The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1911-01-13
Vocational ENGLISH.

This Is the day Of the trade school,
OF the manusl training high school,
of the college Of agriculture and the
mechanic arts. Nowadays, subjects
and courses are called "technical. "
"scientific," or cultural" according
as they train the brain to think and
the hand to execute, or as they lay
the foundation for that training, or
as they serve to broaden the mind
and poll 'h the product of the other
subjects and courses, The tendency
at present Is to emphasize the So
called vocational" subjects. For
most students, the tendency is ia the
right direction. English is as regu-
larly lbbled cultural" as manual
training is tabled vocational"
The assumption is that course 10
woodwork or blacksmithing, or cooK-
Ing or sewing, fits one to d., white a
course in English fits one to be.
perhaps, in a somewhat higher sense
of the word. While it is believed that
English Is culture In the foregoing
sense, it Is nevertheless commended
that there Is no subject so universally
vocational. Blacksmithing and wood.
work are vocational for the bow.
cooking and sewing are vocational for
the girl; but EDglis is vocational for
both. No matter what PERSONS
vocation may be. means must be
found to express ideas. That means
is important to ALTO the farmer.
the stock breeder, the mechanical
engineer, the electrician, the dress
maker, the instructor in any of these
Enthusiastically with those who are
in what have long been called
1.-The professions
The lawyer, the preacher and the
teachers have no monopoly of good
English. II they eyer had, il was
because those not in the profession
chose to give them that MONOPOLY by
surrenderiDg their birthright. the
command of the mother tongue. New
professions are born every year;
rather, they are evolving out Of the
trades and the mere "callings," and it
is OF no means significance that as the
trade approaches the dignity Of a
profession the necessity increases for
command of English. 1t is not too
much to say that trade acquires the
dignity of profession only so fast as
It's members acquire the ability to
express their ideas in clear, terse, and
aud forceful English.
1T Is not many years since the me-
chanical engineer was regarded as
having a trade rather than a profes.
sion. Within the last decade ar
81 the country has witnessed the
development ofthe professional wheat
rover, the professional dairyman.
and the professional stock breeder
Ii is not mere accident that along
with this development of the trace
into the profession there has come
into existence large amount Of
literature on these subjects expressed
for tn most part, in clear cut, read
able English.
You may say that the evolution of
griculture from a trade to profess
non is due to the fact that agriculture
uas become scientific. And what. #
you please, is science? 1t is ''system-
tiZsd knOwIedge;' but knowledge
uust tind expression. Well. this
Expression is just what this screed is
lbout.
A survey Of history shows that the
4rogress of the world is science and
utilization has gone hand in hand
Yith the development of flexible,
ncken and written language. The
one may not be the cause of tue OIL er.
JuC the one is absOiuteIy essential
to the other. A command of English
Is absolutely necessary to him who
would make OF his tIdde profes ion.
The Kansas ID0ustraliSt