Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1908-06-11
YOUNG men ARE
BETTER PREPARED
For Lies Work by Taking Com
merciaI Course, Says Pro-
lessor Gilman.

E, L. Hayward attended the con-
vention of the Wisconsin Commercial
Educators association, held at Wau-
paca on Friday and Saturday of last
week, and reports very interesting
meeting. This association is COM
posed of proprietors, principals and
teachers of leading business colleges
and C nmercial high schools in the
state.
One of the interesting features of
the meeting was an exhibition of
rapid typewriting by I'll. o. Blaisdell,
of Chicago, winner of the American
Speed Championship contest.
Mr.. Blaisdell wrote ITO words in one
minute without error from copy and
153 words in one minute without
error from memory
Another feature of the convention
was an address by Prof. S. w. Gilman,
of W iscon sin University, on
twentieth Century Opportunities
for the College Trained Man in Bust
ness" extracts of which follow:
The subject assigned to me was
'Twentieth Century Opportunities
for College Trained Commercial Men,
with the suggestion from Professor
Preston, that 1 might modify the
subject to something kindred.
Prehaps the subject should be
''what the commercial world now de.
mands in the way Of preparation OF
young men, or what demands are
made for the fitting out of men, and
what schoolsand colleges are doing to
answer that demand, what technical
instruction, what general instruction
what special instruction, what parti
cular drill is considered prerequisite
for an applicant for commercial po
sition, and what the schools, colleges
and universities are doing to respond
to that demand. The question comes
up naturally, there must be a demand
for certain things before response il
necessary. Schools do not often an
ticipate demand and do not specu
late upon what may be desired
There has always been a.real1 demand
but in former years it was of diff
ferent character, demand for the
youth who would 60 into the office
and grow up with the business
There was demand in the legal pro
fession at one time for the youth wht
would come into the office read Black
stone, Kent, Story and other learned
expounders of the law, copy letters
observe the tactics of the old lawyers
and in time, long, long time, by {
process of evolution, he would bt
turned out a4awyer.
The legal profession now recognize
the law school as the place of training
for the lawyer. He gets a training il
the law school entirely different from
and vastly better than what he could
get in the law office, So the Com
merciaI Departments of the propel
sort and under proper management
and with proper plans, are preparing
young men for business life bette
than they can be prepared in TIT
business Office. A few years ago tha
statement would be scoffed at. anc
denied at every turn Today it il
generally admitted among progressive
business men. The reason the bust
ness public at one time denied thai
colleges could produce trained men fol
commerce, is natural and Obvious
The instruction Their was faulty anG
few practical business problems were
properly acted upon. Today in the
best Institutions every practical pre-
position that could come up in bust
ness is illustrated, not along by text
books,-not alone by lecturers, but by
bringing before the class the subject