Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-01-24


ing should be based.
The nigh school pupils have enter
ed long career of general education,
and in most cases look forward to a
business career or to further study in
some higher institution for a profes-
sion. The academic high schools, &C
cordingly, even when they comprise
so-called commercial courses or cours-
es in manual training, are not voca-
tional schools; they are schools for
general education, and, like the ele-
mentary schools, are doing their work
better than they have ever done IT,
They do not, however, aim to supply
the specific education required for a
particular calling.
'In every democratic society the
schools provided the public should
meet the needs of all classes-those
who are not going to college as well
as those who are.
THE existing public high schools
serve to give a general education to
those pupils whose training must
cease on graduation, and at the same
time they offer preparation for admis-
sion to college or so ne higher techni-
cal school.
"The manual training high school
or so-called technical high schools
were intended originally to train re-
cruits for the trades, but they have
not done so. They are institutions for
general education like the academic
high schools, but, unlike them, serve
to give a certain class of pupils gen
eral high school education with the
help of manual training, or, like them,
to prepare their pupils for higher
training in some college or engineer
ing school.
Boys are not wanted in most of
the skilled industries until they are
16 years of age. The total result is a
great number Of boys and girls from
IA to 16 years of age, most of whom
are at work in various kinds of juve-
nile occupations in which they learn
no trade. are subject to little, If any.
beneficial general education and Of
ten to much harmful education from
/ shifting experience and environment.
| Large numbers Of these children
would be in school If the school prom
ised preparation for some life pursuit.
These years are of little economic
value to such children, and there ia
| little increase in the economic value
of most OF them as time goes Oh.
Hence these are at present wasted
years-lost to the children because of
a lack of economic growth. and to the
industries because children are not
fitted TO satisfy the demand for train.
ed workers by the time they are old
enough TO be employed in the trades.
These years and subsequent years
are, however, valuable for industrial
education; but the present school sys
tens are wholly inadequate
Hence the need OF industrial
schools to supplement the existing
school system and to meet a new edu
cational need which has developed
with the evolution of our industries
and commerce.
THE cooperative school plan is an
attempt to combine training in the
processes and practices of trades, in
manufacturing or other establish
ments. with general instructions in .
school which includes theory plus
academic studies that bear directly or
the trade work The details of sucf
systems vary, but the most popular j,
the half-time plan.
while efforts have been made Il
establish and classify schools to give
the various kinds of vocational ia
struction, little or no attention ha
been given TO the necessity for prepa
ration of both pupil and teacher TO
such instruction
1T therefore becomes desirable 4
poiat out that aside from the chasn
which seems to exist between tn,
grammar grades and the high school
and the fact that many of the pupil
must go TO work, there is a subtle, un
DERIVING, active something which i
largely ignored or lost sight of.
This is believed TO be an actua
psychological condition based upol
and connected with mergence int,
manhood. A thorough study of tn
subject would doubtless establish tn
fact that this has more to do with III,
designations from school at that tim
than the necessity of going to w1:k -
tween the grammar and high schools
or any other factor.
There is no doubt that the frs