Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-05-19
OUR SCHOOL BOYS,

Tor mercnantaDlo; &S3 to go per thousand for
pressed, but other kinds Of material remain the
same
OUR SCHOOL BOYS.
Their Plans for the Euture-Statistics
on Choice Of Occupation among Boys
in thu City Grammar Schools.
As the school year 1892 draws to a close
Superintendent Wilson and his coadjutors are
busily engaged In testing by examination the
quantity and quality of the work done In the
public schools since September last. An exer-
else In composition and spelling given by Mr..
Wilson in the boys schools of the eighth grade.
to be done within 80 minutes In the presence of
the examiners, was SO framed as not merely to
show the proficiency of the pupils in those two
studies, including the power OF mental cOncen-
work within the time allowed, but also to draw
them out and set them thinking on the import
ant question of their own future vocations.
The exercise in question consisted In copying
the following questions and giving their answers
to them In writing, the space allotted for the
questions and answers together being two pages
of letter paper:
/. 'Have you ever thought about the occups-
tlon, trade or profession you would like to fol-
low when you become MANI"
your choice?"
8. state the reasons for your choice"
4. "What are the qualifications essential to
success in the work you have chosen3"
The schools in which this exercise was given
were those taught by the following teachers
Mr. N. D. Cram, Mr.. NJ. P. White. Mr. C. A.
Clark, Mr.. Tichenor, Mr.. 8. J. Thomson Mr. J.
J. Chckering, Mr.. Fairbrother and Mr.. D. A.
Smith. Out of 276 pupils Is were absent from
examination and failed to express any decision,
among IS occupations, as indicated below:
Architect, IA; artist, g. army officer, 4; baker, l.
banker, l; blacksmith, Q; bOOkbinder g. book
keeper. 4; butcher. Q; captain of merchant ves-
sell g. carpenter, Q; cigar maker, Il civil engineer
81; department clerk, 2; craftsmen 16; druggist
10; dry goods merchant, 1; editor, 1; engineer, g.
engraver, 4; farmer. H. frescoer, l. grocery mer-
chant, g; hardware merchant, l; jeweler. l; law
yer, 20; lumber merchant, 2; machinist, z; manu-
facturer. l; mineralogist L; minister, 1; mer-
chant, IS; naturalist, 3; naval of1oer, 6; naviGa-
tor, 1; painter, l; physician, Is; plumbing, &C.,
2; postal clerk. 1; President Of the United States
1; printer, 16 real estate broker revenue marine
officer, g. saddler 1; Senator, l; shoe merchant g.
stenographer, g. stock broker, 1; stock raiser, g.
stove (and tin ware) dealer, L; surgeon, 3;
wood and coal dealer, 3. Taking a few Of the
preferred occupations In the order of preference
we find law chosen by %; civil engineering
by ~. medicine by 1S, the occupations Of q
printer and Of a craftsman by 16 each, farm
ing and architecture by IA each. mercantile BUSH
ness by 13, the drug business by 10, and the
grocery trade by 6; while would like to be off,
GERS OF the navy and to be officers of the army.
That is, cut of the $50 who express preference
for some occupation 173 distribute their prefer
ences between the twelve occupations just
named. leaving eighty-six. or an average Of two
each to the remaining 43 Of the occupations
included In the selections made. It is worthy of
note that In city of department clerks only
two boys express preference for the clerical
vocation. and that among $50 school attendants
n wv nvSH %L<
of teacher Again. there is only one who
aspires to be an editor and not one who Graves
the emoluments, privileges and excitements APP
pertaining to the life OF q reporter, although
there are six who would like to be stenogra-
pliers. 1t is rather pleasing to observe that
while there Is but one who is willing to bake
bread for the community there are fourteen who
would like to produce the wheat whereof to
make 1t, and three who are willing to go west
and raise cattle to supply US with beef. That
seventeen city-bred boys should thus select
agricultural and pastoral occupations shows
that the tendency to crowd from the country
to the cities, of which SO much complaint Is
heard. is not wholly without compromising
tendency in the opposite direction. One boy is
willing to devote himself to the melan-
remains OF his fellows, and another
is willing to make himself useful to his fellow
citizens as President Of the United States, not
TOR one term only, or even for three, but
retire from business. One boy would like to be
Representative or Senator in Congress, and
assigns as his reasons for this modest prefer
ence that he would not have to work hard and
would be sure Of getting his money The
qualifications he thinks necessary for one Of
these positions are Ito have plenty of political
influence, to have education enough to sign a
receipt for your salary, and to be able to sit in
your seat for four or FIVE hours listening. or
pretending to listen, to brother member talk
about some appropriation BILL" or other mea-
sure. It may be remarked that the answers
Of tho boys giving their reasons for choosing
particular vocation show, as rule. much good
sense and seriousness. Superintendent Wilson
calls attention to the fact that number of
the occupations chosen, such as architect,
artist, civil engineers, craftsman, engraver,
frescoer, machinist and painter, are not only
employments in which the mechanical drawing
taught in the schools would be of great service,
out are emplOyments about which the boys
might never have thought had not their draw
ing lessons called attention to them and made
them appear feasible. He also suggests that il
the elements of industrial education were made
a part OF the public school system, the choice of
occupations among the boys would probably
take much wider range than it did In the case
under consideration.
1t may be observed that even single exer-
else like the one given may have considerable
value IN leading the boys to think about their
choice OF occupation, to compare notes with
each other, and to note the fact that there are
many occupations open to them Of which they.
perhaps, would never have thought had their
attention not been called to the matter in some
such way as that adopted in this case. Want of
knowledge as to the various occupations avail
able is, doubtless, one of the chief
reasons why some of the common
occupations are 30 OvercrOWded and
so poorly paid; and in view of the economic i'm
pOrtance of q well-balanced distribution of quail
lied labor among the different industries. It
might be well If the hint given by Superintend-
ent Wilson in this exercise were acted upon
systematically by Introducing in the schools
regular instruction as to trades and occupa-
lions, with information as to their leading CEN
tiers of activity, rates of wages paid in them,
necessary qualifications, &c.
In girls schools, especially those attended by
pupils belonging to the comfortable classes,
such questions as those proposed to the boys by
superintendent Wilson would be generally con-
sidered out Of place. Yet, as matter of fact
a large proportion Of the women of the country
have to pursue some gainful occupation outside
OF their homes, and as it is among women that
the evils arising from the overcrOwding of O few
Industries are most severely felt, there is GER
tafnly good reason for Introducing In girls
schools such instruction in regard to occupa-
ti0ns as might assist any who may need to earn
livelihood by their own exertiOns in choosing
G ~ f 40