remembered remem-bered that the school system Is the center of democracy and In It rests the future of the people. The evening session was opened by Miss Willis, who gave the following program of reading: "Mumps." Green. "The Engineer s Ride on the Piano," Pi-ano," Anon "How Did You Die," Edmund Vance Cook. "St Anthony's Vision " Stanley. "Rose on Funerals," Miss Willis From the first number to the last, Mlse Willie delighted the audience. Each number wbb Interpreted with rare understanding, but her reaing 1 of "St Anthony's Vision" will prob-I prob-I ably be longest remembered, as it was sufficiently long to get the undivided attention of the audience and told a story that reached etery heart. Following Miss Willlg program,, the large audience had the pleasure of passing an hour and a half with Ash Davis, the noted Lyceum cartoonist and entertainer. Mr. Davis proved to be all that was predicted of him by the Chautauqua directors. He drew a large number of cartoon b, each with a meaning, and throughout the evening he kept up a continuous fire of witticism, in which humor was coupled with quaint philosophy. Among his especially Interesting cartoons, each of which was coupled with an apt story, were those of a dude, a tough, a hobo, an old southern south-ern negro, a self-satisfied business man, a foreign count, a modern young lady. His evolutionary picture or the good young man to the drunkard was an exceptionally fine study and brought a valuable lesson. He also displayed his skill by drawing several "upside down" pictures of farm scenps. His closing picture was called "Home. Sweet Home." and proved a fine ending to the entertainment. A rare intellectual treat was had by the Chautauquans, when, rrom 5 to G p. m., Miss Maude May Bab-cock Bab-cock gave a continuation of her literary liter-ary course. During the hour, she read "King Robert of Sicily" and the "Legend Beautiful" by Longfellow and "His Devoted Friend," by Oscar Wilde The three selections, she explained, ex-plained, were among the greatest allegories al-legories extant and the lessons taught by them were of Infinite worth. In the readings, Miss Babcock kept the audience deeply Interested and her efforts were warmly applauded. oo |