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Show HOPKINS TALKS ; TO DINNER CLUB Training of Youth Cited by Superintendent of Ogden Og-den Schools "There Is no race suicide in ogden," raid W. Karl Hopkins, superintendent of Opden city schools, this noon In an Interesting talk on education before be-fore members Of the Progressive club jot ogden. "If you think so." ho continued, con-tinued, "Junt visit our school!!. We havp more than 8.000 students al-ready al-ready registered, th. largest number In the history of Ojffden." Outlining some of his uieas on education," edu-cation," Mr. Hopkins said TRAINING OF YOUTH, "The training of our youth will nov-,er nov-,er keep pace with the economic and social needs of America until the teachers and business are inseparably connected until the business man gains an Intelligent and sympathetic Insight into what the schools arc doing do-ing for his child; and until school authorities au-thorities appreciate the needs and problems of the business and Industrial Indus-trial world, the product of the American Amer-ican schools will not be efficient record rec-ord In the working world. "Ruslness men aro thinking more seriously about .-.i u : t ion than over bfeore; Qeneral sir Baden Powell wen said In reference to the world war, 'That nation only v.iH win the final Victors which Is now preparing for It 'in Its schools.' Reconstruction is not to In- a process of weeks or month". It v as 1.". years after the civil war before the economic situation was righted in this country, 17 years after af-ter th'- Napoleonic wars before conditions condi-tions became normal In Europe. The problem Is obviously one Which interests inter-ests not us alone, but tom e Rally perhaps our sons, and daughters ,t-tlng ,t-tlng on the school benches today. MANY LLITKK VTES. "The question of education, therefore, there-fore, assumes a national Importance which u n to the tlm. we have falle.l ! to recognize. And because of our failure fail-ure to rocognize It. It came about that a large percentage of tho boys who were examined for the draft could neither read nor write. Also bo It renumbered, re-numbered, that thousands of vjollogi graduates who offered their services 'had to admit when they were questioned ques-tioned as to their ability for work requiring re-quiring absolute accuracy, that they knew a great deal in general and nothing In particular. Tnls Is not a proud admission lor a country which boasts equal opportunity ror all There are In this country today 6.000,001) people above the age of 10 who can m-tther read nor write, according to the census report, and this is obviously obvious-ly low, because the census cnumc-rat-!ors accept the declaration of those I whom they question and make no tests. There are, in addition, at least fifteen million ncar-lllitorates who can write their own namos but cannot can-not read a newspaper Tne republic Is not safe when such a condition exists. ex-ists. It is dangerous to have the ballot bal-lot In the hands of peop:e who cannot can-not read it. This great mass of Ignorance Ignor-ance provides a breeding place for seeds of discontent and cbstructlve-ness. cbstructlve-ness. Industrially this Illiteracy la costly. Rives are lost, machinery destroyed; de-stroyed; production decreased through I Inability to read. NEED 'I ACTION. "And this brings me to the most Important Im-portant part of my talk. We cannot get good teachers, we cannot equip and man playgrounds, we cannot or-ganlze or-ganlze efficient junior high schools, we cannot eslaDllsh high grade consolidated con-solidated rural schools, we cannot oxir-ry oxir-ry on Amrlcanlzatlon and citizenship (training, we cannot. In a word, solve I the great problems confronting us. In more than a pitiably small number of schools, unless the thinking people of America put tho whole force of their belief In public education Into effec-ti-- notion They must awaken to the fact tiiat the schools are no longer mere places to learn reading und i writing and arithmetic and they must awaken their neighbors to this fact. They must realise actively and vividly that our only hope or adequately adequate-ly solving our great national problems is through making our children wiser 'und more competent than wo ourselves our-selves are. We must make this conviction con-viction felt by our lawmakers, until any legislator or any governor who denies the schools the support they need will find his political career abruptly ended. ' If we, as a nation, do awaken to the possibilities of progress through education, the progress we have made In the past will be as nothing to our future progross; and our nation and i all nations will be able to eliminate what ls bad In our present order, and to presere what ls good, through the progress and development of public education." Bryan L. "Wright acted as chairman of todoy's luncheon Sylvester Grow was Introduced as a guest. W. E Zuppann read a report on tho activities activ-ities of "Suburban Ray." to be held here Thursday, October 6. |