Willmar tribune., 1910-08-31
Editor of Willmar Tribune:

The readers Of the Tribune are
familiar with the present demand
for more useful system of ad-
vanced education in our public
schools. Hence we are trying here
in Willmar to introduce manual
training. domestic science, and
agriculture. The problem is, how
can we educate our girls and boys
so that they shall, say, at the age
of Is or p, become self supporting
and have useful and progressive
career before them?
Now so far as farming is con-
cerned that problem is already
solved. We have one central. and
several branch agricultural schools
that give practical agricultural
education-that actually teach a
young man to be an acctual farmer,
and the young woman to be a prac-
tical farmers housewife.
So far as teaching is concerned
it is also in a measure solved by
our normal schools and the normal
depar tment in our high schools.
And as to a commercial training
that is also provided for by the
numerous business colleges every
where, where young man or a
young woman can obtain for a
reasonable outlay of time and
money a good business education.
But farming and teaching and
commerce, though important
branches of modern human in
dustry, complete only about half
of our world Of activity. The
other half is nowaday manufac-
turing and transportation. To do
the work involved in manufacture
ing and transportation S skille d
labor is needed. And the great
problem today is how to get that
skilled labor to operate our manu-
featuring and transportation in
dustries.
Fortunately, we have the raw
material in abundance out of which
to make skilled laborers for our
industries-our army Of boys be-
tween l6 and 22 years of age-onIy
we lack the factory to convert this
raw material into the finished pro-
duct of a skilled artisan.
Suppose young man after taking
all the public school education he
can atford-the minimum Of which
should be an eighth grade course,
and whenever possible high school
course-suppose such young man
wants to be a steam engineer, al,
electrical engineer, machinist, an
architect, q surveyor, or learn any
'of the practical trade avocations
in our highly complex industrial
life Of today, where can he go to
learn it? Nowhere! Now, is not
this strange? Prof. Arthur E..
Haynes, Of the University Of Mimi
esota Engineering school, calls at
tention lately in an article in the
Minneapolis Journal to this remark
able fact. He says:
"Another thing we are prone
ITO forget, in the college of agricul-
tuye, not the school of agriculture.
and in the college Of engineering,
viz: that in these schools we are
not making farmers and engineers;
but we are educating towards the
demands of the life of real farmer
and of real engineer. To be a
farmer, one must apply ones know
ledge to farming, to be an engineer
one must likewise apply ones tech
nical knowledge to engineering
''In other words, studying the
theory of ones proposed profession
does not make one a member Of
that profession.
''Thc real farmer, the real en-
gineer, the real physician, is the
one who successfully uses his theo-
retical knowledge in solving the
actual problems of life.
Every boy and every girl is
entitled to an education which will
help him or her to earn an honest
living. Surely such education
must be practical.
1.-The State is not true to it's own
highest interest, until it furnishes
the opportunity for such an educa.
tion to every child and insists that
the opportunity he improved.'