The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-03-25
Vocation Training for the Boys
Who Leave School at Early Age
ny n CLAY H0UCHENs.
Director OF Woodn ork, Richmond pub lie schools

We take great deal of pride in
our splendid public school system. We
delight in comparing our elementary
schools with those Of other cities We
point with civic pride to the magnifi-
cent architecture Of our we'll equipped
high school our elementary schools
are teaching reading writing, and
arithmetic the so~called essentials.
as well as manual training drawing.
etc.--much better than they We're
ever taught before Our high school
is not only preparing boys for col
lege and other higher institutions Of
learning. but it is also giving some
training to the boy who is CONNER
cially or mechanically Inclined.
These are for the few who are able
TO enter and complete a high school
course Richmond Is Offering abso-
lutely no vocational opportunities for
the large mass OF children who for
to work before reaching the high
school The manual training course
in the high school has very material
~ assisted q number of boys, who
would otherwise have stopped school
upon completing the elementary
school, TO make a start in the right
direction, but not many who enter
care TO complete the course. because
they are primarily interested in learn
ing a trade and are not willing to
study "a number Of subjects which
have no direct bearing on the trades.
The work in the high school is in
tended to- extend the general ltn0wl-
edge of ne pupil. and to develop his
mental powers, it Is to prepare the
boy who can complete the course,
for further study in technical
school, or in case he has to go to
work upon completing the high
school, he will have gained q funda -
mental knowledge of the principles
underlying several trades which. af-
ter being supplemented with practi-
cal experience in the shop, fl him
admirably for the positions of fore
man or manager.
No one who is aware of the cry
ing demand for efficient managers
and foreman in the modern shop,
will question the wisdom Of this fea-
ture Of our school system, for the
community has need Of educated
workmen who are trained for leaders.
Should Develop Earning Capacity.
But what are we doing for the
many boys who have to stop school
at an early age and go to work ?
Many Of these boys would gladly re-
main in school longer II the school
offered an opportunity for them To
learn some trade. The public school
system in which we take lust pride
is not reaching the majority Of our
boys during tho critical period Of
adolescence We should be more
seriously concerned than we are to
keep these boys in school at least
long enough to develop an earning
capacity sufficient to enable them 10
command a fair living wage.
The important question 70 answer
is: What becomes of this great
majority of our youth who enter
their active life work at an carly age
with no preparation for work save
that offered by the general education
Of the elementary sChool?"
AS the shops do not care for bows
under sixteen years Of age these
boys take up various juvenile Hobs -
being idle half their time They be-
come office boys ana erTand boys, or
they drive wagons. make automatic
machines of themselves in our tobac-
co factories or do some klnd Or york
in which no demand is made Of them
for the application Of what they have
learned in school Consequently by
the time they are eighteen or twenty
years OF age. they have an earning
capacity but little greater than that
which they had when they first left
school Moreover. the unfortunate
education of shifting experience and
environment during these years does
much to destroy both the substance
and the spirit Of the instruction they
received while lin school. Orteh the
result is that on the threshold of citi-
zenship they are actually more ignor-