Goldsboro semi-weekly argus., 1909-09-15
SCHOOL FOR INDUSTRY
Freeport, ILL.,, Trying a Trade Be.
:, tween Factory and Lessons.
PUPILS PAID FOR THEIR WORK

One Week Boys Labor Over the Ma
chimes and the Next Over Their
Desks, Getting a Training to Fiji
Them For the Commercial World.
Radical Educational Change.
The Citizens Commercial association
Of Freeport, ILL.,, has, in connection
with the school board, brought about
an innovation In Industrial education
The plan adopted is to permit students
In the high school to work one-half
Of the time in factories.
The boys work in pairs, one boy In
the factory one week and in high
school the next week, the other boy of
the pair alternating-that is. the boy in
school this week goes to the factory
on Saturday afternoon and takes the
work in hand that the other boy ha.
been doing all the week SO that hs
can take it up quickly Monday morn
ing without encroaching too much
upon the time Of the foreman The
boys are paid 10 cents an hour the
first year, II cents the second year anG
121h cents the third year. and they are
given full credit for their work III
high school.
Good Progress Made In School.
It Is said that boys working in this
way pass their examinations as cred
1tably as those spending their full time
In school. The reasons given are thai
because Of their factory experience
their minds are more receptive and
they comprehend the school work
quickly. Then they have their even
1ngs to prepare recitations, and as onls
the more ambitious boys elect such a
course they make good progress.
The plan pleases the boys because
It gives them a chance to work with
tools and to earn something. Most
boys when they arrive at the age OF
fourteen years wish to earn their own
money. This gives them an opportu
nifty to do SO and to remain in school
at the same time. 1t pleases the moth
eFs because, while they appreciate the
necessity of the boys going to work.
they feel that it is a rather tender age
to tie them down to hard work every
day.
It pleases the fathers because they
feel that the boys ought to be engaged
In some productive employment, while
still they desire them better prepared
intellectually. 1t pleases the manu-
facturers because 1t provides boys
who have brains and ambition beyond
the average, for only the more ener
Getic boys will choose a course of this
kind.
It pleases the school board because
it keeps boys in school for the foul
difficult to do. 1t pleases the labor
organizations by helping the boys who
need help most.
It is beneficial to the boys in another
way. If boy don't go to work wher
he is about fourteen years old he be
comes too proud or too lazy to work
It is q well known fact that the mos
important business men were brough
up to work when they were young
that a large proportion Of tramps ant
irresponsibles are recruited from vii
lagos where boys have no chores tt
attend to before school and nothing
to do after school.
Interest In the Home Hearth.
Still another object is to bring
closer relation between the high schoo
lFreeport for the purpose of interestin;
1.-THE boys in their home city instead o
;pointing them away to some other cit
las soon as they leave school. TIL
Tp1an will help to solve the apprentic
difficulties, while directing the mind
tof the brightest boys along mechaI
iical lines, something after the plan Q
tthe German educational system.
The general plan is for the boys t
sstart work in the factory in vacation
They choose the factory that suit
them best, and the employers try thel
rout. The boys try the work to lear
whether they like it or not
Mr. Shearer OF the Citizens Con
mercial association, who was primo
DaIly instrumental in introducing tt
plan, says:
'HThe Freeport plan means radios
change In educational matters, or
that is about as far away from tt
old time classical system as it is po
:sible to get. Specializing In big
school to such an extent is an inn
walton which points to radical chang
In our educational methods, leanir
well over toward the manufacture
Interests of the United States.
'.No radical change In the curric
lum of the Freeport high school is co
templated at present, but in all prob
bJlity the system will be extendt
along special lines looking to the ed
cation Of young men and young W
men to fit them for the special lin
of work chosen by them
Technical studies will be used
mind trainers just as effectually as t
Greek and Latin Of our old time pee
gogues, and the boys will fmbibe SON
thing Of practical value while they a
still young."-Kansas City StaIa IL
PROBABLY FIFTEEN CENTS.