Evening star., 1914-08-01
INDUSTRY IS NOT Awake
TO NEED Of EFFICIENCY"
Movement for Practical Education
Both Promising and Disquieting,
0. R. Lovejoy Says.

That the present movement for prac-
teal education is stimulated from the in
dustrial rather than from the educational
side is a fact both promising and dis
quieting according to Owen r. Lovejoy.
who discusses Vocational Guidance and
Child Labor in a publication of the
United States bureau of education
''The employers have a very definite
program says Mr.. Lovejoy. They know
what they want and are going after It.
Let us not delude ourselves by thinking
simply good business. They want a crop
of fresh young labor furnished them
every year, that can make fewer mis-
takes and more profits.
This is extremely gratifying. in one
sense. 1t indicates that economic self
interest is attempting to shake off the
double burden society has long borne
the burden of using goods worth much
less than they cost because poorly and
inefficientiy made, and of supporting by
charity those paid less than their work is
worth because of their poverty. !neffi-
cheney and consequent helplessness. But
while employers are awake to the need
deficiency, industry is not. Industry
StlIl DeckOuS 10 tHt iiiclHCleiit, Tie AHAliea-
ture, the unprepared.
Society is far from having reached a
decision that unskilled labor must be
abolished. The occupations which. out
side of agriculture, absorb the output OF
our schools are barren of any element to
make them of present interest to the
child or offer any hope for the future.
A vocational survey in New York city
exhibits in one group 1O1 boys between
fourteen and sixteen years of age with
an analysis of the work they are doing.
For only five of them is there any OPP
portunity to advance or improve; ninety
six are in 'dead-end' occupations.
What Business Contends.
Business is now saying that il we had
the right kind of schools all this would
be changed: that child labor would be-
come a blessing instead of an abuse for
children. We are constantly told that #
the schools had the right kind of curricu-
lum and gave the right kind Of training.
every child would have his natural ca
pacity developed, and we should speedily
put an end to the army OF industrial mis-
fits.
in accepting this challenge of the bus
mess world our educators have assumed
an unwarranted responsibility for the
condition that exists. A study of the an
nual contribution OF our city schools TO
the business interests of the community
will show that q considerable percentage
is thrown into the discard within the
first month; that another large percentage
goes drifting from job to job. sometimes
advancing. quite as frequently receding,
the industries complaining that the chill
dren the schools turn out are no good
and that the children lose courage. en-
thusiasm and youthful idealism in the
various meaningless jobs to which they
are assigned. That many drift into cas-
ual and thence into permanent idleness
is to be expected. The only wonder is
that any ultimately rise to positions OF
efficiency and responsibility.
"Our schools are not fair to themselves
in assuming that they or the child are
wholly at fault If the schools need a
better curriculum, so does the Industrial
establishment II the child needs q more
definite and purposeful mind. much more
does Industry One OF the most vital
services vocational guidance can render
is 10 analyze our industries and train our
youth 10 distinguish between vocation
and a lob 1t Is futile to give special
fastening him TO n machine OH which he
SHAH do purely mechanical labor for life.
Business says: Here are The jobs; what
kind of children have you to offer" We
must reverse the inquiry and say to busi-
ness: Here are our children: what kind
Of industry have you to offer?'
n-outing-Asheville & returr-Aug. ..