New-York tribune., 1908-03-29
NDUSTRI4L EDUCATION.
Plea for Courses an Trades an Public
School System.
D the Editor of The Tribune

TO the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: AT present, as we are studying by object
lessons and expert testimony the problem Of con-
gesuon and how 10 ameliorate its evils. is il not
fitting consider details of the great school
problern2 II the rent question is vital one. So
also, il seems 10 me, is the necessity of injecting
into our public school system manual training
with an avocational purpose. More trade schools
must have. for in the city we have 10000 girl
factory hands who are all handicapped at the
by the lack CT just such training
Four-fifths Of the graduates OF public schools
into trades. starting the age of fourteen and
yet in al our city's public schools there are but
eight think. that have any courses of industrial
or trade instruction, such sewing. dressmaking
and embroidering. designing costumes and book
covers, tyTesettng, printing. typewrting and book
binding
And this is nothing compared TO the demand
or skilled labor. which has never been so great as
now.
In the Manhattan Trade School for Girls I know
one OF its advisory board, that in the short
course of eight months year girl is
lated and drilled that leaving the school she is
assured of place in the trade she has chosen and
get her s. week where the mere novice would
but 81
In public school system there is as one Of
the Board of Education told me. too much mis-
direction of education One-half of the City
College should be taken for boys institute Of
technology, the order Of the Williamson Trade
School Of. Philadelphia. and here 10 per cent could
be trained for technical places and the other 90 per
cent for trades and so would make some pro-
vision for that of boys from fourteen TO six
teen years OF age who leave schools each year
without degree of industrial intelligence"
Anc 10 girls, the situation is worse.
The statement has been made says DR.. James
E Russell. of the Teachers College. that there Is
greater agency in driving the girls Of our city
10 the streets than public schools. from which
they come out unprepared in every way TO make
their living and drift into immortality And
this is due in great measure TO their terrible dis
appointment finding themselves quite unable to
decent wage
AT the last convention of the National Society
for the Promotion Of Industrial Education the fol-
lowing changes in public schools decided
TO be necessary:
schools throughout the country: second. a
the time u between the agep Of fourteen - and SIX
teen; third advance the compulsory education ase
ten by which elementary school teachers shall, as
destination zttis is successfully done in she
rery frst two weeks of the course IN the Mao
nth, the formation Of a special educational com
MISSION 10 organize trade school system ana the
CREATION of national commissioner Of industrial
education.
Many educators differ TO the practicablty of
advancing the compulsory education age" and al
though Albany has adopted an industrial edu-
cation system in her elementary schools. and will
have Industrial high school to crown all do
not think this compulsory extension idea has been
adopted there. anyway the courses in trade
school training be thus elective to pupils male
and female. fourteen years old, who have com
peted the fifth school year
read in leader in The Tribune that leaders
OF organized labor generally in favor Of trade
schools part of the public school system, and
about generally opposed TO such schools under
private control direction of private corpora
tons"
To the Cincinnati school system there has been
added commercial, a manual and a domestic arts
and science in addition TO the regular aca-
cemic course and already the attendance has in
creased IS per cent the rst year The superinten-
dent r. B. Dyer also advises engthening the COM
pulsory requirements by law; also TO make the
schools inviting
There was never such need of industrial educa-
ton now says ]. r. Deems of the New YORK
Central Railroad land there never such
dearth OF good men TO fill important positions
The New York Centrars shops are now training
hve hundred boys to become skilled mechanics,
and surely New York City can do as well by It's
thousands of boys and girls who now in such
Sore need OF educational guidance and aid
JOSIAH c. PUMPELLY.
New York, March %. 1905