The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1912-12-26

len per cent OF the Ch1loren VINO
90 to school r taken care of, while
the other 80 per cent are not. We
want this 80 per cent given an edu-
cation that will ft them for the posi-
lions they wish to follow. They can
not all be doctors, lawyers, professors,
literary and professional men. 1t Is,
therefore, evident that industrial train
ing Is a public necessity"
This Is a subject which is entitled
to serious discussion. There are many
thoughtful people of interests not as
ISOLATED with trades unionism who
are opposed to the study Of dead Ian
guages and even modern foreign ton
CUES in the public schools, contending
that such work Is not essential to
american citizenship or successful
careers in lines other than literary
or professional.
Arguments on both sides depend
upon the viewpoint with respect to
the purpose OF our public schools.
Many look to the schools for the i'm
provement OF American citizenship
along intellectual or culture lines,
holding uppermost in Importance the
development of the young mind to-
ward a proper appreciation and under
standing of good literature, art and
philosophy. Many others, and n
doubtedly the majority, hold that the
public school should recognize as it's
first duty the preparation Of children
for the struggle for livelihood. The
latter opinion is the more practical.
To provide both would seem to be
the best solution Of the problem, al
lowing parents to elect a choice. Ger
tainly a course in Latin, German or
French Is of no value to the pupil
who desires to become a carpenter, a
machinist or a printer. Nor is a study
of joining, mechanics or %typesetting
of interest to the n who hopes to
become a physician, a writer or a
lawyer.
1t may be argued that the average
parent who seeks to develop in his
child an ambition to take up a pro-
fession or any specialized career out
side of the industries, is usually able
to bear the expense Of sending the
UnnnO man 70 on institution uhinh 90
equips its students, while the parent
who expects to make OF his offspring
a worker in the Industrial field, Is
rarely If ever financially able to take
care of his tuition at schools Offering
Industrial courses. The weight of the
argument sustains that position,
though from the families Of poverty
spring many of our most brilliant pro-
%fessional men and authors, while
many a rich mans son by his own
choice, regardless of how complete his
education, Is to be found earning his
wages in the industries.
The best practical interests of the
public, which the school system Is sup
posed to serve as efficiently as pos.
sible, would seem to require that more
attention be paid to Industrial educa-
tion, even If at the sacrifice of OBJ
solete languages and modern foreign
tongues. We e public sentiment
taking form along those lines in the
quite general demand for agricultural
courses in the public schools in states
such as South Dakota where farming
is the chief industry. A tremendously
growing nation which is going forward
by leaps and bounds in the industrial
field must reckon with the future and
train its youth to carry the work on.
The greater the efficiency Of the work
man, the greater the progress of in
dustry, whether on the farm or in the
shop.
This Is an age of extension in the
educational field and most of our mod
ern high schools are already teaching
both girls and boys the rudiments Of
c%arpentering and machine shop work,
cooking and sewing, in departments Of
manual training. 1t Is but a step fur
Their to equip the pupil to begin work
in the building trades, to commence
fashioning pig metal into bridge steel,
boilers o. machine. parts or to set
type at the case. II this end car be
realized without sacrificing the pres
ent liberal courses in literature, Ian
guages, and the higher intellectual
s~pecialties, so much the better
Sioux Falls Press.