The Daily Missoulian. [volume], January 10, 1914, Morning, Page 5, Image 5

About The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
WATTACK Y LL
ndiscriqpinate Criticism of Public School §ystem Is Unjust
f7q-- Defcts Should fe Ascertained
4 nne. l~onlOeff Epest# Appointeds
A for the Purpose.
Billings, Jan, I.- c.e .)--At the
dedication of i' ilh school
building in ti elts this etning,
President Cr4i. eo 4thv U 1veraity,
of 1$oVitanoL spo&i>).y t as fol1q w:
"I,am 1hasly to .,it iI1ing because
we at the. univer~i~y ,_l ied. to belfeve
that it is one of the ustet enterpriping
citiep of .the state. io.bly happy am I
to be. iete Sjt the 4de ,cation of this
builslrlg, . h- ill stand a monu
me~t to talth and courage. It
must, I t*iip~t , proresasive city,
because, whti.. $ings. sent~to the uni
versity for the ;ea' 1912 p9nF four stu
dents, three gtnled4in th0, regular seq
sion and, one in the summer school,
for the year 1913 you have sent to the
university, 18 stqdent, 11i, enrolled in
the .egtilar session and seven in the
summer schoOl. It. shows that Billings
people know.a good thing when they
find, t, The wide-awake boys and girls
who now ( present your high school at
the university tell me that Billings will
soon surpass Great Falls, now having,
not counting Missoula, the largest rep
resentation in the university of any
city in the state. At any rate, when
your boys and girls return to their
home town they will let,yoawknow that
Montana has a university, and that it
is no.longer necesaqry to send students
to Michigan or to New England for a
college education.
Criticism a Fad.
"To a certain class of American
writers, indiscriminate, wholesale criti
cism of the American school system
has become a fad as alluring as the
dancing of th4.,tango to the swell so
eiety of' our great cities. We.at the
university have given little attention
either to the tango or the sensational
criticism of the schools, because we
know that most fads have their day,
and that these also may pass away.
"Of course, criticism of public
schools, and even of the church, for
that matter, will continue, and reason
ably so,, because no human institution
is perfect, and because, also, if we may
believe the late Sam Jones, it takes
less sense to criticize than to do any
thing else In the world, We may,
therefore, give little heed to sensa
tional writers who present an alarm
ing array of figures and facts and
fancies to show that our schools are
going headlong to destruction, that our
children are neglected, and our tax
payers fleeced for the maintenance of
a gigantic humbug.
"When, however, a great railroad
president and financier declares-if we
Mnay believe his home paper, the St.
Paul Pioneer Press--the publlc schools
dismal failures, we are justified in sit
ting up and taking notice. In a speech
delivered in St. Paul only a few days
Ago, Mr. Hill is accredited with the
following statement:
The common and high schools of
the country are dismal failures. I
am sorry to admit it, but thou
sands of. students are graduating
each year from our schools, be
Ileving that they have received an
education, but they have not. Ac
curacy is not taught in the schools,
and accuracy is the main essential.
"The paper states that Mr. Hill
flayed the educational institutions of
the country on their poor systems, and
appealed to college graduates to de
vise better methods of instruction.
"'I would rather take a boy who has
had a widowed mother to support, and
who has had to get an education by
working for it, than to take the grad
uates of our schools,' declares Mr. Hill.
"Mr. Hill scored the University of
Minnesota, adds the paper:
I hope that the time will come
when their standards are higher
than they are now. I hope that
some da.b they will realize that it
is quality and not quantity that is
essential. I would rather that
they would have 2,000 or 3,000
bright students than 6,000 of the
other sort. Each year there are
'500 or 600 "flukes" in each class,
which is far too many. I believe
that if President Vincent is spared
long enough that the present or
der of things will be changed.
MightHit Back.
"Mr. Hill is justly considered one of
the great men of the republic. He
ranks with the men called empire
builders. He is both a man of action
and a man of thought. For years I
'have read with keen interest whatever
he has said. He has spoken often on
treat public questions, always with
force and sometimes with convincing
eloquence. I do not know how he got
Ills ediaAdtlt·, but I know that he is
an educated man. I may add further
that much of- hls crittjism of American
schools is well founded. They are far
'from perfdct; indeed, in many ways,
they are shamefully inefficient. His
criticisanf; hpwever, are too sweeping.
