The Greenville morning herald. [volume] (Greenville, Tex.) 1890-1956, 1910-07-13
Industrial Education.
Editor Herald;

I note the position taken nv Prof
j. w lcnne.t ON the movement for
the Incorporation of industrial fca
lures in our educational system. and
am unwilling tor let 1t pass without
am effort to show the fallacy of the
argument of the professor
His idea is that the science Of suc.
cessful farming should he aconlrcd
ON the farm rather 10y cxpcricnc,
than by special training In the under.
lying principles OF agriculture. that
the workshop is the place for the bow
to learn carpenteY, blacksmithnL.
etc, and that the home is the place
to tooch the girls the various branch
es of domestic science did not SUP
pose that there was teacher or ic.
deed person OF average intelligence
and Information in this country WHO
opposed the movement after it's bena.
fetal influence upon the people of our
state and OF many other states had
been fully and clearly demonstrated.
When 1t first began in this state
there were many even large major,
ny of the teachers who took the SANE,
view as that of Prof Jennett. There
were also II large majority of the
people generally who ridiculed Ia,
idea of teaching our boys and girls
IN agriculture and the Industrial arts.
The reason for this was that they
had not been used to it, our system
nl education having been specially
adapted to the Development ot PROBES
sionais and accomplished idlers and
thsy did not want to change the edu-
catonal ideals which were inspired
by the institution of slavery in the
south 1t was not supposed that
man could he 4 lawyer or n doctor
without special training but that an
that was required in the way OF
knowledge by the farmer was how
10 drive a mule aud toy with the hoe
handle irons sun up to sun down No
knowledge Of the soil or of plant Lille.
me habits OF insects or anything
SEE relating to agricultural science
Was deemed necessary Neither was
II deemed essential to high or an
average degree OF success that tha
Young man whose life was TO be de
'otcd to The mechanic arts TO know
anything in the books beyond the
mere rudiments OF an English educa-
ton and even that much was not
deemed necessary 1t was not sup
posed that tho girl who graduated ia |
the college or even the high school |
should even get down to the duties |
OF the ktchen or the performance Of
amy Of the ordinary duties OF a house
vie All that kind OF work would |
be done by servants belonging to the |
ignorant classes. These false notions |
of life We're inspired by the old gys |
tim Of education which prol. JenneCt |,
would not have changed to meet tbs
changed conditions and needs OF tho |
people
"A tree is known by It's fruit" and
the fruit OF the old system consisted
largely of lncompetents, failures, mai
contents, dunkards. and criminals.
HeIng impressed with the idea lhnt
nn educated" man ought not to per
form manual labor but live by intel
lectual activity and also with an ap
probation of the fact he is not adapt.
ed thereto and that competition for
mldable, dependency ensues aud lifo
becomes worse than a failure.
II the new system OF education
should be a practical failure in 80
far as tho actual physical prepare
ton of the student for Industrial ac-
ti1ity, it is worth while in the deyel.
opment Of higher conception OF the
dignity and respectability OF those
pursuits involving manual labor. Bu,
IL is not true that our Industrial col
legea aud schools fail to prepare the
boys and girls attending them for IT,
dnstrial life. Statistics arc abundant
aud concluslycly show that they are
efficient in the accomplishment OF
the purpose OF their establishment,
and existence. They combine the
theoretical and the practical. training
the mind and the hand to work tor
sGtler Ia harmonious relation A du
y equipped Industrial school or col
eeg deyelopes the intellectual, phys
ical, and moral capabilities Of tho
student with special reference 10 the
practical duties and responsibilities
Of useful citizenship as applied to the
industrial phases of life. They may
iall sometimes To do this but the fault
Is certainly not 10 be attributed 20
he system II Is found in the cha,
meter OF the material as silken
purse can not be made out of tho
furicular appendage Of a certain AMI
nal which the orthodox Jew regards
as unit for his stomach. The great
ast educators Of the United States
ere now In the front Of tho indus
trial education procession and Prof
lennett though splendid man and
an excellent school teacher has fall.
ed to study the system which he con.
dennis. V. W GRUBBs
The ynrld'q mat guccpagfu1 tnedi.