Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-03-18
INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION.

SItNIAL sON
The peop,e of Vermont as well as
those of other States are deeply inter-
ested in the practical proposition made
by Or. Eliot. ex-presidcnt OF HarVaru
University, at the recent meeting IN
Chicago of the National Society TOT
the promotion of Industrial Education.
DR.. Eliot said among other things on
that occasion: We have come upon n
new function for the teachers In our
elementary schools, and in my Judg-
ment they have no function more I'M
portant. The teachers of the elemeh-
t,rv schools ought to sort the pupils.
and sort them by their evident or
probable, destinies.'
Or. Henry s. Pritchett, president OF
| the Carnegie Foundation for the Ad-
vancement of Teaching. when ques-
tioned in regard to this work SAID:
That the underlying purpose when
gave birth to the National Society TOT
the Promotion of Industrial Education
is the thought that we are no longer
| fitting our youths for their op%portuni-
! ties in the way In which they must oe
| fitted. In this day. every nation must
make of each citizen an effective. eco
nomic unit, and then must bring the
units into efficient organization. We
In America are to-day not doing this.
We are behind. The first purpose OF
this society is to make 1t clear to the
American people that the facts show
that we are behind; that we are not
preparing our men and our women As
they must be prepared to be effective,
economic units.
The second purpose which led to the
inauguration OF the society was 10
bring together the various persons In
our citizen body. who are most direct
~ interested in this proiem; nrst those
who have to do directly with Indus
trial caIlings. next the great manu-
facturers who depend on skill in these
trades. and the schoolmasters who are
to train the boys and the girls. and
lastly, the great American public it.
self. which, after all. in all such ques-
lions is as directly concerned as any
other party. but which is the one the
most often left u%nconsulted.
While organizations Of this charac-
ter can do much to educate the diner
emit classes mentioned. a very helpful
influence will be found in the example
of communities that have instituted
Industrial educational work. Fortu'
nately we are not without example!
OF this character.
The manner in which industrial edu
cation is carried on in Great Britain
Is we'll illustrated by the industria
work in Preston as depicted by tn
Guardian Of that town. According t.
tho authority In question the com
plete scheme provides for Ave centre
where such training can be given. an
already four of them are available
Two of the centres are not attache
to M school,, having been built spe
cially for the purpose named. provini
that the educational authority Is yer,
class OF training. Two schools hav
manual instruction rooms attached
but two are devoted entirely to domes
tic science. Arrangements are In ex
istence whereby boys who have n
other centre handy may receive manu-
al instruction at the Technical Schos
ready. Cookery classes were In ex
~istence Mt various schools before tn
council took this matter in hant
education committee came into exist
ence, but In the work they have no.
, undertaken the latter body are goin
more thoroughly into the whole sui
ject of domestic science training tina
individual schools could have DONE.
The fundamental Idea underlying
Is to counteract the tendencies OF moo
ern industrial life as 1t affects II
- home. and also to raise the dignity
all housework. The girls start wit
: that most important subject. cooker
" TIT work is all of a prctical chara'
e ter. and under the supervision of trail
q ell instructresses the girls carry on q
the operations, from the purchase
the meat and vegetables to the COO
!. Ing of the dinner. The duty of blu,
ing In is one in which the your
l.. housewife Ia most prone to fail. -
the training the girls receive In Oh