;One mlght'stlimast infer that Mr. Hill is
ready to uproot the whole public school
esystent As *a univerpl~ president I
might hit badk. . Folloslpg )he yellow
journalse: ntight-4ie gi'.ss attack on
railroads as follows: The railroads of
*this country are dismal failures. In
no other civilizgd country are. rail
roads permitted so recklessly tý de
stroy human life. They maim or mur
der, through criminal carelessness,
each year, thousands of.helpless pas
senrers. They do not even give any
PrloiuseonnBlderation to. the hetlth or
the comfort of the traveling public.
The water they supply the passengers
in the day coaches is not good enough
for. cattle. Passengers who are able
to ride in Pullman coaches may pro
tect themselves by buying pure water,
Apollinaris or White Rock, at the rate
of $2.00 a gallon. It's a pity they can
not drink coal oil, which Mr. Rocke
feller, although fleecing the public,
sellt at 10 cents a gallon.
I" might retalia~e by continuingthe
atttkr along this line, but I shall not
4o so, Iecaulie it wo.ud not be fair, it
Wooul alot be Jast- .be.use Ic belJev
that te' ratlrad is One of the.greatest
lvlvlltang agencies known to man and
that but for he .energy an,.genius and
1 daring oigr.rt e iX afliod ht.n Montana
would still be a howling Wilderness, in
habited 1oiiify i~`f' 9i age" and wild
beasts., The` railroads, 43 are far
from perfect and it I>''lh ted a shame
that they are not compelled to give
more attention to the protection of the
lives of passengers.
Attacks NIot Justified.
"But we are not justified in making
an inrdiscitnminate, whpleaale attack on
the railroads, nor is Mr. Hill justified
in making such an 'attack on the put'y
lic schools. The public schools need
the support and the well-tempered
criticism of great men like Mr. Hill.
'Of all the agencies yet devised for
civilizing mankind, for increasing his
health and happiness for the widening
of his intellectual horizon, there is
none that in its beneficient influence
is equal to the great public school sys
tem of America. In the public school
system l incliide the colleges and uni
versities. Uproot the public school
system and you destroy the American
republic and plunge the world into
darkness.
"It is a characteristic of old age to
glorify the past, and to believe that
the men and women of the past were
better than the men and women of the
present. . Most old men persuade
themselves to believe that the schools
of 50 years ago were better than the
schools at the present time. Some of
them-the best-were doubtless better
than some of the schools-the worst
of the present time. But the vast
majority of schools and school, teach
ers of 50 years.ago were far inferior
to the average schools and tile aver
age teachers of the present time.
Fifty years ago, not infrequently the
most trifling members of society
bell-ringers, grave-diggers, drunkards,
decrepit old maids in need of charity,
old soldiers on crutches, dead or dy
ing politicians, unsuccessful lawyers
and clergymen, broken down financiers
and all the vast and motley crowd of
the unfit, the ignorant, the slothful,
the inmprovldent--these were they who
often were employed to teach the
youth of the land. Such teachers
would not be tolerated at the present
time. Public indignation would be
aroused at the very suggestion that
such vagabonds be placed in charge of
the public schools. Of course there
are many shining exceptions. In all
ages noble men and Women have
taught school, but in no other age of
the world have there been go many
noble: and enlightened teachers ts at
the present time; in no' other age were
the public schools and colleges and
universities so good, so efficient, and
so practical as in our own day. But
they ought to be made immensely bet
ter. They have not kept pace with
our material progress. It is a hopeful
sign that great men like Mr. Hill are
turning their attention to public
schools. " It will be possible for a few
great financiers and thinkers like Mr.
