The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-03-11

William H. Allen, director of the
training school for public service and
the bureau of municipal research, Jays
in The Survey:
Bringing shops into schools has been
tried for years. We have had manual
training, kitchens and workshops Of
every description in our schools. Dean
Schneider of the college Of engineering,
University Of Cincinnati, characterizes
the half-school, half-shop method as
taking the school and the university
to the shops"
To see how this plan worked, I went
recently to Cincinnati. The theory OF
sending boys and girls from their
class rooms to workshops, where the
passing mark is 100 per cent and not
so per cent as 1 had heard frequent
ly described. I was convinced. The
founders and hackers Of the training
school for public service Xix the
idea. But to get the manufacturers
side I went to Cincinnati. / got IT.
I was surprised and pleased to find
even less qualified enthusiasm in the
manufacturers, business mems and
DuDilC OIlClblS CLANOA ~ ~ ~S
half and half plan than in the con-
vincing statements by Dean Schneider.
The casual visitor would probably
be disappointed with what he can see
about the half shop half class room
method. The engineers and the high
school boys and girls who are on the
"half and half plan look just liz
other engineers and boys and girls
who get their education at school.
TO see where their course OF instruc-
ton differs, it was necessary to go to
a large number of shops, with two
Of Dean Schneider's instructors, where
men in each of the FIVE years of the
course were seen at work. No living
man could have told which of the
large number OF workers in the foun-
dry were university men I thought
perhaps 1t would be safe to assume
that those doing the greasiest, dirtiest
work would not be college men, but
even here I was mistaken. They did
not even differ from the ~non-college
men working side by side with them
in the matter of pay, because they
were receiving market value for the
time spent in the shops.
The method is simple. Young John
Smith and Bill Jones wanting to be
engineers register in the University Of
Cincinnati. They go there partly be-
cause they believe that this shop work
supplement to school instruction will
earn them better Jobs when they leave
school and partly because they will
earn almost enough to pay their way
through college. Positions are found
for them with a manufactures. John
Smith works the first week OF Sep
tamber. let us say shoveling sand. The
next Monday he goes up to the uni
versity and listens to lectures, pre-
pares papers, reads text books rs Bill
did the first week. He goes back to
the shop the next week, and SO on
throughout FIVE years, only that his
lob changes several times during this
period as he demonstrates his fitness
to a practical foreman.
This work shop supplement to orr
dinary university training weeds out
the men who want an education pri-
marily to save them from hard work.
That this combination of work for
pay half the time with study at the
students expense the other half is at
tractive to students is proved by the
fact that Dean Schneider has over
5000 applications this a for $50
openings in the freshmen class. The
university professors informed me that
II works well from the educational
point Of view.
Every time I have told this story
r. a h1iainesg man in Newark or New
York they seem pleased but say, that
would never work in city"
Whether Cincinnati manufacturers are
queer, in the sense that they will
become tremendously enthusiastic over
something that other manufacturers
will refuse to try, seems doubtful. ]
certainly see no reason why either the
business men or students Of New
york. Jersey City, Detroit, OF San
Francisco cannot make a success OF
what has been successful In Cincin-
natl.
The Cincinnati manufacturer gives
three reasons for liking this half and
half or, as they call 1t, .'co-operat-
i've. work: ID The "co-op students, :
il they are any good at all, seem to
work harder and give more for their
money than other workers In the same
grade who are not ambitious to get
ahead; (2) Cincinnati's future pros
perity depends upon her having not
only high grade but the highest grade
OF skill In her factories: (S1 their pub
lie spirit and enthusiasm have beef