The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-05-31
'T|IH.E|:PR.E.SlDEIIl1 | (: J
N |! |. x: K,!E:!SI..IA||.NI0|||THER
Fine! {! nj: Address
THE MAN WHO works
With HIS HANDS

H''-. w. "'n" y .lV II'l. !olthV
With II !. HIS HANDS
2 LANSING, Alichs May Oil -Pfesi,
dent Roosevelt delivered an aadtesss
here today at the seml,c Centennial
celebration Of the founding OF Agri.
cultural Colleges in the United states,
The President said:
Mr.. Chairman, ladies and gentle:
men: is
The fittlcth anniversary q Tie
founding OF this college Is an event
of national significance, for Michigan
was the first State! Id the Union Sto
found this, the tlrst agricultural col.
lege in America. The nation ii sto
be congratulated on thes fact that the.
Congress at Washington has repeat
edly enacted laws designed to IaidSthe
several States In establishing and
maintaining agricultural and smechaai.
cal colleges. i greet all such colleges
through their representatives who, have
gathered here to-day, and bid the,ns
Godsreed In their work, I no less
heartily invoke success for The me-:
chanical and agricultural schools; and
wish to say that ! have heard par.
ticutarly good reports Of the Mime:
sofa Agricultural High School gforsthe
way in which 1t sends It's graduates
back to4the farms to work as Spracti.
cal farmers. s ls3s
Asa people there is nothing which
We take a taster pride than 5ours seiuca:
tional system. ills, boast that sey. /
cry boy or girl has the chance 70 set
q school training; and We feel 5its sisSa
prime national duty to furnish this
training free, because only thereby
can We secure the proper type % Ell
zenshlp in the average American. Our
public schools and our colleges Shaye
done their work well, and there ilssno
class Of citizens deserving OF sheartier,
praise than the men and women who &
teach in them. .s 4 u l;s
Nevertheless, for at least a genera.
ton We have been waking d 70 the
knowledge that there must beSaddl.
tional education beyond that proyld.
ed In the public school as itg gls mans
aged today. Our school system has
hitherto been well.nigh wholly lack
ing on the side ofiadastrial training,
Of the training! which fits a man for
The shop and the farm. This Is; a most
serious lack, for no one can: look at
he people Of mankind Eas they stand
at present without realizing that ins
iustrial training Is one Of The most
potent factors In national develop
ment. We Of the United States must
develop a system under which each
Individual citizen shall be trninei so I!
as to be effective Individually as an
economic unit, and htEtos be organized
with his fellows so that he and they
can work In efficient fashion together.
This question Is vital To- our future
progress, and public attention should
be focused upon It.. Surely II siss emf.
hently In accord with the principles
Of our democratic life that we should
furnish the highest average Industrial
training for the ordinary skilled works
man. But It Is a curious thing that
in industrial training we have tendol
10 devote our energies to producing
high ,grade.men at the top rather than
In the ranks. Our engineering schools;
for instance, compare sfayorably witsi
the best In Europe, whereas we have
done almost nothing to equip the pr!.
vate soldiers Of the Industrial army
the mechanic, the metal;worker The
Indeed, too 1. often our
& !.
schools train away from the shop and
The forge; and this fact, together with
the abandonment Of the old apron,
lice system, has resulted In such an
absence Of, facilities for providing
trained iourneymen that In many os
our trades almost all tie recruits
among the workmen are foreigners.
Surely this means that there must bc
SOME systematic method provided for
raining young men In the trades; and
that this must be coordinated with
The public school system. No indus.
trial school can turn out d fnlshel
iourneyman; but its can furnish the
material out Of which a finished Jour.
neyman can be made Just as an en-
school furnishes the train.
ing which enables Its graduates speed.
ly to become engineers!
We hear a great deal sofs the need
Of protecting our workingmen from
wJtb narna,l ~. Z = =