San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-05-22
THE VALUE OF SCHOOL.


character, than that recently given by
Master Mechanic Lape, of the Wa
bash road, in a recent order. The
master mechanic accepts as a truth
that does not admit Of controversy the
superior qualifications of school boys
and college graduates for any skilled
work, and upon this fact bases his Or
der which he issues to his general
foreman of the shops. This order in
cludes the shops at Chicago, Spring
field, Decatur and east st. Louis, and
is as follows:
"You are undoubtedly aware of the
superior qualifications of young men
who have received a good school or
collegiate education. They will learn
more rapidly in any of the intricate
details pertaining to their work, will
be more gen tlemanly in their inter-
course with their superiorS, and, in
fact, will be the means of raising the
standard of qualifications for mechan-
les. / deem it essential to issue an
imperative order that in the future we
will engage no young men who are
expected to learn any of the skilled
trades who have not passed satisfac
tory examination in the eighth grade
of our common schools, or if graduates
of other schools a course equal to that
grade, and they must bring a certif-
cate to that effect signed by the SUI
perintendent or principal of the
school. This will also have the effect,
70 hvy oil oh in hn
country, of inducing parents to allow
their children to finish their school
ing, which will tend to raise the
standard of education throughout the
country"
This order is the outcome and re-
suit of Mr.. Lape's observation in his
own shops of the young men who
have come to him to learn the ma
chinist's trade. He found not only
that the school taught boys were
more intelligent and could master the
details of their work more readily,
but also that they were more anxious
to learn, less wasteful of property,
more obediel.t to discipline, and more
industrious and sober. Such testi-
mony given in such way is of great
value. 1t is an encouragement to
parents to continue their children at
school as long as practicable, and to
afford them all possible means for cd
ucation. 1t is an encouragement to
teachers to persevere in their work
and spare no pains to fit their pupils
thoroughly for each advance in
school grade as out of it all comes a
real benefit to society when the
pupil enters the ranks of
the worlds workers. 1t is all encour-
agement to the pupil himself to study
closely and apply himself diligently
as his work will tell upon his success
in the department of manual indus
try as well as in that of letters or any
of the learned professions. How many
boys grow restless and uneasy under
their school work after they pass the
age of twelve or fourteen years and
are impatient to get out into the
world and earn something for them
selves, particularly, if they are the
children of poor parents; and, how
many parents having little TO give
their children by way of material as
sistance on entering the world, think
The time lost or not wisely spent
which is devoted to school work after
the boy is Of age to earn a small
amount in manual labor. This order
of Master Mechanic Lape teaches al
a new value to school work, and in
forms the teachers, parents and pu-
pills that this school work is as
indispensable to the mechanic as it is
to the professional man. Not only so,
it is one of the strongest argumen IS
in favor of compulsory education on
| the part of the state that has ever
| been advanced. Here is a man who
supervises the work of hundreds of
youths and thousands of working
men, and discerning a marked differ
| ence in their aptitude for work, in
their industry, sobriety, reliability,
| teachableness and ali else he sets
himself to work to discover the cause.
He finds the school and academy
| bred boys in the advance in all these
things, and so generally in the adj
vance that he orders hencefDrth that
no boys shall be received as appren-
tees into his shops except those who
bring certificate from the public
schools that they have finished the
eighth grade work, or show from
other sources that they have
accomplished its equivalent. II
their increased power to mas
ter the details of handicraft, in
creased power to resist temptation to
Fdisobedience, idlenees, carelessness
and drunkenness, if these are the re-
suit of school trainiRU and school