Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1912-04-30
In THE INTERESTS OF YOUR
CHILDREN.

S. B. Tobey, superintendent of our
city schools, has sent out the follow
ing letter to many parents in Wausau.
This letter should be read carefully by
those who have children in the
schools:
Dear Friend:
1t will pay to give your boy or girl
an education if lie has capacity to re-
ceive it. He will need it to male his
life larger, happier, safer and more
useful to himself and the world
Don't let him leave school until it is
absolutely pecessary. Give him all
the education you can afford to. The
world needs trained men and women.
1t will pay well for trained minds and
Skillfui hands.
A table prepared by the Massachu-
setts State Board of Education shows
the weekly earnings of children who
left school at the age of fourteen un-
til the end of their twenty-ffth year.
Those who left school at fourteen be-
gan work at $4.00 a week, and at the
end of the twenty-fifth year were re-
ceiying Sl2. 70 a week. Those who re-
manned in High School until they
completed their course began at $1,000
a week, and at twenty-five were re-
ceiying $3l.00 a week. The total earn
ingS in the ttoelUe years of the boys
who left school at fourteen averaged
SIS, 72250, while the average earnings
of the boys who finished the High
School Gn eight years. were S7,377.5 so.
The boys who stayed in school four
years longer after completing the
Grammar Grades had earned at twen-
ty-ive 81 $4,000 more than those who
left school earlier and worked four
years longer. The boys and girls who
had stayed in school 720 days longer
than their fellows had received ST.
$500 more at the time they were
twenty-five. If both classes of boys
stopped at that point the time in the
High School would have been worth
1921 per day to the boys who took the
advanced course; but at twenty-five
the boys with additional education
were receiving $3i.00 per week or
S18.25 per week more than those with
less education. This means an i'm
NJ ense advantage to the educated
laLorer throughout his entire life.
From this time forward the men with
the better education will earn about
| 5000 per year more than those who
left school at fourteen to go to work.
| In thirty years this will mean differ
ence of 1927 900, which is approximate
| ly the value of those four years of
schooling.
Mr.. Charles Dillon in the "World's
| Work. for August, 1911, says, "The
apprentice, or the boy who picks up a
trade, learning it chiefly by imitation
and without instruction, and enters a
machine shop at sixteen and earns an
average of $500 a week. At twenty
his wage scale is 5000 week, at
twenty-one and half he may be earn
ing $500, and he reaches his maxi
| mum earning capacity at twenty. four
| when his income is $3.50 week
not nightly encouraging outlook.
but one that is based upon the life
experience of thousands"
The boy, however, who has spent
| the years from sixteen to nineteen in
a trade school starts with wage of
$1,000 week, equal to that of the ap-
prentice at twenty-ohe. AT twenty
| three he is earning $500 week, and
his income approaches the average
maximum at twenty-five when his pay
| is $22. 90 a week-or So. 20 more than his
unframed brother. The difference
between the life long earnings OF these
two boys, as approximately estimated,
is the difference between $29, 1000 and
$40, 900 or S1i, 900; in other words, the
three years in the trade school were
worth 81, 900 or about 1865 per year.
| With such facts before US, can we
afford to take our boys and girls out
of school before they have the better
preparation? Can we afford to rob
their future Of great advantage for
the sake of tie small present advant-
age?
Yours for the best interest of
children,