The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-03-02
CONSUMERS'l
 HAS FULL DAY
Jordan, Marsh & Go. Gives Salesmanship School
 It's o. K.
Rev. James Goodwin Chosen
 President of League

The Consumers League of Connecti- cut met at the Center Church House, Hartford Monday afternoon to elect of
 acers and listen to two addresses rep resenting both the boys and the girls sides of the vocational educa- ton problem. In the absence of President G. c. F. Williams, Vice. President Henry W. Farnham presid- ed. c. L. Upham of Meriden report ed for the child labor committee that bills had been prepared for the Leg1s- lature taking the power to grant em- ployment certificates from the town clerks and teachers and placing the authority with the state board of ed ucation; and that the board of educa- ton, acting with the league, be giy- en more agents to help enforce the employment laws. These bills will have a hearing March at 1880 p. m. Following is the list of officers elect ed: lG
 President-Rev. James Goodwin, Hartford.
 ham, New Haven.
 Second e-President--Arthur T. Hadley, New Haven.
 Recording Secretary-Rev. Thorn ton Turner, Hartford.
 Treasurer-H. l.. Beadle, Hartford.
 
 ford.
 General Secretary-Miss Mary c. Welles, Newington.
 Mrs. c. E. H. Phillips of Glenbrook and Miss Welles were chosen delegate to the National Consumers League quarterly meeting to be held in New York in March.
 Alfred F. Fletcher, principal of the State Trade School at Bridgeport, de- livered an address on .'The Value of Vocal Training" He said in part:
 We must get away from inherit ed forms of education. The cuItu- ral education was all right when the only pupils were those who were go- ing to adopt some profession. But when free public education was tn- of the population, with different edu- cational needs, was to be reached was not provided for. Why should nine- tenths of the boys in the grammar grades be anxious to go to work, if not because what they are taught is that they can see. Boys who stick in the sixth or some other grade are not necessarily more stupid than the others. Most of the ITS boys ana girls in the State Trade School are highly intelligent and interested and yet on an average they left the sixth grade of the grammar school at -he age of 16 1-2 years.
 Boys should be taught to be good earners and girls should be taught how to get good solid values for their money. It is the hardest thing Ill the world for a boy to sit four or five hours day on a hard seat. In ordinary life, if man wants to know something he asks his neighbor about it, but in school. talking. except to the teacher, is prohibited and the teach CT can only talk specifically to one at a time or generally to all at one time. In the trade schools the boys and girls are so interested in their work that if, as sometimes happens, the teacher is called away for an hour or two the class goes on just the same. A short time ago my class in printing worked by itself for two days and got out good job in time for delivery, as promised. The argu- ment that such vocational training Is too expensive loses force when the re- suits in more efficient work begin to show"
 Miss Helen R. Hildreth of the Man haitian Trade School for Girls gave some of her experiences in teaching girls, who must go to work at an ear ly age, how to work so that they can command better wages at the start and at the same time fit themselves to be1homemakers when the time comes She said that any educational sys- tenn must begin ct the very bottom Different conditions of labor demand different metnc ds of instruction, and each community must study out its needs and devise it's own courses of study. considering other successful methocs only as models to work on.
 Tn the evening two lectures were delivered before large audience com posed of department store workers and those interested in their welfare. D. F. Edwards of the Boston Chaln- Der of Commerce outlined the needs and opportunities of the present day department store, showing that the rewards were apt to be greater and the work on the whole more inte.- esting than is found in shops and fac- tories.
 Several letters were read from girls who have attended the Union School of Salesmanship in Boston. One girl who took three months' course in the school two years ago, when sNe was making only $3 a week, is now from $15 to SIS as a result of a training which taught her the kind of intelligence most suitable to suc- cessful dealing with customers. An other letter thoroughly endorsing the 1 system was from w. A. Hawkins su- 1 perintendent for Jordan, Marsh & | Co.,, who have the largest and most | conservative department stors in Bos- ton.
 Mrs. Lucinda w. Prince, founder of | the school. which was started only | five years ago, gave an outline of the | system of teaching. The girls are taught to take an interest in human | nature. to study type needs and spe- cfal needs and to see that the more | they help the business of the store by satisfying customers and making | sales. the greater is their chance for |