The San Francisco call., 1897-04-28

quire knowledge of a trade or profession or
an art In schools where men are uncon-
sclously guided and where young boys and
girls apply themselves to studies in the selec-
tion of which they have no choice, and hence
probably you received a general education,
which while extremely desirable in itself, IS
not inconsistent with the knowledge of some
useful handicraft, trade or profession, which
would be delight and pleasure, a ready
means of livelihood and a substantial contri-
button to the wealth and prosperity of the
place in which you live.
The productive industries of a community
yield the best returns. 1t is the man who
makes the blade OF grass grow where none
grew before, who creates something useful or
beautiful out of the crude ma terial VINO is in
the best sense benefactor. Toward such
Denefaction 1t Is possible for every man to
contribute, no matter what may be his means
or his condition. The producer cannot stand
a,one. In every scheme of industrial employ
ment there is provision made even by the
cold political economists, for the wages of
superintendence. Yet the farmer in the in
terror calls the merchant OF San Francisco the
toll-gatherer CT The gate. The producer looks
with suspicion. never appreciating their value.
upon what he calls the middlemen; but the
m1ddlemen are as necessary part of the econ
omlc machine as the producer himself. What
aya1ls production unless that which is pro-
duced is exchanged for something of value,
and the producer cannot both produce and
become has own agent in the markets of the
world, which is properly the field of COM
merce and trade Now every man who is en-
gagged In the store or shop or the commercial
seller together performs vital and i'm
portant function, and his employment is just
as honorable ana just as useful rs any other.
The hopes OF mankind have not been disap-
pointed in America. She has vindicated her
destiny of peace. Wide acres and weak neigh
bors have IN ade the task easy.
she has given dignity TO labor and destroyed
the false pretensions of the ''age of chivalry."
Not only is labor made honorable, but every
honorable American seeks, rather than shuns
labor and every community skould see that
the labor of its citizens Is made useful, and be
directed into channels which will be the most
remunerative TO the man and the most advan-
tageous TO the State.
These are the tendencies of the times, and
let us hope that out of them great good will
come; and that the hero of the future will not
necessarily be "the man on horseoack"-not
alone the man who on occasions fights for his
country, but he who, in whatever capacity he
may be employed. whether it be afoot or
ahorse, makes his country worth fighting for.
After Mayor Hhelan's paper. which
caused considerable discussion, Mrs. Eva
V. Carlin was introduced Her paper on
"Child Labor" was in part as follows:
The air is full Of new cries for the better.
ment Of human life; there is sound of the
gathering ana remarshaling OF new aorces and
the reorganization of old ones, impelling all
Praetlcsi, ia,a sweei-souied humanity to remedy
the present social situation, aud there is no
call so instant and relevant as that raised in
the interest OF wage-earning childhood. The
problem of the children is the problem of the
State. In child-saving lies social REDEEM ption !:
In chidhood's freedom is unfolded the life of
the future freedom of the race.
saturdays child must work for its living"
and the fact that thousands of children en-
gagged in continuous toll and deprived of all
that makes LIE happy is accepted as the in
evltaDle sentence, from which there is no
escape. Need puts the child to work when he
should De at school. His labor causes low
wages Tor adults, thus increasing the need
and greed OF parents, and Employers complete
the injustice. California allows children to
De employed ten hours per day, and the num-
Der OF such toilers is on the increase among
us.
Professor Elmer E. Brown brought the
afternoon session to q close by his paper
on Technical Schools of California"
Among other things Professor Brown
said:
We are Nation of idealists. Our public
schooi system is evidence of our idealsm.
Even those who insist that our educa ton be
made more practical insist that first of all
thlng LOT our democracy that it has had this
insight.
But there is another aspect of our education
wh1ch is not SO generally understood, but is
worthy oil the most serious consideration. 1t
may be stated In the form of principle sup
Elementary to that broad and libeI al idea of
our eoucalon l may venture 10 state that
princlpie In the following words: Public edu-
cation in each of iis main divisions should
in life.
The remainder Of the paper was occu-
pied with the exposition of this principle
and its application to California condi.
tions.