New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-06-30
MAYOR CITES NEED
OF TRADE SCHOOLS
Urges Widening of Voca-
tonal Training to Give
Child Fair Chance.
EXPERIMENT SHOWN
IN CLASS EXHIBIT
One Elementary Institution Dis
plays Work Accomplished
by Boys and Girls.

Mayor Mitchell addressed a vocation
al guidance conference at the Wash
ington Irving High School last night on
the necessity Of increasing industrial
training in the public schools. The
meeting was called as a result Of the
Mayors recent visit of inspection to
Gary, Ind, and other Western cities
where experiments arc being conducted.
Thomas w. Churchill, president OF
the Board of Education, and Controller
Prendergast assured the Mayor of the
support Of their respective depart.
ments IN establishing such system of
industrial education as -hould be found
to tit the complex needs of the city.
at is the function OF the school to
ft BOYS and girls to take their places
effectively and successfully in the com
munity life" said the Mayor. "The
school fails If it fails to prepare chill
dren TO earn a sufficient livelihood and
TO 90 forward along the lines in which
their special aptitudes permit them to
rise.
"Since the schools admittedly have
failed TO give the children what theS
need we want now to supply for those
bows and girls training which WIN
hermit them to go out equipped 20
take those places in the business or
industrial world TO which they MAJ
urally gravitate.
"To do this we must increase t1e
number of day trade schools. We must
introduce more pre-vocational classes
in the elementary schools, we must
establish a closer cooperation between
the industries and the schools, so thas
we may have some system by which the
students will spend part OF their ume
in the factories and part in the schoo.-
room. Success depends largely upon
this cooperation.
1--WE cannot establish effective Indus
trial training without understanding
the conditions which prevail in indus.
try, and we must avail ourselves Oh
skil!ed artisans to get a supply III
skilled teachers for our schools" .,
Charles A. Prosser, of the National
Commission on Vocational Education
appointed by President Wilson, POM,
ed out that the expense OF industrial
training must be met largely by the
industries most interested.
81 am brave enough" said Mr.. Pros
ser. ITO suggest working plan for the
establishment of a vocational training
system in New York City.
Show Pupils Work.
An exhibition of the work of the vo-
cational training classes OF PUBIC
School 81 is being held at the school
building at Hester and Essex SITS. II
includes electric bells, tinware, furnl-
ture. hats and dresses, all made by
pupils in the eighth year of the gram
mar school. This is the only school n
the city where there is training IN the
arts and crafts with practical bear
ing on the career of the child aiter
leaving school.
The work done this spring is an ex-
pertinent ordered by the Board of Cd,
ucation. The principal of the school
is so enthusiastic over the success that
he will advise the board to introduce
vocational teaching in all the pubic
grammar schools.
"For S250,000 we could give this
training to $4,000 children" said MIR.
Goldwasser yesterday. "The object IS
not to fit children to take positions the
minute they leave school, but rather
to give them an idea of the various
trades, so that they can decide more
intellgently what course they want TO
pursue in q vocational school. We
teach them TO say mo- TO trades Tor
whlcn tney nave no natural dUllAbys
Every child who graduates will
have had eight weeks training in six
trades. The boys will have courses in
sheet metal work, electric wiring,
woodwork, machine shop, commercial
training and academic research work.
The girls will have couses in millinery,
dressmaking, running power machines,
paper box making and the commercial
and academic training.
an the commercial courses the stu
dents will learn to use adding ma
chimes, letter presses and monographs
as we'll as to make out bills of lading
and other commercial forms.
"Ofice work is drsmstzed, TOO, for
the students. One boy plays the part
Of the boss, while another comes to
apply for place. The rest of the class
I'll minor parts, such as Office boys
messengers and stenogTaphers.
at is not all play, though. The
commercial class has TO take charge of
all the school business, such as the
orders for furniture on the woodwork
ing department or the orders for cos
TUNES on the dressmaking department.
The whole school is one big factory,
and the commercial department is the
Office"