Hill to revolutionize our whole public
school system. Mr. Hill faces the
question squarely when he declares, 'I
hope that some day the school men
will realize that it is quality and not
quantity that is essential. MY first
advice to all schools would be to sim
plify the curriculum by separating all
facts that are so from the facts that
are not so.' This is so splendid that
I am almost tempted to apologize for
what I have said concerning Mr. Hill's
sweeping criticisms. It is my belief
indeed it is the belief of nearly all the
great educators of this country-that
if our schools were really efficient it
would be possible for the boy or the
girl to do, and to do more efficiently,
in ten years the work of the grades
and the high school now covering a
period of 12 years. What an enor
mous saving would thus be effected
both to the taxpayer and to the indi
vidual student! If two years, the
most precious years in a youth's life,
could be saved, what would it not
mean to national efficiency and prog
ress. It would be a saving of hun
dreds of millions of dollars a year, but
in. comparison with the other stu
pendous fact that it would add two
T*ears to the life of every man and
woman of the republic, the enormous
saving of hundreds of millions of dol
Inrs would be as dust in the balance.
It would, I think, be possible for Mr.
Hill himself to bring about this re
form. If he would employ a commis
sion of exberts, p, commission of great
educators and big busines men to take I
up this question, to sift it thoroughly
and to make a report, every state in
the Union would be forced by public I
opinion to make more efficient its 1
public schools.
An Instanqe.
"For example, our children in the
grades are required to spend from
five to six years in the study of
arithmetic. Arithmetic, as it is taught,
requires more time than any other
two subjects in the curriculum-in
fact, I am almost persuaded to be
lieve that the puls in our grades
throughout a period otl five years
spend almost as much time upon
arithmetic as upon all other subjects
combined. This is a sheer waste of
time. It is an. educational crime; it
is an outrage against childhood. For
years the leading educators of the
country and many great mathema
ticians have cried out against this de
stroyer not only of time, but of the
happiness of childhood, and yet our
public schools continue in unwearied
rounda, year. after year, to force chil
dren who should be happy-childrent
with sparkling eyes and ruddy cheeks
and soft voices-to grind out the
same old 'sums'-or similar ones
upon which their fathers and grand
lathers wasted most of their school
years. In the country schools 'of
former days he alone was comldered
a great teacher who was regarded as
a mighty mathematician. The light
•jinr calculator is nearly always an
Idiot, and the man who spends his
to. have an *empty head. Except t
the eonsideration of a few snlnp
.bo ms in okental tahaltic,:.ch -
en should ri no ttentA9n to the
stbjet uc -l I the eighth
> 44n, an.4 ham it should be
taken. Uip only, by thdse who cannot
go_ td a' high school. Three months i4
ample tipe to spend-upon arithmetlc,
and it Would be better for the boy or
girl. we.it to go higher than
the :g dei Ftt arthmetic in
the hikh a.i.Ol S we really had
effici$pt ehers and a qirriculuni
such as 'Mr. 1tll' spgests 'separating
all facta that are qo frb~m,.facts that
are not so' orf rather,,,qt me say, all
subjects that are nbodeii'y from sub
jects that are not necessary, it would
be posstlle for a Student to save two
yearsa from the grades.
"Time does not permit me to go
further into a study of the curriculuri.
Suffice it to say, that Mr. Hill is
right-if the high schools and colleges
would consider; :the quality rather
than the qutantity of work, our stu
dents would be sent out with a thor
ough knowledge: of a few things ani
with: intellects :so sharpened and
traind that they would be able there
after to continue their education and
to know many things and to know
them well. If I could persuade Mr.
Hill to set aside for the University
of Montana an endowment of $200,000,
the income from which might be used
for the purpose of employing ' great
experts in educationt and big business
men to study the question of school
efficiency, and to make a report on
it from year to year, he would do for
the schools of Montana, and of the
nation a vast service.
School Men Helpless.
"I do not agree with Mr. Hill that
it is up to the public school men to
reform our schools. The iublic school
men are helpless. It is up to men
like Mr. Hill. Teaching has not yet
become a profession in this country.
The teacher' has little voice in the
councils of state or nation. In many
communities he is not supposed to
have an opinion on public luestions,
and if he- does happen to have an
opinion he must keep 1 like my old
friend Jones of AbbevilTe, K. ('., kept
his religion-a profound secret.
Experts Needed.
