Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-03-27
Industrial Education
In The Public Schools

Grafton delivered by Miss Helen
Heaeock al the December Oratorical
contest In this city, for which she re-
ceived the first prize. n had the
honor Of representing the High school
I al the inter-territ0riai contest held In
Roswell. y. NJ
The sixteenth century Witnessed an
\ educational movement such as the
! world never felt before the seven
4 trenth century witnessed an equally
strong religious movement among all
\ civilized nations. the eighteenth CEN
tnry marked an era OF political reVo-
4 luton. the century. indeed, % u
independence. the twentieth century
witnesses a revolution rs strong n
important as any ono Of these. namely,
an industrial revolution. the awaken
ing to our economic condition In
each instance of these great world
movements the old order Of things be-
came inadequate. Men awakened 70
the idea thar the circle Of their lives.
subject 10 the ever-ehaneing infln-
euces of nature. was not complete. and
a ncw system. ~rendlurted 10 suit the
needs Of the time. was established
IN his Industrial revolution va lind
that Germany and The United States
nave taken the lead Success IN the
United STATES Is due to our national
10 our inventive ability. and
to our commercial combinations.
Success IN Germany Is dife 70 the psal-
ity - her workmen We. unlike
Germany. have neglected the devel-
opinent Of our most important re-
source. our citizens.
III the great manufacturing com
Germs of the country our American
~ nAf Agvu4ttts4. sI. L
toirty of skilled men. Too many help
10 form that inferior class ~ the
unskillcd Who ran "a machine auto
maticallv day in and day out. They
need no knowledge Of their ma
chimes. They have no interest except
their mcagre monthly age and each
man among them ceases 10 pe an
unit We find that 80
per cent of the skilled workmen In
our factories are foreigners, and why
The manufacturers answer that Amer
lean workmen are unskilled. The
great Industrial institutions demand
skilled labor. Then there must be
skilled aOrkmen 10 satisfy this de-
mand. But " We find that foreign
nations have skilled workmen while
We have none. we must admit that
In some part Of It's organism our
system IN inadequate Skill means
power: power is developed from
knowledge. knowledge is the result If
training Then. certainly. tho fault
lies with the training nf our workmen
Now. where may this knowledge
and this training he obtained Not
~ apprentices, Tor that form Of
training. SLOW a. best. is fast becoming
Obsolete and impossible in the spe-
ciallzed work of today, not Ia u
present system 81 high schools where
culture and general education are the
sole purposes.
1t remains 20 be seen that there
must be some place, some school
where future American citizens mas
acquire Industrial knowledge and
training. The average boy continues
his course In schooling through the
grammar grades. This is required by
law. Neither he nor his parents see
the purpose OF IA general high school
education IN the life he is to follow,
for him, perhaps, they are not
far wrong. Probably II is necessary
for him to pursue at once a gainiui
occupation, He enters upon some lu-
veniic pursuit mcagrely paid The
knowledge he has acquired ut school
Is soon forgotten, because he has had
no chance to apply il TO his work and
lust when he Is 90 enter upon the
threshold OF citizenship his educa-
ton liz not as good as IL was when he
left school. He has only "A juvenile
wage when he should bc ready To earn
"a journeyman's living. The reports
OF the Massachusetts Commission on
Education show n a nearly
All Of $4,000 youths in that state alone.
now either die or engaged in juvenile
pursuits would bc in school IL that
schoo promised an increased wage
and prospect Of gaining a good llNll-
some may scoff at the idea that II
Is possible for a boy to come forth
from a public school, an industrial
school, ready, with 2 niue practlee, /,
to become "a skilled workman. that IT :
Is possible fer him 20 become foreman
or superintendent in a factory. the !
of which he has learned. Re ?
member. IL you viii mat people SCOTT ,
ed az far less possible IDEAS That the
earth Was round that n might wor-
God as ne chose without injury
TO the state. that common people [
could make laws, hide by them or
even come To rule. To come to the A
point Our high schools, although good :
themselves. do not reach the masses
for whom they were originally intend !
ed. that vast majority who early IN .
life. must meet The problem of earn
ing 60 living They abide by tradi- I
lional. academic ideas. All usefulness
Is taken out OF anything that might d,
directly apply To the trades. Every
Thing tends To culture, to general cdu- J
This is all well and good FOX
lnc who has the means TO continue ln
school for the purposes of general
education or for II VINO will after e
wards enter college. =
Win not manual training supply q
his need cd skilled men? The chief
there Is To offer 10 this -
hat manual training as it has been
does not supply he need, 1t
also is a means of general education
and while II gives "a certain power and
knowledge that nothing else can give,
Z does not each the student resl
work skill IN shop work IS
emphasized nor practiced-
who graduate from these schools
'Ncr become craftsmen. Time. that A
Mould hc given To- instructive me II
'hanical drawing. Is given TO freehand
ornamental work. Instead OF the real
mechanical arts by which n boy may
afterwards maintain a good living, -
'asket-weaVing and stucco work are \
aught. '
&f4NENN Va. an. .H.f-.aIA- g. ...r