The Saint Paul globe., 1897-06-09


the Commercial club, last evening. to
protest against the closing of the Me-
chanic Arts high school and to urge
the adoption of a new city charter
under which the present school system
can be maintained, disposed of the
questions in short order. A series of
resolutions were introduced by Oliver
Crosby, and, while there were a num-
Der present who showed a disposition
to have them taken up section by sec
tion and all reference to the new char
ter eliminated, this action was voted
down, and the resolutions adopted by
almost an unanimous vote.
A representative audience of $50 per-
sons, including number of ladies,
was present when r. c. Hine, vice
president of the Commercial club, call
ed the meeting to order. Mr. Hine stat
ed that the meeting was called to pro-
test against the proposed consolidation
of the Humboldt, Cleveland and Me-
chanic Arts high schools with the Cen
trail high school, and any action the
meeting might take would be forwarded
py the commercial club SO far as it
was within it's province.
Gustave Scholle, a member of the
school board, who was the first speaker.
said:
me action of the board las. week was sim
ply that majority voted to consolidate the
Two branch high schools, the Humboldt and
the Cleveland and the Mechanic Arts hieh
school into the Central high school, The ac
LION @ was taken on account of the fact that
for school purposes of $36S, ,OOO Last wear If
cost US $4,000 to run the schools, a large
discrepancy, which has to be made up in
some SO way, and the board is making. all sorts
OF economies to meet the reduced amount
that we expect from the taxes This action
on our part was simply a beginning We did
II last week. as we wanted to give the teach
efs chance to get other positions and the
1urther economies will be taken I'D at our
next meeting. l personally objected to con-
soIidating the Mechanic Arts high school with
the Central high school, The saving that
would be made would amount to about Sc 900
which, in my opinion, is very small sum
compared to the loss to the city of the Me-
chan1c Arts high school think this consolida-
ton will lose its efficiency. We have not the
room in the building to do the work We
have the basement, but the facilities are not
as good as in the present building The
management of the Central high school is not
in sympathy with Mechanic Arts high school
work Most of the boys who go to our high
school are beginning to understand that the
Mechanic Arts high school offers them a
greater inducement for future work than our
Central high school does. The Mechanic Arts
high school is virtually boys school-the
boys high school. And if we had the room
and had the sympathy in the Central high
school, think it would be for the best inter
est of the city to have the Mechanic Arts
high school paced in the Central high school,
but under the circumstances for the saving
of Sc 000 | did not consider it was a wise
move to make, and that is why l voted
against it. But you must understand that
the members of the board simply look at it
from a business basis. We have so much
money, and we have to do certain things with
that money. Is it wiser to cut off certain of
the school year or cut off some of its
branches? We will have to cut off at least
one month from the next school year, no
matter what economy we make.
Oliver Crosby followed Inspector
Scholle and first read q communica-
ton from superintendent Curtis, which
outlined some of the reasons for the
introduction and continuance of
manual training as q part Of the high
intendent Curtis:
READS FROM PROF. CURTIS.
The first was for the sake of bodily culture.
Almost all the traditional high school work
was in the direction of bodily destruction. 1t
proven by the lief experience with
manual training schools that boys and girls
could do better work if they devote portion
Of their time to shop work.
The manual training schools brought into
the secondary or high schools a vast number
Of boys and girls who would otherwise drop
out at the end of or during the grammar
school course. portion of these leave be-
cause of the general impression that what
follows in the high school tas no practical
bearing on their future life work Another
class, largely boys, leave because they have
no interest in the studies which constitute the
regular high school course.
Manual training will teach boys and girls
to entertain real respect for honest labor.
We live in a day when the conflict between
labor and capital is taking ominous form; a
day in which the struggle between the masses
and the classes warns us of impending danger.
This comes from the fact that two false lines
of education prevail. The illiteTate voter is
beng taught by demagogues that the intel
lectually financially favored classes enter
tain a contempt for labor. On the other hand.
our sons and daughters are being educated
to believe that true gentillty and manual
labor are Incompatible Under these condi-
tions the so-called learned professions have
been crowded and mercantile pursuits have
been overcrowded while we have been obliged
to import from foreign lands our skilled
workmen. our master artisans and our di-
rectors of manual and industrial efforts. We
must teach our boys and girls that labor is
honorable in just the degree that it is intel
lgent.
Manual training strengthens the moral nat
ure. plants the habit of industry and prevents
social disorder and crime.
The relations OF women to new economic
and social conditions demands this industrial
training if either ethics religion to
be conserved. A vast body of young women
in this country go annually to lives of shame
solely because they lack the training which
would enable them to obtain an honest living
and keep them out of the environment which
eventually works their ruin. Many ordain
themselves to be miserable wives and
wretched mothers because they lack training
which preserves the integrity of the home.
MR.. CROSBY CONTINUES.
Continuing, Mr.. Crosby said:
I have with me here lot of figures that l
have collected, and which present a pretty
strong argument in themselves l also have
here four letters, one from Boston, one from
Philadelphia, one from Providence and one
from Indianapolis All from directors from
the mechanic arts schools in these different
cities. The sum and substance OF those let
ters are about this: In Boston they have an
average attendance of 245 pupils, in the Me-
chanic Arts school. In Philadelphia 772,
Providence 264 Indianapolis $50 and in st.
Paul we have 275.
The cost of maintaining these schools is an
interesting item and particularly SO at this
time. II Used to be thought that our Me-
chanic Arts school cost too much. But, IL
you compare the cost flour school here with
the amount Of money spent in the Eastern
cities. the result is quite noticeable. Last