"The besetting sin of our people is
the failure to recognize in school
matters the need of experts. If a
surgical operation is necessary We do
not go to the butcher--\e somletimes
do, but we do so in our ignorance;
if we rwant a tooth extracted we do
not go to a blacksmith or a carpell
ter, though sometimes it would be
better for us to do so; if we want to
erect a state capitol we find it
necessary to go to an architect; if we
want to build a railroad or construct
a bridge we go to the engineer. But
in educational matters we du not
think it necessary to go to the teach
er. All of us know better how to
manage the school than the teacher
himself. Above all, we have not found
it necessary to go to the great edu
cational' eoXilert fdr halp in solving
our school problems. We are too
prone to turn these matters over to
the professional politician, and even
if we do go to, the educator we ex
pect him to perform the work with
out pay; purely out of love for hu
Inanity. In fact a large part of our
professional and business men con
sider the school teacher impractical
and visionary. It is said that the late
President Harper, anxious to secure
all able faculty for the tIUiversity of
Chicago, proposed that a few distin
guished professors be paid an annual
salary of $7,500. His board objected,
but the proprietor of a chain of res
taurants saved the day. Hie declared
that after all $7,500 was not a big
salary for a pirofessor of international
distinction; that, in fact, he paid some
of his cooks a better salary.
"The most serious objection urged
against the election of Woodriow VWil
son-an objection often urged in my
presence by menl who did not take me
to be a school teacher--was that Mr.
Wilson was an old school teacher and
that old schlool teachers couldn't get
new ideas into their heads. Mr. Wil
son is, let us hope, giving our big
bulsiness men and our great multi
millionaires more respect for the
school teacher than they have ever
had before.
'lf Mr. Hill were planning, or if the
state of Montana were planning, a
system of railroads for the common
wealth, the advice of expert engineers
would doubtless be sought. But in
planning a system of schools for the
state and the nation, statesmen and
law-givers have paid almost no at
tentiont to the advice of the great edu
cational leaders. Our state superin
tendent of education, whose work is
as arduous and as important as that
of any railroad superintendent in the
country, is laid a salary of $3,000 a
year, while $50,000 is considered a
moderate salary for a great railroad
president.
"Mr. Hill tells us that he would
rather employ a son of a widowed
mother who had educated himself
than a graduate of our schools. If he
means that he would rather employ
an Intelligent lad utntrained In the
schools, the support of his widowed
mother, rather than the idle, degen
erate son of a multi-millionaire, al
though a college graduate, we agree
with the statement. If he means to
say that he would rather employ a
youth of good character not trained
in the schools, than a youth of equally
good character trained in the schools;
we must tako issue with hing because
such a statement coming from such
a man will lead many a youth astray.
Statistics show that the trained man,
the college graduate, has a hundred
times as many chances to win dis
tintion as the uneducated man. The
boy who is not educated in the schools
may make a name for himself, but the
chances are one to 100 against him
when brought into competition with
the educated youth. In fact, it is be
coming almost impossible for the un
trained youth to enter, much less to
win distinction, in many of the pro
fesalons. The boy without a high
school education cannot enter a good
medical school, and without a medi4
cal education it is impossible to be a
phypician, but not Impossible, unfor
tunately.-to be.a, quack. In the fu
ture, almost without exception, the
cmfmanders of. our armies will. be
West Point men: the cqnt anlerfs of
our navy will have been trained a
..t? Widtr 4,tenlloflra WI1 ,n
fe i 4t the *r4at engineering
S. ols. T'The time may eteh come
whent we ah.lla reqtt4re pothe sort of
traltig for our stateamen and our
acodil trustep6. Iln'fact, the time is
'almost at hand when it will not be
possible for the'. Uneducated boy even
to become thet president of the United
States. It look that sway to me.
Grant, COarfiel, Hyet, Roosevelt,
Taft, Wilson-these were all college
men. Of the prominent presidential
caridMates Wilsoit, Roosevelt, Clark,
Underwood. La Rllette-all were col
lege graduates.
Pity the Untrained Boy.
"I pity the boy who goes out into
the modern world without some ade
quate training. Still more do I pity
the girl without training, for a boy
somehow can get .on, but tGod pity the
ignorant girl who has to make her
way in this rough and heartless world.
