Beloit High School - Trojan Yearbook (Beloit, KS)

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the subject. A large part of the problems of the average text- book of algebra are not at all practical. As in days gone by our ancestors labored incessantly over the alarming fact that three cats caught three mice in three minutes, so we today are wrestling with figgers to find out the alarming fact that the tail of afish happened to be six inches more than one-half the length of its body, and that its body was as long as its head and tail together. Also, we are quite busy in determining how many leaps a hound will have to take in order to catch a hare which has the start of one hundred leaps, each one leaping as they can. So, in the year two thousand, we may guess that, keeping pace with t-he times, the problems will consist in determining the speed of automobiles and flying machines. That such may not be the case let us invoke t-he assist-ance of this mighty power fthe Seniorsj who are 11ow going out into the world to do good. MUSIC. It is impossible to estimate, even approximately, the success of this first year of special musical instruction in the pu blic schools, or to even venture a guess at the amount of benefit which may accrue to the pupils and patrons through its introduction. The director has reduced music in the grades to a system which is consistent, one grade with the others, and yet- compre- hensive, regarded as a concrete course. In the primary grades no effort has been made to crowd the young minds too far with an unreasonable and injurious amount of technical work, but rather the endeavor has been to instill into them a healthful and natural love for singing, reserving the more mature idea of not-ation al- most entirely until the more advanced years. And the teachers of the primary rooms testify that the children in their grades learn their note songs far more easily than formerly. In the intermediate grades, up to and including the Eighth, a great deal of time and effort has been spent in cultivating the practical knowledge and ability of singing new songs at sight, by means of reading the notes, unaided by any musical instrument. No organs or other instruments have been in use in any rooms, with one or two exceptions. Thus the pupils have learned to de-

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From the very beginning of algebra in the high school the teacher should insist upon accurate, concrete and logical reason- ing, for without this mathematics has no more strength than a chain whose links are divided. Then, if accuracy i11 reasoning is developed, the next essential and inevitable step is the corre- lation of the various branches of mathematics found in the cur- riculum. Algebra is simply the upper story of arithmetic, while geom- etry is the foundation and the tower oi the structure. Then, since the whole makes one com- plete structure, why is there a tendency to make of them three distinct and separate units? In the words of Professor Slaught, of the University of Chicago, Algebra should take its root in arithmetic and arith- metic should find its fruit in al- gebra, otherwise the study of al- gebra to the beginner is a con- fused juggling with symbols. Separation of the two is abso- ' '1'-P- DOWNS, - ., DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS. lutely fatal. . Elementary algebra and geometry should be correlated with arithmetic far back as the Eighth, or even the Seventh grade, and if this is not done the duty of the high school teacher becomes all the more difficult. To overcome a ditliculty such as the one just named the teacher must lead out from the known into the unknown, always keeping the land in sight. Professor Slaught still further adds to his previous figure when he says: The stu- dent must constantly hold fast to the shore line of arithmetic while he ventures out into the unknown sea of algebra, so beset with the hidden rocks of abstract diiiiculties and so befogged with the mists of destination. Although mental development is a prime essentiallof high school mathematics, still we must not forget the utility side of

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pend solely upon eye and ear in singing, literally, 'Sat sight..'l The coming year, should the music course be continued, each grade will be advanced one year beyond the work done by the same respective grade this past year. In this way each grade will soon begin doing the work which naturally should belong to it. It is probable that a dif- ferent system of text-books may be introduced also. In the high school almost the entire time has been devoted to actual chorus practice, the prac- tical experience necessary to fin- ishing the system of singing taught in the lower grades. A new chorus-book was introduced after the Christmas holidays, and a renewed interest on the part of GEORGE vp, MATTHEWS, the pupils resulted, DEPARTMENT or Music. As a whole the year's work has been eminently successful. Old Sayings. Mr. Hall- I would like to call attention to one of the rules ofthe board of education. Mr. Adams-C' I sincerely hope that the offense will not be re- peatedf' Miss Nelson- It might be permissible for children to act that way, but for ladies and gentlemen it is simply a disgrace. Mr. Downs- Clear the hall now, the gong has sounded. Mr. Matthews- Has anybody seen a copy of the song called 'The Vfiyagers' Fa vorite Songs. 'K Nero, My Dog, Has Fleasl' .................. . ......... ...... H enry Sloan Foot Ball Glee Club. Pd Rather Have Fingers than Toes ................. CFound at Iolaj Kaull, Sloan, Brumage, Williams. 'S Voyagersn .............................. , ...... .........,.. , .... . .lCan't determlnej Eighth Grade Chorus CD.