Daily Kennebec journal., 1910-04-06

earning power and morals are the Two
most essential needs of existence, citi-
| Zenship and happiness.
| Without earning power the indlVloual
| Is liable to become a tramp, paupef ot
| criminal; and the more education ne nas
| without the ability to produce the utlli-
! ties demanded by cultured mlno, tne
| greater is his unhappinesS. The greater
the gulf between the desires and Satls-
factions. the deeper is the unhappiness
Sometimes the most unhappy people are
! college graduates with cultured desires
but with low earning power.
There should be a proper balance pc
4 tween desires and earning power DeSife
/ will and must outstrip present satlsIac-
! lions, for 1t is the mainsprinS OF ACTION
| and achievement, The dynamic or human
progress and must be stimulated by edn-
| cation along with economic emclency
| but general educational system Whict
stimulates desires only, ana does not lay
| the basis for earning power, rays the
foundation for large social sediment OF
| criminals, prostitutes and divorces.
There is hardly social i'll which cannot
arise from economic lnemc1ency-
| | fear that our school system mas IN the
past given much of its time to creating
| desires, and too little attention to de-
veloping earning power for our youth.
This applies especially to the high
| schools, where We have system OF
aristocratic studies. travels, sports and
recreations, but do not lay the founda-
ton for even plebeian income.
The greater part of our parents recog-
| niZe this fact and keep their boys out OF
high school. because they see little con-
| nection between four years of study and
future economic efficiency
! All over the country the lack of boys
| in high school graduating classes is a
striking phenomenon, a pfima face evi-
| dence that the schools are not supplying
a practical and helpful education for the
| country's bread winners.
| The great majority of boys who expect
| dc ind
| the high schools with little to help them
| But, if boy plans to enter a profess
| sional or engineering career he finds
everything arranged for his preparation
and progress. The high schol curriculum
| is planned for him especially, and he
glides from that into the college. At col
lege he finds millions of endowment laid
up for his use. great mountains of ex-
pensive structures with apparatus gath.
| cred from the ends of the world
Scholarships and prizes stimulate him to
| the highest and best efforts. There are
so many colleges and universities COM
| peting the five per cent. of boys that are
able to get a cultural education or enter
| a profession that one has difficulty in
| deciding which institution he shall favor
with his presence.
The states and wealthy citizens pour
out their money like water for the ad-
| vancement of five per cent. of boys OF
| less that enter these cultural and pro.
| fessional schools. But suppose for a mo.
| fntUl lIldl d DOy SHOULD not QeSlfe, OF
| should not have the mental bent to enter
Q profession. but should wish to become
, a highly skilled carpenter, cabinet maker
| iron worker, engraver, dyer, designer, ol
to enter, any one of the many occupa-
| tions, which take both theoretical know
ledge and manual Skill where could he
| go in the most of communities to learr
such a trade scientifically? What have
the State and private benevolence done
| for the so per cent of boys who expect
to get their living with their hands!
| Where would you send boy to learn
| the theory and practice of carpentry, the
| best tools, methods and designs, in thf
State of Maine? The question would be
as unanswerable in most of the Other
states. Apply the same question to the
| adult mechanic who wishes to supple
! ment his practical skill with a theoretiC
| and scientific knowledge in order to i'm
J ! will tell you. he can send to Penn.
| sylvania and learn carpentry and iron
working by mail.
The American system of education Is
| an expensive one. but the fact that tens
| of thousands of boys are obliged to pat
ronize profit making correspondence
| schools in order to learn the rudiments
of a common trade is humiliating. 1t is
| pitiable to see hard working. honest arti
| sans obliged to send their money to a
distant state for commercialized infor.
| nation on some ordinary industrial oc-
jcupation. AZ
MORAL TRAINING.
| Even though a boy have earning power
he will hardly be a successful citizen
without moral training. Steady Indus
| trial training ALWAYS tends tn nrodnce a
| normal, upright citizen, but however the
| moral training may be obtained, it is es-
| Sential. Neither economic efficiency nor
| municipal law can take the place OF
moral development in the individual.
| The finest system of government ever
devised by man would be a failure with
| ont moral citizens to operate 1t, and
great natural resources only become
| means OF dissipation without moral
ideals and self control
| The two points on which our school
| system seems TO be weakest is in train
| ing for economic efficiency and moral
| ideals. or course cultural odr"otion -
| general studies develop intelligence and
50 bear indirectly on efficiency, and also
| through the literature of the school room
| there Is more or less atmosphere and
| sentiment. and the individual instructor
| Is often a powerful influence in ehon're 2
TIE ideals of the pupils: bnt. still the
school system has not been instructed
with me definite purpose. producing these
essentials of earning power and morals,
! il has been hoped that these would re-
| suit from its general studies and disci-
| pline
We compel children to take secular
education five days per week, but leave
| the moral instruction to- chance and a
per week. The result is that a considera-
BILE portion of the population must grow
up without any impressive. regular in
Struction in the fundamental moral prin-
ciples. such as their duties toward par
ents. brothers and sisters, neighbors,
their duty to the State and the obliga-
tions of citizenship.
There Is great need of systems OF
games for the lower grades, and a gem
eral school literature which will impress
with power the great moral principles
upon the mind of the youth. Besides
this the great Social commandments
should be taught Systematically to every
pupil
Morality and government are essential
to the continuance of any civilization
become corrupt and civilization will rot
at the core and die of blood poisoning
however beautiful it's external forms or
great its material resources.
INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION, SOCIAL
PROBLEMS.
A constructive system of education
tends to build up normal citizens, first
with economic efficiency, secondly with
moral responsibility and self control
and thirdly with general culture.
Allow me to point out in what ways
system of industrial education would
affect the general conditions of lawlesS-
ness, and the specific social problems Of
our American civilization. I do not mean
that 1t would be panacea for all the