The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-03-01
Business Education at Public Elk
pense.

The Journa desires to COM
mend the action Of the school board in
deciding to Introduce into the high |
schools next year what is known as
''the commercial course" The cur
riculum is published in the local col
umns to-day. ,..,.
1t will be discovered upon examina-
zion that this commercial course is
grated upon the regular courses, and
that drawing, penmanship, elementary
and advanced bookkeeping, business
composition and literature, CONNER
cial law, stenography and typewriting
may be substituted for other studies in
the other courses and be made to
count as credits to the extent Of one
fourth of the entire time and work of
the four years.
? This is a new departure in Mime
apolis, but not new in this country. In
fact, Minneapolis has been rather be-
hind other cities in this particular.
Most Of the large cities Of the country
have already provided for more or less
Of commercial instruction and what is
known as business education in their
high schools, and it Is gratifying to
know that Minneapolis is to adopt the
same policy The urnal has
long been an advocate Of instruction
In the public schools calculated to
equip young men and young women
for business life, and Is glad to COM
mend the action of the board at this
time, altho what is provided for Is,
after all, only a beginning. General
culture studies are carried on co-or-
,dinately with the commercial
branches, but enough Of instruction in
the elementary science of business Is
incorporated to give the graduates of
the high school general knowledge
of business methods and a much bet
career than they have heretofore en-.
Joyed.
f. It has been a. source of complaint
among business men that young mer
from the high schools come to them
with no practical training for theil
business life. It is not expected, o.
course, that commercial instruction IL
the public schools will make exper
accountants, bookkeepers or special
lists in any department, but it is rea
sonable to expect that the public
schools will take some account of thu
work which the pupil is to do whel
his school days are done and lay tn
foundation at least for a knowledge o
business methods.
It is remarkable that the neglec
of the public schools to provide edu
cation Of this character has been toll
terated so long by the public and par
ticularly by the business public. Blu
reforms in education, as in moth othe
lines. move slowly.
That there is a strong demand 70
Faducation Of this character !
demonstrated by the existence j
>sseyery community of any considerahl
Esize Of some kind of so-called bus
ness college. There are probably
dozen Of them in Minneapolis whic
exist because of the necessity of some
thing to fill in the gap between til
public schools and the business offic
When our system of public educs
;tion has done it's full duty to the pull
lie it will provide this practical ar
important part of educational equi]
n1ent and it will do SO much more e:
itensively than is now contemplated
our school board. 1t will go farth
In the direction of technical schoo
for the instruction of young men al
young women in the various lines
Industry. Some day the continue
supremacy of America in the indl
trial world the maintenance of s.
rnriorifv I'm workmanship and iTdu