Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-11-19
Vocational Training.

tionai Conference on Vocational Guild
ance in Boston, Wednesday evening,
President Maclaurin of NJ. I. T. adj
| dressed the delegates on the necessity
Of conservation oe effort. His adj
dress was epigrammatic and under
standable. He declared, at the start
Eofi, that human waste must be dimin-
| ished; that the man who amounts to
worker. either mentally or physically.
He said, I'VE have to face the prob
lem of what to do with our boys.
This is always the subject of anxious
| thought to the serious parent and yet
| constantly answered the wrong way
With those who have exceptional ca
pacity, or exceptionally strong inter-
est, there is scarcely any problem at
all; but these are always infinitesimal
in numbers, and the difficulty is to
deal successfully with the great mass
es OF young people,"
President Maclaurin went on to il
| lustratc that the vocational bureau
| might do a good work in enlisting the
sympathies of suitable men and keep
ing a record of their suggestions in
obtaining statistics as to the needs of
various vocations; what callings are
| overcrowded and what are compare
lively empty. He said that there is
waste everywhere, and if We can do
| anything 10 diminish such waste it
is national duty.
Other speakers than President Mac
laurin considered the matter OF vo-
| Catiunal training much in the same
strata, but out Of many suggestions
are many we'll worth considering by
the general public. For instance, DR..
David Snedden, said that every boy
passing the age of Ii goes into some
vocational school; as soon as he en-
tcrs into any work he enters voca-
tipnal training; but that the present
system is bad, because it is only u
short circuit education. He said that
vocational guidance is to become of
inestimablc value because it will tell
to drive out the undesirable in indus
trv. The liberal education is that
which teaches the people to use the
resources Of the work to the best adj
vantage, and any special education
| must. if it would serve its truest pur-
| pose be liberal, in that it will teach
TIE best uses Of the worlds goods.
If vocational guidance becomes
function of our public schools, and
leads to the establishment of public
factories. public farms. and public in
stitutious Of other sort, operated by
pupils under expert instruction, pupils
to receive encouragement in the way
of suitable remuneration for their
work, then we should have something
Of real value in vocational training.
Proper vocational guidance should
| mean the discovery of the child to
himself 1t would overcome environ
| menr in the upbuilding of character
and the bringing out of special tai
cnt BY those selected to study charaC-
ter and opportunity. Such ones should
be u mine of Information as to indus
tres that are crowded and those that
have vacancies. There would be small
| advantage to the boy or girl to place
them in an industry that is SO over
crowded that no permanencc of work
is possible. II would be liable to lead
them into vOcations where conditions
| are bad. and thus the whole aim OF
the work be cohtroverted.
a great many Of our smartest young
people are practically ruined by not
being led Alright; by not being under
stood and awakened to their higher
tyres OF character and the oppurtuni-
ties to which they are best adapted.
Ii boys and girls are impressed with
the idea that they are to remain in
the school until they are fitted for
some vocation, they will very early be
gin Ia take an interest and show a
leaning toward some special branch
which the experience OF those in
Charge should be able To- mould into
Il more realistic sense of the import
| ancc Of acquiring cxprrtness in some
hrn f,E md, cd n
The reaching ont of educational in
tlucnceS in such directions is prom
parents who are considering important
questions as to the future Of thcir
children a message of hope.