Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-11
TEACHING THE TRADES
Union Labor Declares for Pub
lie Industrial Schools.
VITAL TO THE NATION
Needed to Maintain American Su.
premacy in the Arts.
TOO MANY MIsF1T GRADUATES
Faults Of Present Manual Training
System Pointed Out in Report
to Toronto Convention.

TORONTO. Ont, November lI.-Orgau-
lied labor's attitude on the vital question
of Industrial education was set forth in
report to the convention OF the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor today ny the
special committee appointed by authority
Of the Denver convention to investigate
the subject. The committee. of which
John Mitchell is chairman, held three
meetings during the year, in New York.
Washington and Toronto.
1T is believed" says the report, that
the future welfare of America largely de-
ponds on the industrial training of our
workers and protecting them. The In
auiries Of the committee seem to indicate
that II the American workman is to
maintain the high standard Of efficiency
the boys and girls of the country must
have an opportunity to acquire educated
hands and brains. such as may enable
them to earn a living i'm self-selected
vocation and acquire an intelligent under
standing OF the duties OF good citizenship.
We favor the establishment of schools In
connection with the public school system
at which pupils between the ages of
fourteen and sixteen may be taught the
principles of the trades, not necessarily
i'm separate buildings, but In separate
schools adapted to this particular educa-
erS.
The Course Recommended.
The course of instruction in such a
school should be English. mathematics.
physics, chemistry, elementary mechan-
les and drawing. The shop instruction
for particular trades and for each trade
represented. the drawings. mathematics.
mechanics. physical and biological sci
ence applicable to the trade, the history
of that trade and a sound system or eco
nomics, including and emphasizing the
philosophy Of collective bargaining. This
will serve to prepare the pupil for more
advanced subjects, and in addition to
disclose his capacity for a specific voca-
ton. In order to keep such schools in
close touch with the trades. there should
be local advisory boards. including rep
resentatives Of the industries. employers
and organized labor.
THE committee recommends that any
technical education Of the workers in
trade and industry being a public neces-
sity, 1t should not be a private. but
public, function. conducted by the public
and the expense involved at public cost"
The continuance Of progressive develop
ment of supplemental trade education, as
inaugurated by trades unions, is also rec
commended. The committee advises the
continuation of its life and final report
to the convention Of 1910.
Too Many Industrial Misfits.
The one trouble of America today"
says the report. lis that too many of
our youths who have graduated from
the grammar or high school are
misfits industrially. II we are TO
secure industrial supremacy, or even
maintain our present standards in the in
dustrial world. We must in some way
In our educational system acquire an
equivalent to our old apprenticeship sys-
tenn.
organized labor's position regarding
the injustice of narrow and prescribed
training in selected trades. by both pri-
vate and public instruction. and the food
ing of the labor market with half-tran-
ed mechanics for the purpose of exploita-
ton, is perfectly tenable, and the we'll
founded belief in the viciousness of such
practices and consequent condemnation
is we'll nigh unassailable.
'OrganiZed labor's record for years in
regard to better sanitary conditions in
factories and workshops, and it's con-
tinued efforts toward safeguarding wOm-
en- and minors, have been the subject of
wide discussion and much helpful legis-
lation.
Its advocacy of free schools, free text
books and the raising of compulsory
school age has been religiously adj
hered to, and closely allied to these SUBJ
jects is that of industrial education, and
any serious discussion of the proper kind
OF vocational training promotes discus
sion of the former.
Practical Teachers Necessary.
There is a strong reaction coming in
general methods of education and that
growing feeling, which is gaining rapidly
in strength. that the human element
must be recognized and cannot be 50 dis
regarded as to make the future workers
mere automatic machines.
Experience has shown that manual
training school teachers without actual
trade experience do not and cannot sue
cessfully solve this great problem, and
that progress Will necessarily be slow, as
new teachers must be provided. a new set
of text books will have to be written
and the subjects taught in a sympathetic
and systematic manner.
I'm the last analysis II is of greater
moment to those engaged in industry
whether this question should be discussed
freely and fairly than II is to mere the
orists who advocate industrial education
without having any definite plan or pur-
pose tother than a selfish one) in their
advocacy of the same, and 1t is believed
that q unification rather than a multiple
cation of effort Is needed to helm solve