The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-08-31
AMERICAN BOYS SHOULD HAVE
A TECHNICAL EDU-
CATION
YANKEES MUST NOT DEPEND
ON IMPORTED MECHANICS
Thorough Exposure of the Evils of
Our Present System by One of the
Most Eminent American Authorities
on the Subject-Views of the Dean
of Armour Institute of Technology.
Special to The Globe.

manufacturing and Industrial suprem-
acy, more or less won at the expense
of Great Britain, that it is we'll for us
to take a hint from the causes which
have led to the alleged decadence of
that power in this direction and list to
a kindly note of warning. Such a note
has recently been voiced by no less an
authority than Victor Anderson, the
dean of Armour Institute of Technol-
ogy Chicago, who calls attention to
the need of technical high schools in
our educational system.
Prof. Anderson asks pertinently:
what should be done for the great
army of workers in our industries who
need the skill of the mechanic together
with sufficient intelligence and train
ing to understand the directions of the
professional engineers above them?"
Their number is legion and at the
present time this country makes little
or no adequate provision for their in
Struction. This is the realm of second
airy education. Not until we, as a ma
ton approach the subject as the Swiss
have doEe, from a practical, common
sense industrial standpoint, and build
our industries on a solid foundation of
science, as eXemplified in technical ed
ucation will our industrial supremacy
be secured.
The most important consideration
given to this subject was by the ad-
visory committee requested by the
trustees of the Carnegie gift to pro-
vide a plan for the technical school
which Mr.. Andrew Carnegie proposed
to establish in Pittsburg. The ques-
ton was considered most thoroughly by
these gentlemen, who finally recon-
mended the establishing of three
schools-the Carnegie Technical Col
lege, the Carnegie Technical High
school and the Carnegie Day and even
ing classes for artisans. 1t was pro-
posed that the second of these schools
should be most radical.
Solves Great Problem.
The plan of the Carnegie Technical
High school as outlined practically
meant the Americanization of the for
eign trade and industrial school. When
copied and rH"1e general it should
solve for us the question of secondary
technical education. The scope of the
present high school was to be ex-
tended so as to include in addition to
the subjects ordinarily taught; engi-
neering principles, steam engine and
central station practice machine tool
work, blacksmithing, pattern making,
steam fitting, surveying, founding, ma
chine design glass blowing, photog--
raphy, etc.
Referring to these suggestions Prof.
Anderson says: THE main idea in such
a plan would be to take a boy just
graduating from the grammar school
and give him good secondary educa-
ton together with training on one or
more technical or trade lines"
Much Of the laboratory drafting
room and testing work now done by the
technical colleges could be incorporated
into the courses and we should have
technical high schools az real peoples
colleges" There can be no reasonable
doubt that our technical education in
the United States is weakest in this
spot. In our high grade Institutes of
technology we are training the COM
missioned officers of the Industrial
army but the great mass of non-com-
missioned officers and privates are left
uncared for. AS indicated in the report
of the Carnegie committee, technical
education may be said to run parallel
with the general lines Of education,
and be divided into three parts, COR
responding to the grammar, high school
and college grades Of the established
system. The lowest grade is generally
picked up in the shop by boys without
special training, who have had merely
grammar school education. It is rep
resented in Switzerland by the Sunday
holiday and evening schools for arti-
sans. 1t develops the practical man."
The highest grade is represented by the
polytechnicum and technica in SwitZer-
land and by technical colleges and in
stitutes of technology in this country
These represent the phase of technical
education that demands thorough
knowledge of mathematics and the sci
ences,, and is distinctively professional
IN character. Between these two ex-
tremes lies the region of secondary
technical education which is repre-
sented in Switzerland by the trade
school and specialized technical
school. In the United States it is rep
resented by more or less feeble efforts
in a few trade schools, in a limited
number of private institutions aimed to
help the workingmen, and in night
schools
School of Correspondence.
Besides these Observation-Disclosures there
is another, arisen only within the past
few years, which for the pure bigness
ecl1pSeS all other efforts-the school of
correspondence" While our educators
have been discussing mere theories and
methods and have been building a Chi
nese wall about their so-ealled superb
school systems, shutting out all who
were too large to walk through the
narrow gateways which they them
discovered that half a million young
Americans outside the walls were hun
cry for a technical education. Since
they were forbidden to enter the sacred
city, technical education was sent out
to them. When the history of edu-
cation shall have been written, no
greater reproaeh will rest upon the ed
ucators of this decade than their fail
ure to hear the call of this multitude
Tor education suited to their needs.
Technical education is one of the
greatest needs of an enlightened de-
mocracy and should not be left to pri-
Vate enterprise.
with state normal schools where
young men and women can be trained
for teaching, with state universities
furnishing instruction in agriculture.
da1ryln6i and stock-raising, besides
training engineers and librarians
technical education supplied at state or
national expense-it is evident that we
are irretrievably committed to the pol
icy OF providing technical education at
public expense"
If technical education is a good
thing for one class it is equally good
for Others Hitherto the ranks of such
workers have been supplied by the in
f1ux of foreigners trained abroad. aided
to some slight extent by apprentices
from selected industries But we
should not, as a nation, depend upon
any such uncertain supply. We should
follow the example of Switzerland, and,
recognizing the dependence of national
property upon technical education, set
about the task Of providing an eduea-
ton for all classes of workers suited
Tor their lives. The technical high
schools, if properly equipped and mt
IN close relationship with the trades
and industries, will satisfy this national
need; 1t viii not be a copy of the Euro
pean trade school, but rather an adap-
tat1on of the trade school which will be