The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-02-12
EXPERTS TALK ON
INDUSTRIAL CITY
School Probers Ex-
plain Workings ofthe
Vocational School

DR.. James H Van Sickle, of Spring
field, who has been Investigating the
school system here, spoke last even
ing before g. joint meeting of the Bus
mess Men, Manufacturers Association
Board of Trade and Publicity C1uo'
Nary of Springfield who has been as
sisting him In Investigating manual
training schools here and George T.
Bawden, of Peoria, Ill, editor Of The
Arts Press and George w. Dunck1er,
field secretary for the North Aneri-
can Civic League for Immtgrants.
President c. s. OF the Business Men
Dr. Van Sickle spoke OF the trade
school proposition in this city, passing
his remarks upon the following sub
jects:
Require children to complete the
sixth grade before they may receive
working certificates.
Organize special classes for foreign
born and retarded children.
Introduce in all elementary grades
a consistent course of handwork that
reflects the activities of the city. :.
Provide cooking and sewing for all
SIXTH seventh and eighth grade girls.
Provide pre-vocational work for
tboys and girls from twelve to four
Establish an Industrial school to be
controlled in some measure by the
school board.
short evening industrial courses.
Establish an industrial department
of the high school that shall conform
to the needs of the city.
Enlarge the plan for drawing and
introduce the following Industrial
phases: Shop sketches and simple
mechanical drawing in the Industrial
high school.
DR.. Van Sickle said that to raise
the efficiency of community the
1S{ 1oA h
ly efficient basis. A study Of the con-
ditions of the city is essential to make
the schools serve efficiently the needs
of the community. He pointed out
that there should be a standard for
leaving schools, when 1t is considered
that statistics show $50 children per
The awakening of patriotism and civ
ic pride is an all important element
in the chi1d's training.
Mr. McNary called Bridgeport a
wonderful city, holding for several
reasons, unique position in the man
ufacturing world. These reasons are,
manufac curing plants. and great de-
mand for unskiIled labor because of
the large use of automatic machinery.
For the skilled labor. he suggested an
Industrial training school He spoke
of 5000 Bridgeport children between IA
and 16 years of age working in the
shops. and emphasized DR.. Van Sic
l<le's plea for the institution of a de-
cisive educational standard for chill
dren who want to leave school.
Mr.. McNary pleaded for a more in
innate association of Industrial train
ing with other subjects Of the curr1-
cuIum, and dwet upon a special type
of pre-voca tiona1 work. He said boys
and girls intending to leave school
should be grouped under special teach
ers spend the morning session in
studies of Industrial arithmetic, geo.
graphy, etc, and use the afternoons
for visiting Industrial plants with the
teachers In time the child will de-
veIop a preference for a trade. Along
this line he advised an industrial
rather than technical high school for
Bridgeport. In such an institution the
youth might be prepared for pattern
making too1making, and the like. He
emphasized the need of drawing, par
ticularly mechanical drawing in the
grades.
Mr.. Bowden said that less than 10
per cent of the children receive the
benefit of money spent for high
schools What is needed, he said is
a more interesting appeal to boys and
girls in school work; to give a differ
ent attitude to the child towards the
whole line of Industrial work; an op-
portunity for boys and girls to try
themselves out on a number of typi-
cal activities before entering upon
life work
MY Glvnn described the depart