"And now, Mr. Chairman, it is my
ileasaut duty, in behalf of the Uni
versity of Montana, to congrhtulate
you and the good citizens of your
growing city upon the completion of
this splendid new high school build
ing. May the youth of Billings and
this vicinity come herp year after
year to dril~ of the pure fountain of
knowledge, to be instructed in the
duties of citizenship, to be fitted for
tiuoble service i. n thie world, ;iatin to
learn to love the three grand \ Iords,
Liberty, Equality and Fraternity."
CAKFiOT IS BARE
J; E. POWER SAYS THE UPPER
COUNTRY IS PROSPEROUS
AND VE'RY BUSY.
By A. L. STON E.
J. E. power returned yesterday :ftlcr
noon froln a long trip u.p into IhIi
Bnlackfoot region. He reports the ill
country valleys in fine shape, ctitle
fat nld iihearty, and condit iti.i e.l
erally good.
"There is plenty of activity in all
parts of the Bhlackfoot coutltry," slid
Mr. Power, as he stepped from the
Bonner electric car. "The country is
develolillg well and the towns :ilre ill
grow'ing. There is nothing to itlicate
that it is winter. The valleys h;ive ino
snow at all in;iilost sections, atnd only
a very little anywhere. The fltiallers
are getting a little'anxious. Thiey want
snow, but they'll probably have all they
walnt before long. The weatlher
prophets were getting busy as I camne
dtlow tihe river, and most of them could
see sigins of at si ,rm. That hlurried Ine
a littll, for I didln't want to get iaught
on the outsile,,iof a sluw btlu laIe."
DRINK M[RE WATER
IF KIDNEYS BOTHER
Eat Less Meat and Take Salts for
Backache or Bladder Trouble.
Uric acid it l meat excites the kid
neMs, they btecolme over\worked; get
sluggish, ache, and feel like lumps of
lead. The urine becomes cloudy; the
bladder is irritated, and you may be
obliged to seek relief two or three
times during the night. When the
kidneys clog you must help theim
flush off the body's urinous waste or
you'll be a real sick person shortly.
At first you feel a dull misery in the
kidney region, you suffer from lick
ache, sick headache, dizziness, stom
ach gets sour, tongue coaled and you
feel rheumatic twinges whlen the
weather is bad.
Eat less meatt, drink lots of water;
also get fromr any pharmacist four
ounces of .lad Salts; take a table
spoonful in a glass of water before
breakfast for a few days and your
kidneys will then act fine. This
famous salts is made from the acid
of grapes and lemon Juice, combined
with lithia, and has been used for
generations to clean clogged kidneys
and stimulate them to normal activ
ity, also to neutralize the acids In
urine, so it no longer is aL source of
irritation, thus ending bladder weak
ness.
Jad Salts Is Inexpensive, cannot in
jure; makes a delightful effervescent
lithia-wa.ter drink which everyone
should take now and then to keep
the kidneys clean and active. Drug
gists Ihere say they sell lots of Jldl
Salts to folks who believe in over
coming klidney trouble while It is
only trouble. Milssoula Drug Co.,
agents. --Adv.
COMING FR)M CHICAGO
TO i[ECTURE HERE
By LESLIE E. WOOD.
Captain Bryant of the Salvation
Army yesterday announced the coming
of Lieutenant Colonel Miles and wife of
Chicago and Major Jordan of Butte to
conduct a special meeting and provide
a pleasing entertajnment at the arimy's
hall next Monday evening at 8 o'clock.
Lieutenant Colonel Miles is t; give a
lecture in the children's homes at Lyl
ton Springs Cal., an institution that Is
maintained by the army. His lecture
will be illustrated ny 200 splendid
views of the buildings and the life at
this homre. Mr. Miles is one of the
great leaders of the Salvation Army in
the west. He is an eloquent talker and
his lecture will undoubtedly prove of
MARRIAGE LICENSE.
A marriage licenst was yesterday
IsSued :,k Q. B. .1lMr apd. Nora Tay
lor, both' res8denat i of thlis city.
you want an overcoat for its
style--your neighbor demands service ihn
his coat---another friend of yours re
quires value and protection from the
wintry winds---you can all come here
en masse and find the feature you
seek strongly emphasized in our
displays.
