The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-06-24
OBJECT TO WORD"TECHNICAL"
FOR THIS SOME SCHOOLGIRLS
ARE CALLED SNOBBTSH.
Proposal to Rename the Girls Technical
High School Causes a Discussion OF
the Dignity or Manual Labor as Conn.
pared With Brain Work. Critics.

the Dignity or Manual Labor as Com.
pared VIII Brain Work. Critics.
An accusation Of snobbishness has been
brought against certain New York school
girls. 1t is based upon the fact that they
nave petitioned the Board Of Education to
rename the Girls Technical High School,
on the ground that the present title il mis-
leading and also that it begets in pupils Of
high schools whose curriculum does not in.
clude a technical course, a disposition to
turn up their noses at the Technical High
School students.
OF the latter moro than 900 are taking
the purely classical course. 1t is they, of
course, who are in favor Of the change.
Their views are shared by some older per-
sons.
The critics who think that the petition in
wolves snobbishness attribute the desire to
rename the school to an n-AmeTican spirit
which they think seeks TO disparage teohni-
cal training and he cultivation Of indus
trial pursuits.
"Such snobbish ideas are surely more in
keeping with a monarchy than with a free
republic said one of these critics. why
should a classical education be honored
above a first class technical training, any
way?
take the industrial workers out of New
York and what would happen? Do away
with the word technical, indeed Wien
such ideas are fostered among schoolgirls
the increasing agitation in labor circles is
not surprising"
When these remarks were repeated to an
official of the Girls Technical High School he
secuted the idea that there was the least
friction in the school between the academic
and the technical departments. Said he:
Girls who enter for the classical course
and are inclined to hold aloof from taking
advantage of any group Of electives in the
technical course. generally end b OK
pressing a wish to add a knowledge of either
cooking, designing, printing, bookhinding L,
stenography, dressmaking or millinery to
their course and by working in entire hlr-
mony with girls who enter for a Iurcly
technical course.
"In the Borough Of Queens there ara five
high schools which include a technical
course, and o q Of the same character in
he Borough of Richmond, none of which
is cal led technical, whereas the Manhattan
high school Of the same character, which
has about 9G0 rurils in the acade mic de-
pa rtment and about the same number in
the technical department, is dubbed Techni-
cal High School al though nothing but in
dustrial occupations were taught here.
Naturally pupils who are taking a classical
course don't like this"
Said another high in authority: There
Is not nearly so much srotbishpess, If it
can be called that, among high school
pupils as among teachers. | remember a
few ye ars ago when several teachers came
to us from an uptown high school, which
does not include a Technical course. Most
of them resented the transfer very much,
feeling that they were taking a step down,
aud that II was quite beneath them to take
any part in the technical work.
1T took them a long time to get over
this idea aud realize that a teacher Of adj