The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-10-25
MANKATO FREE PRESS

Ieducation for the masses, he said: "The
nation is to be congratulated on the
fact that congress at Washington has
repeatedly enacted laws to aid the
several states in establishing and main,
tanning agricultural and mechanical col
lleges. / greet all such colleges through
their representatives who have gathered
here today and bid them God-speed IN
their work. / no, less heartily invoke
success for the mechanical and a ri
cultural schools; and / wish to say
that L have heard particularly good re-
ports of the Minnesota Agricultural
High School for the way in which it
sends its graduates back to the farm
to work as practical farmers"
Again, speaking of our modern edu-
cational system and what it lacks
he made use of this language:
'Our school system has hitherto
been well nigh wholly lacking on, the
side of industrial training, of the train
ing, which fits man for the shop
and the farm. This is most serious
lack, for no one can look at the peo-
plies of mankind without realizing that
industrial training is one of the most
potent factors in national develop
ment."
Of special significance to those who
are interested in this proposed legts-
latiOn are the presidents remarks in
his recent Keokuk speech, in which
he indOrses the principle of this mea-
sure. In this connection he says: I'VE
should strive in every way to aid in
the education of the farmer for the
farm, and should shape our school
system with this end JIM view; and
SO vitality important isI this that, in
my opinion, the federal government
should cooperate with/the state govern
ments to secure the needed change and
Improvement in ouf schools. 1t is sig
nifcant that both from Minnesota
and Georgia there have come propos-
ais in this direction in the appearance
of bills introduced in the national con-
gress. Such agricultural high schools
as those iD' Minnesota and Nebraska
for farm boys and girls, such techni-
cal high schools as are to be found,
for instance, in both st. Louis and
Washington, have by their success,
shown that it is entirely feasible to
carry in practical fashion the funda-
mentals of industrial training into the
realms of our secondary schools. At
present there is a gap between our
primary schools in the country and
cities and the industrial collegiate
courses, which must be closed, and if
necessary the nation must help the
state to close it. Too often our pre-
sent schools tend to put altogether too
great a premium upon mere literary
education and therefore train away
from the farm and the shop. We
should reverse this process. Specific
training of practical kind should be
given the boys and girls who, when
men and women, are to make up the
back bone of this nation by working
in agriculture, in the mechanical in
dustries, in arts and trades; in short,
who are to do the duties that should
always come first with all of us, the
duty of home making and home-keep-
ing" ~.
| Measure Is Not Radical.
| This measure is neither radical nor
revolutionary. 1t is the logical extern
ton of the policy which the govern
ment adopted when the act of 1862
was passed. In answer to the agru-
ments of the opponents of the bill that
this legislation is a subject for state
initiative, my observation has been,
that the effect of federal aid has been
not to paralyze or weaken state or
local activity and effort for indus
trial education, but to stimulate to
greater exertion 1t is safe to say that
the passage of this bill would inau-
gurate in all these states movement
for practical education which, without
federal aid, would be long in finding
fulfllment.
When our population reaches ninety
millions, we shall have engaged in
gainful occupations about thirty-three
millions of people. OF the. latter, about
thirty millions will be interested IN
agriculture and mechanic arts, and
about twenty-five millions more will
be concerned with home economics ed
ucation. The far reaching Importance
of industrial training to this rapidly
increasing group is apparent.
The new education trains the hand
as well as the mind, and in SO doing,
| it trains for future citizenship. This
| bill proposes to devote over eight
millions of dollars for technical educa-
tion, with the probability of increas-
| ing the enconomic efficiency of our
workers at least one per cent, or one
hundred and sixty five millions of
dollars annually. If the earning capacl-
Ity of our people can be SO materially
increased, the enactment of this legis-
lation would seem to be expedient
| from that standpoint alone.
We have fostered an education which
cultivates tastes beyond our ability
to satisfy. The division of labor, re-
sulting in changed economic condi-
| tion demands a arrangement OF
our educational system in order to
,ooot bo ,pora ,,ra fical requirements