Daily Kennebec journal., 1910-03-19
The Beverly Plan.

equipping boys for their life work is
occupying the attention of educators
and students everywhere. They have
come to generally accept the PROPOSE
| ton that there is a vast middle class
| which cannot afford to educate its
| children to be scholars and gentlemen
| in the sense that they are TO be fitted
| to do nothing to earn their living. II
has developed within the past few
years that there is crying need for
something in the way of industrial
training for the children who must go
| TO work Immediately after they reach
| the age at which the law will permit
| them to leave school. There is a very
considerable proportion of those who
| are not obliged so to do who have no
taste for literary pursuits or profes-
| sions, but who are of a pronounced
mechanical term of mind. They count
every day spent in school is a day was
| ted and dreaming constantly Of the
time when they will be able TO take up
the study of mechanics in some prac-
| teal manner 1t is obvious that a boy
| ing he Graves so much, and takes no
interest in mis- lessons, makes but a
ly obvious that to turn him loose with
out a certain amount OF training in
the more essential branches would be
doing him an injustice which he will
resent in future years
| The school authorities at Beverly,
| Mass, considered this matter very
carefully and have worked out what
| they believe to be a solution of the
| problem. In the city of Beverly is
one of the largest and the finest ma
| chinery manufacturing establishments
| in the world. The mechanics employ
| education and q great deal of manual
| skill and a vast amount Of natural
|
discontented under the old regime have
| been afforded an opportunity to spend
| half their time in the factory and one
| half their tine in the school room. AS
a result Beverly is training 30 young
| mechanics, who. when they graduate
| from school, will be able to take up
responsible work in manufacturing es-
| tablishmcntS, without loss OF time and
| at a considerable saving to themselves
in salary lost under the old system Of
serving time" The factory in which
| these boys are enabled to work through
an arrangement with the company. is
equipped with every type of machine
| used in the manufacture of shoe ma
| chincry.
WhcE it became known that this
system Would be inauguratcd 60 boys
| applied for an opportunity to take the
| course. There were accommodations for
| only 80 The class was divided, q be-
| ing IN the factory one day and at
school the next. The practical work
| occurred in the factory and the theo-
r"tical work in a room set aside for
| it in the high school building The
school day is eight hours long with
Saturday holidays and there are no
home lessons, while at the factory the
H. ~ ND l,o
same discipline as the regular employ
ees of the plant. The city pays the
instructors and the specialists who are
called in from time TO time. What
ever pieces Of machinery the boys
turn out that the corporation is able to
use is paid for AT half the regular
price.
At the high school the boy is taught
drawing, mechanical sketching with all
necessary dimensions. working draw
| ings, perspective. industrial designs,
| machine designs. shop mathematics.
arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigo-
nometry with shop tables and the use OF
instruments OF precision. machine shop
practise: mechanics, electricity as APP
piled to machinery. chemistry of ma
| terials. business and social forms and
practise. personal, social and civic du-
| ties
| ykIi is an admirable system which
| promises to place Beverly schools far
ahead of those in her sister cities. so
| far as practical results are considered.
| Other manufacturing centers should
take it up. Every such center is de-
| pendent upon its skilled mechanics. to
a remarkable degree. for its prosperity.
ANY system Of education which prom
| ises TO preserve the supply OF skilled
| operatives is splendid asset