Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-02-23
PUBLIC SCHOOLS AS
MPLOYMENTAGENC|E
Finding the Proper job for Each
Boy Is Difficult Piece Of
Work.
BY ELI w. WEAVER.

early apples going to waste. AT the
same time. fruit was sold from the
retail stands in New York city, only
go miles away. at almost prohibitive
prices. The farmer could not, during
the busy season, afford to use his reg
! he market these by-products of his
farm. Occasionally help was hard to
secure. But 1 know that there were
thousands of young people out of
school for the summer months seek
ing work of any kind to earn a little
for their support while being educated
in the high schools and colleges.
l was able the next season, through
cooperation with the state depart
ment of agriculture, to send from the
school where 1 taught. a large number
of pupils to farmers in the Hudson
river counties. After eight or 10 weeks
work these boys came nome in Septem-
Der with from $50 to $40 cash each
n the benefit of a summer of health
ful labor with their country cousins.
Frequently employers criticise the
public schools, saying hat they do not
turn out boys properly prepared for
business life. The boys, we often hear.
cannot even write and spell decently and
lack habits of punctuality and respon-
sibility. l called upon one such COM
p%lainant n found that he hired any
boy who came along in answer to an
Advertisement and then blamed the
school for any Deficiencies he devel-
oped. employer since then has
applied to me whenever he needed a
boy and every yea he has been sup
piled with BOYS who have proved per-
tectly satisfactory.
Students Aid.
Experiences such as these led to the
forming of the students aid committee
Of the High School Teachers associa-
ton in New York. This work has
grown in value Superintendent Will
am H. Maxwell has recommended that
the board of education Organize Il vo-
cation or employment bureau" THE
special field of labor for such a bu-
reau," he say would be to bring
to the attention of employers of labor
the various kinds of training given in
the public schools. to ascertain from
eases from young people themselves
the kind of work for which Zach is
best suited to aid in placing each stu
dent in a position in which his talents
will have full scope to develop. The
small cost of such a bureau would be
a mere nothing with the
good it would accomplish
Each year thousands of boys grad
uate from our high schools. For most
school life ends then and the question
is how to earn a living? Many young
people who go out into the world think
that they must take the first thing
that is offered to them. They do not
know that they can choose their ca
reers. yet to a large extent this is
true of young people of education. If
the family does not need their assis-
lance they may be practically free to
choose any career.
High school teachers spend much
energy in studying the requirements of
the colleges and properly advise pu-
pills as to the selection of an uiiver-
4 S1fN Rlf niOn-fnt1fhc of f1ncn p,1,O ~r
to high school need help and counsel
to enable them to decide wisely what
business they are to follow. A wrong
choice, q beginning under unfavorable
conditions and a failure in the chosen
field mean misfortune TO the individ-
ual, a loss to the community, an exas-
perated employer and unkind criticisms
Of the school system.
Here is a man who onducts a for
eign agency business. He hires bright
American boys to begin at small pay.
With excellent prospects for advance
ment." These boys work hard during
long hours and have few chances to
become acquainted with the world out
side of that office. When they dis
v that their much advertised
chances for advancement are purely
Imaginary they have lost their hopeful
ness and their faith in the fairness Of
men.
System of Promotions.
Another large corporation has at the
head Of its employment department a
gentleman who has devised a carefully
graded system or promotions and adj
vancements, aims to keep his employees
satisfied and strives to make them
more valuable to the corporation and
to themselves. This firm is anxious to
get our good boys. Our committe has ar
engagements for placing boys with many
large employers can save them from
making the costly mistake of taking
work and with irresponsible firms.
The success of a typeAvriting machine
Is due to the fact that the selling
agents Of the manufacturers have care
fully studied the public requirements
and shown a disposition to meet chang
Ing needs. BY a careful study Of the
demands of the market school authori-
ties can meet the requirements and
save to the child the maximum amount
of time for acquiring culture. That
this is a proper field of endeavor for
school authorities to undertake has
been recognized in Boston where the
schoo board pays the salary of one
official in the vocation bureau who
gives his entire time to training voca-
ton counsellors for the large public
schools. The London county council
has recommended that in every bor-
ough of the city associations be formed
OF teachers. employers n residents
who shall study conditions and try to
place children leaving school. These
associations are now being formed.
The work has been performed in New
York for several years by teachers,
who gave their time and labor volun-
tarily and supplied the funds to sup
port the work Of the Students Aid
committee. The COMMITTEES sends to