The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1886-03-05

The trade schools of Europe are per
petuafing a system Of caste ia education
which it is the chief mission Of the civ
lization Of this age to destroy They
graduate carpenters. blacksmiths, and
turner's, but thcy fail to equip men for
an equal chance in the battle Of life. In
Holland there is a government commits
sion whose duty Il is to procure situa-
tons for the graduates Of trade schools.
and 10 watch over them for several
years. The graduates Of properly or
ganized and conducted schools will
create situations for themselves, and
show by the ability and faithfulness
with which they discharge the duties
thereof that they require no watching.
There is disposition in this coun-
try. in some quarters, to initiate the
European system Of trade schools Pro-
fessor Robert II. Thurston. Of Cornell
University. recommends q) drawing
aud the modification Of methods Of in
struetion ia the direction Of the sci
ences in existing schools; (2) the insti-
tuition Of special courses Of instruction,
and the foundation Of trade schools,
..haying for their object the teaching Of
the principles and the practice Of the
leading industries III localities in which
such action would be Justified and go
the creation of one or more technical
colleges.
There can. Of course, be no objection
to The establishment of trade schools
for special purposes; but II Professor
Thurston's proposition contemplates the
limitation Of all technical instruction to
such special schools. il involves the in
PRODUCTION 10 the United States OF the
European special or caste educational
system weaving schools in Massachu-
sets, hip-building schools in Maine.
schools of mechanism in Pennsylvania,
and agricultural schools in the valley
of the Mississippi Schools. they should
be called for the promotion Of caste
and not merely the caste Of modern
Europe. but the more rigid caste Of an
cient Egypt, which compelled the man
TO follow the occupation OF his father,
TO marry within his class to die as he
was born, thus making Of society an
organized injustice.
~ - BitdHstni w tuin llOlH iilU 4Aui-
thusian theory Of the law Of fe--that
brutal theory which necessitates the
starvation Of hundreds of men that one
man be well fedto the theory OF hui
mainly and gentleness that bright
theory which contemplates the salvation
and elevation of the race through the
development of the best aptitudes of all
its members The RuSsian-AmericaH
system Of manual training promotes
the humane theory of life, because az
it dignifies labor, (2) it is powerful IN
tellectual stimulus. and (3) it is the
great discoverer of truth, and hence
moral agent of incalculahle force. 1t
should therefore be made part of
every system of popular education. For
il it is confined to the colleges and uni
versities, few will avail of its advan-
tages. since by the time the student
shall have reached that advanced stage
of his course he will have contracted y
feeling of aversion toward labor, and
will have determined to enter one of the
so-called learned professions. The
small number of students enrolled in
the several mechanic art annexes of the
NoAlsf, anu dAllfCAolbiCo vi tllO OlAllCN
States confirms the truth of this obser-
walton. There is, believe, only one
exception to this rule-that of the Man
ual Training School of the Washington
University Of ST. Louis, Missouri, which
has an enrolment Of 229 students.
That school is, however, practically in-
dependent of the parent institution.
since il was founded and is maintained
chiefly through the m1nitieence Of pri-
waite individuals. But when the manual
training school is 50 situated as to at
tract the attention of the grammar
school boys, its register is promptly
filed. 1t has the same fascination for
the boy Of twelve to fifteen years of age
that the kindergarten has for the child
of four years. 1t enchains the attention
of the student, and it does not weary
him; and these two conditions consti-
tute state of receptivity which is an
assurance of such intellectual growth as
is not TO be gained in any school OF the
old regime. Charles H. Ham, in Hdr-
4ler's MqOQzine for Feby2inrn