New-York tribune., 1906-11-12
TRADES FOR GIRLS.
What Public Schools DO Not Teach
Ihem-European Methods.


them earn their living said Professor Mary
Schenck woolman. OF Teachers College. at re-
cent address before the domestic science depart
ment OF the Brooklyn Institute.
1t was a story OF great interest that Mrs Wool
told 10 the women present. mostly educators.
The feeling is very general throughout Amer
ics she said, that trades should not be taught IN
the public schools; that the schools for educa-
tion. not for trades When girls and boys receive
free educsrion from kindergarten. through state
university, and then become teachers. lawyers or
ministers. have they not been trained for their
trade? The high school is integral part OF the
training OF every professional and woman;
they cannot do without It But four out OF every
five children IN the public schools go into the
trades We train the one-fth for their trades, and
DO nothing for the four-hfths.
Perhaps you may ray the manual training OF the
schools, the cooking. sewing ana domestic science
trains for trades. have taught fourteen years in
Teachers Coiles. In that time have never
trained girl for a trade. have trained them
conduct their homes and 10 teach other girls
50 90 tire thing. Not OF my pupils could
have gone into shop OF factory ready and com
Ss.snt hse living there The manual train
Ing Of thu schools is not trade education. II 10
tSohnanai
NOT TRAINED FOR WORK
there s,e Thousands upon thousands OF girls OF
eeurtsen iesytng school every year and going into
fa1eerteA- They begin al TO cents week They
vorx up &c. Three dollars is considered living
wAGA but think II you and had to 1--we on IL
Ne might hxve a different opinion Thousands Of
Cnsrz get In soms high class factories
e - oonsidered Desirable for q girl 10 get en-
snt-anos there and learn the trade that the employ
srs viii pay her nothing the FIRST year. The child
IA rsnere6 into a full OF machines, each OF
~nsoa sets 4,ooo stitches q minute At first she
pulls thresds, sorts silks. e-rsnds and does
sSb11 suoh things for the operators After a while
shS gets . machine. and then she is 20 intent
co Der pseoeworz make her wages that she can
think nothing else. She think OF progress
sne OF learning higher more difficult processes
ia, d
ignorant: she has manual skill, not one thing
su hxr home school training helped her in what
abs has 20 Go now. The poor little ignorant child
ainIsT has face the world alone, and pick UP
lar trade es best she can from those around her.
6hs seldom becomes skilled She seldom atta4ns
q decent wage. After q while she gets discour-
aged and sometimes she rnsrTfes very badly and
sorstrnss does worse .ust 10 get out OF her
slsvsrT,
FACTORIES NEED SKILLED LABOR
..sow. IN the face OF al tllts the manufacturers
are IN need all the time OF skilled labor There is
6 constant dearth OF those who can run the more
complicated ane difficult machines that we have
here and vas| sums go annually TO Europe for
work that cannot be got here for any wage.
have spent months Investigating this matter, IN
Europe as well a here. and II would take hours
20 tell you OF the places where they are making
goods for America alone Fairy Ike embroidered
ichffons passementertes, garniture OF every kind,
exquisite underwear. evening gowns, all for Amer
ica. AZ St Gal. Switzerland whore went spe-
ciRlly such place. the pI oprietor spoke TO
me in English. When I commented on It hs
laughed and said. why. IN american citizen
Then why don't you do your manufacturing at
hone2 said ]. Y can't get the workers. said he
! employ a thousand women. and the kind OF work
they do Is not 10 be had in America
Now, let me show you how tho skilled women
workers OF Europe trained In the public
schools OF Belgium every girl at twelve years
chooses one OF four courses fun trade, full houss-
keeping. trade housekeeping or housekeeping
Illasis on either me trade or me honseKeepins
For two years, along with her general education
ses senersl knoVgIedge OF honseke eeping or gen.
eral knowledge Of trade requirements, and
quires manual sldll and speed. At fourteen she
fans. embroidery, designing Of evening gowns or
two years. and at sixteen she is a highly skilled
yyorkwoman ! went 70 a place there where rare
bei0ngea 70 Mrs ysndeERilt El Mrs Hartman imam, and
own laoes. after buying them in Europe. 1 said TO
the man Where 40 you get your workersT york; He
From that trade school, said he ! located here to
be near it.
AMERICANS CoNCEITED.
: 'In France. IN Germany. they have the same sort
OF thing. But we IN America are oonoeited, so
foolistly. ignorantly conceited, that think our
school system is the best in the world. and we
have nothing TO learn from any other country.
Yet az our Centennial In 1875 the German exhibit
: was poor that their commissioner wrote to his
: government that he was ashamed OF II, and asked
Il nothing could be done about IL Later the Ger
man government sent TO France, examined her
trade schools. her whole system and went home
10 establish trade schools and technical museums
OF her Germany ashamed 10 learn
or her ancient enemy, and the phrase made IN
send investigators here 10 learn the secret OF
success IN every line. When do send commits
oners 70 learn the secret OF those things in which
they excel usg
Two weeks from now there will be a conven-
ton IN Boston TO discuss the introduction of a
schools. The agitation IS proceeding elsewhere.
But afraid OF the public schools ] am afraid
they will make their courses technical too
stationary. No educator sit down IN his study
q weapon for self-support In the hands of four
Gfths OF the public school pupils, they must be
rought what the trade wants. The Will not
accommodate itself TO the school. The school
must accommodate itself TO the trade. And most
OF all. fear THAI trnde classes IN the schools will
fashioned in a year. II must be changed and
changed quickly.
MANHATTAN TRADE SCHOOL.
IN Manhattan Trade School we have chosen
those trades which have future IN them those
IN which IL IS possible for the girls rise higher
pos4uons and better pay. And We teach them how 10
utilize IN business the knowledge they have gained
in schools. The little girls who come TO US from
tsS puplc SCHOOLS understand arithmetic an
D abstract way, and work abstract problems
But they cannot figure the different materials
and tell how much waist will They cannot
tell how much material they must buy 10 have so
many yards OF bias trimming They can write