"4 OURS is the most thorough
and comprehensive collection
of overcoats in Missoula--50 design
ers and hundreds of tailors have
been busy for
months to bring $10.75
our displays to For choice of all our
the state of per- o,,,n canti 1.00 , ,t
fection attained. anId ,Overco.ts.
COATS for young fellows who
like daring styles---for older men to $16.50
whom conservative ideas appeal---coats ,or choice of all our
for men who must make "both ends 2O. 00 and $22.50 Suits
meet," and for men to whom "price is no ,,,nd vercoats.
object," $15, $18, $20, $25, $30 to $85.
THERE'S a certain element of A $5 Hat
hypocrisy in a new overcoat hiding
a badly worn suit---we don't think you FREE
want to be a pypocrite. So we suggest With any suit or over
an inspection of our superior displays of c.oat not embrac,.,ed in
suits for men and young men, $15, $18, the above special of.
$20, $25 to $35 ferings.
CLUB
CIGAR
STORE
POPULAR RESORT FOR MEN.
MISSOULIAN
HEADQUARTERS
ALL PERIODICALS AND
NEWSPAPERS FOR SALE
W. B.M'Laughlin
Proprietor
HAMILTON, MONTANA
Sterling Mazda
Lamps
-ive thrc, linlty ; |he lirhl, "lll a
(tilhr orlt lhatl li rin riyt , in
fteriur killt .
Oxyr h iAcetylene ll
SthatWeldl i., ly i antd iann
REPAIRS, TIREo, SUPPlE,l MDAETC.
Open for buins. day or night.
228 West Main.
J. Phon. .CAVANDER
318 North Higgins.
Oxy Acetylene
Welding Plant
REPAIRS, TIRES, SUPPLIES, ETC.
CHICAGO GARAGE
Open for business day or night.
The 228 West aof Everyth in.
Bell Phone 250, Ind. 1778.
HIENLEY,EIGEMAN & CO.
GROCERS
115 Higgins Avenue.
BeI phone 87; Ind. Phone 474.
The Best of Everything in the Market.
A good move-Coffee to
POSTUM
"There's a Reason"
"When You Know Gas Light
You Will Prefer It"
It is outr inltenltion to giv to the people of Missotila
the in formatiioni, from week to week, that will enable
them to KNOW (;AS ILIGHTING as it really is. This
infornlation will be strictly honest and dependable; a$
will all of our advertising. We expect to give facts and
figures on the candle power of Modern Gas jights, and
the Cost Per Hour for using them. These facts and.
figures will not only be taken from reliable laboratory
tests, but also from experiments made in onur own uffice
under actual cnditions of quality of gas, pressure, etc.
We propose further to tell you how to get the maximum
efficiency from your appliances at a minimum cost;
about the Pressure Regulators we are installing and
how they will assure you an even flow of gas at all times
without any variation of pressure; about gas piping and
the sizes that are correct for different runs. This in
formation will be given under the heading "When You
Know Gas L ight You Will Prefer It," and if you feel
that any of the conditions of your tis installation are
wrong we will consider it a favor to( be allowed to exam
ine same and to correct any conditions that may be in
tcrlcring with absolutely Good Service.
Respectfully Yours,
Missoula Gas Company
By I). C. PLANK, Mgr.
LUMBER DEPARTMENT
OF THE
Anaconda Copper Mining Co.
SUCCESSORS TO
Big Blackfoot Lumber Co.
MANUFACTURERS OF
Western Pine and Larch Lumber
GENERAL SALES OFFICE LOCATED AT BONNER, MONTANA
BONNER, MONTANA.
Mills Located at HAMILTON. MONTANA.
ST. REGIS, MONTANA.
Our mills have constantly on hand lanrge and complete assortments of
yard items in Western Pine and Montana Larch. Our facilities permit
of getting out bill and special items with the least delay. Shipments
made over N. P. and C., M. & i'. S. railways. A large and complete
factory In connection, which makes anything needed In Sash, Doors,
Window and Door F'rames, Mouldings and Interior Finish. Large fac
tory for the manufacture of
BOX SHOOKS, FRUIT AND APPLE BOX-&&-
PHONE 703-2 BELL
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