The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-11-12
ORGANIZED LABOR
ON EDUCATION
Important Report Presented at Toronto
MISREPRESENTATION in Manual
Training on New and Ampler
Lines is Favored

Lines is Favored.
Toronto Ont, Nov. IL. Organized
llabor's attitude on the vital question OF
industrial education was set forth in q
report Of the convention Of the Amer.
| can Federation Of Labor yesterday by
the special committee appointed by au-
I thority Of the Denver convention 10 in.
yestigate the subject. The committee
OF which John Mitchell is chairman,
held three meetings during the year in
New York, Washington and Toronto.
IL Is believed says the report that
the future welfare of America largely
depends on the Industrial training 81
four workers and in protecting them The
inquiries Of the committee seem TO in
dieate that If the American workman
il to maintain the high standard Of eff.
cheney, the boys and girls Of the com
try must have an opportunity to ac-
lqllire educated hands and brains, such
as may enable them 10 earn living
in a self-seleeted vocation, and acquire
an intelligent understanding Of the dus
ties of good citizens We favor the es
adjustment Of schools IN connection
with the public school system at which
! pupils between the ages Of IA and IN
may be taught the principles Of the
trades, not necessarily in separate
buildings but in separate schools adapt
FED 70 this particular education and by
leompetent aud trained teachers.
The course Of instruction ia such
school should De English. mathematics,
physics, chemistry, elementary mechan
les and drawing The shop instruction
for particular trades and for each
trade represented, the drawing, mathe-
lmaties, mechanics, physics and bolog-
zeal science applicable to the trade,
the history 81 that trade, and sound
system Of economies including and ems
lphasizing the philosophy Of collective
| bargaining win serve TO prepare the pu
I pil for more advanced subjects and in
addition to this discloses his capacity
I for specific vocation. Ii order to
keep such schools III close touch with
the trades, there should be local adys.
ory boards, including representatives Of
the industries, employers and organized
labor.
@The committee recommends that
any technical education Of the workers
ii trade and industry, being 4 public
necessity, il should not be a private but
public function, conducted BY the
public and the expense involved at pub
Elic cost
The continuance Of progressive de-
Ivelopment Of supplemental trade edaca
tion as inanguratcd by trades unions
Is also recommended The committee
advises the continuation Of its life and
final report TO the convention of 1910.
"The one trouble Of America today
says the report eis that too many Of
our youths who have graduated from the
I grammar or high school, are insists I'M
dustrially. RI we are Ia secure indus
I trial supremacy, or even maintain our
present standards in the industrial
/ world, we must in some way in our
educational system acquire an equiv
alent to our old apprenticeship system
Organized lahoris position regarding
the injustices Of narrow and prescribed
training in selected trades. BY both pri.
waite and public instruction and the
flooding the labor market with half
trained mechanics for the purpose Of
exploitation, il perfectly tenahIe and
the well founded belief in the vicious
lness of such practices and consequent
condemnation, Is well-nigh unassail-
able.
"Oreanized labor's record for years
in regard to better sanitary conditions
/ in factories and workshops and is con-
4 tinued efforts toward safeguarding wom-
eli and minors. have been the subject
81 wide discussion and much helpful leg
/ slation.
sits advocacy Of free schools, free
textbooks and the raising Of eompul-
sorry school age have been religiously
adhered to, and closely allied 70 these
/ subjects ID that Of industrial education
land any serious discussion 81 the prop
I er kind OF vocational training pro
NOTES discussion Of the former
aThere is q strong reaction coming
in from the general methods Of educa
ton and that growing feeling, which
| il growing rapidly in strength, that the
human element must be recognized and
cannot be 20 disregarded as to make
the future workers mere automatic ma
chimes.
Experience has shown that manual
training school teachers without actual
trade experience do not, and cannot, sue
cesefully solve this great problem and
that progress will necessarily be slow,
as new teachers must be provided, a
new set OF textbooks will have to be
written and the subjects be taught ia
sympathetic and systematic manner
IN the last analysis it IS greater
moment to those engaged III industry
whether this question should be dis
cussed freely and fairly, than 1t is to
mere theorists who advocate industrial
education without having any definite
tplan OF purpose other than selfish
one, in their advocacy Of the same and
It Is believed that unidcation rather
than a multiplicity Of effort il needed
in order TO help solve this immense
problem