Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-05-02

ing but class rooms That is, there
fora tho simplest problem we have to
deal with. Simply the arrangement
of the rooms and corridors, size OIL
rooms. and the cost of the building
| based on the accommodations 1or pu-
| pills.
The next class of building is the up
per Elementary and Grammar schoois'
containing besides class rooms, assehio-
/ ly halls and rooms for manual tram
! ing. which is becoming more or less
an important part of the elementary
work. and a room for cooking, winch
is coming to be very important part
for the girls. That complexities the
problem and makes it a little more
difficult to arrive at fixed rules lor
those two classes of schools.
When We come to the High schooi
the problem is very much more COM
plcated and difficult So far we nave
NOT been able to lay down any definite
rules One reason is that the Whoie
trend of education today, as we see IT,
is toward vocational lines. There is
general demand for education afohe
lines that shall be of practical service
to the boys and girls who are willing
to spend that additional time aIsel
| they graduate from the elementary
schools And that need is the one tnat
is the least fixed and the one nos'
difficult to provide for. NO sooner
have we provided for it on one hne
than we find, a little later there Is
| something needed in another dlrection'
1t is the High school, as l UNDER
! stand it. that you are chiefly INTEREST
ed in now.
+ You have here an old building. To-
Gated in one OF the most Deautilui
school lots Imaginable. We have many
buildings like it in Boston. built about
the same time. Of course. your build
ing is primarily not suitable for the
present, and II has not the equipment
Of the modern High school,. These are
vocational needs. as l understand 1t
T always speak under correction when
attempt to speak on educational
lines. AS I understand it, today we
have to provide. for the elements Of a
commercial education. Including book
keeping. stenography and typewritlng.
We feel that commercial education
ought to 20 a step beyond that, and
the High School of Commerce was
established In Boston for the express
purpose Of teaching commerce. mucn
more than. to provide the community
with accountants or bookkeepers- We
want to provide your men and young
women who are capable of understand
ing commercial problems. We want 20
turn out young men who after a rev
wears of education may go to other
countries and increase our export busl-
ness There comes the foreign Ian
guage problem. ,
The technical side of the High school
is a question of Importance. NOT
trainingsfor a trade, but for all trades
the fundamental knowledge OF trades
Ithat makes a man a better workman
in ANYTHING he takes up. And the eX-
tension schools in England are rep
4 resented in Boston. and take men VINO
are wor'Sing all day long, and who un-
dor the present system run d great
risk of being side-tracked into some
.,oc;,,.v and take them beyond that,
and Eve them the aii-rouno lnstrue-
! ton they might have had years aso'
where a man learned MS 'raoe an
round, from all points.
/ closely connected with the techn,cal
| work is the scientific work that COMES
in touch with it, chemistry ana pny-
sizes. Those. branches in the Hlgn
/ school ought to be taught. IN the ere
! mentarv form, and so thoroughly that
at tho end Of the High school course
1.-the boy or girl will have pretty
l,definite idea Of the work he may WISH
fto do.
| 1 feel that you have rather an eN.
ceptional opportunity. as to the sue
you hove big playing field ana