Perth Amboy evening news., 1908-11-07
Supervising Principals of the
County Hear Address by Head
Of the State Schools.
HAVE Meeting TODAY
Superintendent 5. E. ShuIi Is in At
tendence Other Educational
Matters Are discussed by
Those Present.

To-Day attending a meeting of the Su-
peryising Principals Association of
Middlesex county. DR.. NJ. S. Meinzer,
lof this city, one of the most system
attic school inspectors in the county,
Is present to make a report and tell
of his methods.
1t was announced that the county
school board will hold a meeting at
the Mansion House, New Brunswick,
January 16.
| County superintendent H. B. Will
lis expressed himself favorably re-
garding the improved conditions of
school buildings throughout the
county. He stated, however, that
more teachers were needed and 1t was
later decided to have a committee in
vestigate. this matter.
A feature of the meeting
this morning, was the address
by DR.. James M. Green,
principal of the State Schools at
Trenton. His subject was Indus
trial Education" His address was,
in part, as follows:
DIR. Green's Address.
Our American people are the sub
ject of waves of sentiment. Bryce,
in his American Commonwealth says,
The Americans have what chemists
call low specific heat; they grow
warm suddenly and cool as suddenly
Those waves Of sentiment are some
times political, sometimes religious,
sometimes educational. They some
times become of national character,
sometimes they are merely of state or
local interest. Anti-masonry In 1926,
Knownothingness in 1856 were sam
pies of political sentimentalism of a
national type. Anti-orientalism or
the Anti-Chinese movement in Cali
fornia was an example of a sentiment
of state interest. The various vigil
ance committee movements have been
Examples Of local interest. Herbar-
tianism. Concentration, the Object
Method, and SO on, are the names of
Iephemeral movements In education.
Il am not disposed to condemn
these movements. They express
lsomewhat the nature of our people,
land each of Them leaves a residum
lof good. They, however, make very
Iclear the fact that all impulsive
movements require careful examina-
ltion before we accept them as wholes,
land this is especially true in any ed
lucational movement, which, If adopt
led, must carry with 1t all the expen-
lsive machinery of the schools.
Just now we are having a mild
ltidal-wave movement on Industrial
Education. The atmosphere is i'm
Ipregnated with It, Every national
and state and local convention within
THE past two years has accorded 1t a
place on its program. Any one who
has been following programs must
have been impressed with the lack
Iof def1niteness in the subjects as an
Inounced, and a lack of clearness of
outline in the education proposed.
"If our public schools are to un-
dertake new forms of education, our
supervisors and school officials must
first be clear as to Just what shall
Iconstitute those forms of education
in order that they may expect the
teachers to carry out their wishes.
Two Classes of Education.
''It is with the purpose Of throw
ling some light on these subjects that
1 undertake this discussion. Educa-
tion is commonly divided into two
classes: general and special. Gener-
al education is that which applies to
the needs of everyone, no matter
what line of occupation or life he
would be likely to follow. Special
education is that which applies to
one particular class as distinct from
others.
New Jersey has already occupied
middle ground to some extent
Under an act of the legislature of
1881, known as the Industrial Edu-
cation act, the state under given linn
Iitations will join the local districts
in the establishment and support of
schools for the training and educa-
tion of pupils in industrial pursuits.
"The state has also that which is
known as The Manual Training act
of 1887, under which the state sub
sidizes forms of manual training
1T is very evident that the above
described activities are not satisfy
ling the advocates of industrial edu-
cation, and that there is feeling that
more should be undertaken. If more
lis to be done 1t must be done in one
or both of two ways; either by estab-
Fishing more schools distinctly in
dustrial, or by making our general
education more nearly Industrial.
The Kind of Industrial Schools.
"If more industrial schools are to
be established, they should be estab-
llished to meet demands in proper
ton to their relative Importance. The
census of 1900 for New Jersey gives
the following significant figures: En-
gagged in gainful occupation, males,
603,237; females. 154,522. OF this
number about $1,000 men and 1000
women are engaged in agriculture,
and about 244,000 men and $4,000
women are engaged In manufactur-
ling and mechanical pursuits.
Enough has been said to convince
any one clearly that the proposition
for industrial education is very SER
ious one. 1t involves an expenditure
of money far In excess of the amount
that has yet been expended in public
Ieducation, If 1t Is to be carried on in
any successful way. If this expendi-
ture is to be undertaken, (and if 1t
will pay there Is no objection to it)
lit should be undertaken very care
fully.
First 1t is necessary to have COM
petent teachers. teachers who know
Thoroughly the industries they would
teach, else the effort would be worse
fCouf{nr.cd on raapo