Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1911-04-20

~ II. Falrcnllul ethtO DupeIlntonu'
emit Of public instruction, belieyei
that the high schools Of Kansas and
tine state are taking the wrong path
lin educational ifeas and developing
THE course Of study in these schools
away from practical ideas. It lie Mr.,
Fairchild's idea that more vocational
work in the high schools, for the
benefit OF the IS per cent Of the
children who do not receive any edit
cation beyond the high school would
be Of greater benefit than an attempt
to make the high schools as near
like colleges as possible.
Kansas has taken an advanced
stand in this direction, having ap.
propriated quarter Of a million dol
lars year to help pay for teach
ers in high schools who will devote
their time to teaching normal train
ing, domestic science and agricul-
ture to the students. Many of the
high schools already have manual
training departments and the state
/ has a fine school at Pittsburg to teach
teachers how to teach manual train
ing.
Glass distinction is bel ly incul-
Gated into the minds Of every boy
and girl that enters a high school,"
said E. = Fairchild today. when
the common school graduate appears
the teachers tell him that Latin and
Greek and German, philosophy the
languages and other culture making
studies are the things to be taken
up and the student should go very
lightly on manual training or do
nestle science.
These studies are ali right. They
should be required Of every high
school graduate SO that when he
leaves the school he will have an
incentive to better things. But there
is only one in a hundred that ever
uses these to any advantage, except
cultural in after life. l would not
decrease the amount Of cultural
s,....let in any ssgn schoo.. would
increase the amount of vocational
work.
Breeds Glass Distinctions.
"This is the way the class dis-l
tinctions and the snobbish ideas of
young peope are being built up. The
reason America has had little class
cleavage is because almost every per-
son had an appreciation Of good
handiwork manual labor. The boys
and girls are not getting this now
because they haven't the opportuni-
ties. They are being taught that it
is better to have culture than to
know the things that are good in the
ordinary walks of life.
"a boy takes manual training in
a high school, / do not mean that
the high school should teach a
trade. 1t should teach knowledge
of what constitutes good handiwork.
After boy has taken a course in
training he will not look with
disdain upon the blacksmith who
makes an excellent weld or the car
penter who does a good job of join
cry. The young man will fully APP
preciate the worth Of the man in
the rough clothes who makes liv-
ing for himself, his wife and babies
by the carefulness of his hand and
the steadiness of his eye. |
"a girl who goes to the domestic
science department, no matter how
rich or cultured she may be and who
sews and mends and cooks
will always have more respect for
the seamstress who does good work.
As long as there is this proper ap-
probation of the handiwork of others
there can be little important class
Our fathers had this
appreciation because they. saw 1t
around them always and snobbery
was at a minimum.
Few Go to College.
zone Of the chief ideas of teach
ers is that everyone should go to
college. wish this were possible
but it is not. Over IS per cent of
the high school graduates do not go
to college. Circumstances prevent it.
If anyone will glance at the num-
Der of students in the freshman year
and then in the other four years,
they will see great falling off in
numbers. Something prevents the
boy or girl going to school any fur
Their Why isn't it good idea to
-. 49, ond rxtrIo Tho haot