New-York tribune., 1905-07-10
FARMS, TRADES AND SCHOOLS.

The old question of special training in COM
mon schools has been raised again in an In
teresting and not Improbable way at the con-
vention of the National Educational Assoc1a-
ton. The report Of a committee on Industrial
education in schools for rural communities dis
cusses it in an earnest and more than usually
temperate spirit, and, while cannot agree
with all its conclusions we must recognize IN
them good food for thought the part of
educators and Of the patrons of the public
school system. Observing that there are spe-
cial schools for the education of lawyers,
preachers, engineers and, indeed, the followers
of nearly all other callings the committee not
unreasonabIy urges that academic attention
should equally be paid to agriculture where
fore in the public schools of rural communities
there should be specific, definite, technical
training fitting them 1.-THE pupilsl for the actiyi-
tiles of farm life" That, it seems to us, is
non sequitur, and we cannot agree with it The
common schools do not generally, if at all, fur
nish specific definite, technical training for
the law or for engineering for any other
profession or trade. Such training is acquired
in special schools. The establishment and gen.
erous maintenance of such special schools or
agriculture may be most cOmmendable, but we
can see no reason for giving to agriculture in
the common schools privileges aud advantages
which are not given to other callings-certainly
not FOR DONG so Oh the pea Oh eludlIly Dc-
tween agriculture and the others.
The soundest part of the committees report
is that in which it protests against the too COM
mon tendency to regard preparation for high
school and college the prime purpose of the
common school, and in which it urges that
"a system of rural schools should plan its
course Of instruction with reference to the
needs of the 80 per cent of the pupils who
ATTEND them and who attend no other school,
rather than with reference to the small re-
manning percentage who go on to more ad-
"vanced school" Those are words of pure rea-
son. and the only amendment could sug-
gest would be that the same principle should
apply to urban as well as to rural schools.
The mania for preparation" is undoubtedly
one of the grave evils of our entire educational
system The common school seeks TO prepare
pupils for the high school, The high school or
seminary in turn seeks to prepare them for
college, emphasizing that fact most cOnspic-
uously in its advertisements and especially
yaunting itself upon the certainty with which
its graduates pass college entrance examina-
tions or upon the less creditabe fact that its
graduates are admitted TO certain colleges with
out examination. Even some colleges are In
fected with the same disease and pay particu-
lar attention 10 preparing students for univer-
sity postgraduate courses.
That is all wrong. 1t is vicious. The fact
is that the vast majority Of common school
pupils go further. but finish their education
with the common school. The vast majority of
high school pupils do not so TO college, but fin
ish their academic studies with the high school
course. The vast majority of college graduates
do not enter postgraduate courses Obviously
then, every one of these courses should, in the
main, be designed as a finality. so as TO serve
the needs of the vast majority of those who
pursue 1t. 1t should be as complete and as well
rounded and as perfectly balanced in itself as
it is possible to make it, Then the youth who
finishes it and goes to no higher school Will be
thoroughly educated as far as he has gone, and
not merely prepared" for something to which
he will never go on. Obviously then, there
be no room in the common school, or in the
high school, either, for specific definite, tech
nical training" whether in agriculture or law
or engineering. The time available viii all be
needed for giving the pupils thorough ground