San Diego State University - Del Sudoeste Yearbook (San Diego, CA)

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WHITE AND GOLD Editor-in-Chief E RVA TAY LO R Faculty Advisor Business Manager IRVING OUTCALT J. F. WEST Associate Editors ALICE HATTON - - SCHOOL NOTES ADELAIDE ELLITHORPE - STAFF ARTIST FLORA HAMILL - - - - JOSHES ANITA SCHUSSLER - - - JOSHES EDITORIAL. XX l3 yon e1' er found 1onrself 111 the position of h211i11g too little s1121ee at your disposal to really say a111tl1in11 worth while. and still l1211in111 too much tosay11othi1111? If 11111 11211 e 11111 C2111 appreciate the feelin11s' with which the editor attacks the mohlem of writing1 this editorial. lhe vague dreams which she entertained of writing a learned treatise on such a subject as the physio-s11ei11-psyeho-logieal value of 21 school 111ag'azine 1'a11- ished into the eire11n1a111hie11t air when she perceived that only a trifle more than half a wage was to he devoted to her effusions; and the equally attrac- tive vision of leaving1 the 11a'1er editorial-less and resigning herself to innocu- ous desuetnde met the sad late of other castles in Spain. when the sad dis covery was made that this insignificant half oag'e was eaoahle of contain- ing some four hundred words and that it had to he paid for, and therefore must not he wasted. There is one thing that may he attempted. even in this limited shave. and that is the correction of the erroneous i1nn1'essio11 that is entertained hy some members of the school that its other memhers are lacking in that desirable quality popularly kno11n as school spirit. Fhe editor herself 11 as at one time a 1ietim of this mistaken idea hut scarcely had she entered upon her othcial duties hefore evidences of the most splendid sort of a soirit of eo-operation began to appear. One of the most si11'11if11sant si1rns of this desirable spirit was shown in the special assembly in which suhserintions 11ere taken for this magazine. Owing to the fact that it 11as decided that this edition of the 1X l11te and Gold should he put out without the assistance of ad1ertising. it was netessary to raise the price from twenty-fiye to fifty cents. ln spite of this increase. the number of subscriptions exceed even the sanguine hopes of the 1112111aqer. The many students who contributed to the literary and artistic depart- ments exhibited a very unselftsh desire for its welfare. in doing a great deal of hard work. for the sake of gaining a 1' ery small amount of glory. This is particularly true of the members of the stat? 11 hom the editor wishes to thank individually and LOllCLtH e11' Miss Ellithorne. stat? artist; Miss Hatton editor of school notes: Miss Hamill and Miss Schussler of the iosh department. ha1' e rendered the assistance without which this issue would have been an impossibility. To Mr. Outealt. as faculty advisor, and Mr. West. as business 111a11ag'er. the entire student hody owes a vote of thanks. for hav- ing spent so many hours of valuahle time in looking after the welfare of this enterprise. Mr. Hardy. whose interest and eo-operation have not been the least of our assets. has set an examnle that any who are lackingr in this el11si1'e school spirit would do well to follow. And now. as you read this little hook. its compilers will he eagerly scan- ning your conntenances in the hope of reading11 there e1idenees of your an- pro1'al;b11t if by some sad misehance it fails to attain the standard you ha1e set for it. they heg 11111 to remember in jud11'infr. that the1 l1a1e done theit hest-and wAngels could do no more. 17

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The Staff

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The Normal School: Its Value 1y President E. L. Hardy. HE value of the Normal School is understood by the people and by administrative and legislative authorities in a general way, but its defin- ite value is neither very well known nor very well appreciated. In the first place. it has not been investigated and tested by the standards Ofa genuinely seientitic survey: but neither has any other partof the State school system been thus evaluated. There are, however, some rough and ready tests that may be applied, such as the support given normal schools by the State as compared with the support given other parts of the systemea test which would indicate the degree of public appreciation of the value of the normal school, and the test of the cost of producing a graduate of the normal school as Compared. for instance. with the cost of producing a high school or a university graduate. As to the first test. that of value as evidenced by public support. we have some definite and authoritative evidence. The lion. A. ll. Nye, State Con- troller, in his report dated Dec. 15. 1910. says: HFor many years the normal schools were about the least expensive of the public institutions, educational or otherwise ........ , but of late years they have increased their training school departments and introduced new courses entailing large expense for instructors and equipmentfl Nevertheless. in spite of the larger expense, the normal schools are still relatively less well supported than are the other parts of the school system. The statistics that follow taken from the reports of the State Controller and the Superintendent of Public Instruction. reveal the situation as it stood in the school year 1909-1910. PUBLIC SCHOOL COSTS. No. No. Total Cost Cost Per Cost Per Part of School System Enrolled Graduated For Support Pupil Enrolled Graduate Stale Normal Schools ........ 2,321 743 250,000 $107.70 $ 336.00 Elementary School .......... 322,361 17,632 13,674,314 42.42 775.00 High Schools ............... 39,115 2,525 2,900,000 74.14 1,148.00 State University ............. 3,860 479 970,000 251.30 2,025.00 NoteeThis comparative table is based on total support, whether local or State, which is the only fair basis, because the 101111 and sole revenue of the normal school is from the State. To make the comparison entirely fair, multiply the cost of producing, in the year selected. a normal school graduate by two tsince the normal school course is two years. one-half of that of the high school and the Universityl. and the resultingr figure. $672.00. stands at only a little more than half the cost of producing a high school graduate and at one-third the cost of produc- in;r a graduate of the University. And what of the value to the State of the normal school graduate produced at this relatively small cost to the people? The high school graduate is an unfinished non-teehnieally trained pro- duet. Abont 011e-half of the University graduates are neither professionally nor technically finished products. The normal school graduate is 21 Finished. technically available nrotluct. She is a product dedicated to state tsoeiah service. She is dedicated to this service and enters it tpraetically all graduates begin teaching immediatelyl. knowingy that she will receive a wage but little better than that of an unskilled laborer: but even this low wage renresents an annual valuation of her services to the State of more than twice the amount required to produce a graduate each year-aml her average term of service is four years. Certainly. then. there is no possibility of questioning the accuracy of the statement of Controller Nye with reference to the situation in 1910. Has there been any material change since 1910 as evidenced by public support. in the public estimate of the relative social value of the normal school. as the nourisher of the elementary school and elementary education. and of the University. as the nourisher of general social culture and efficiency? 18