Evening journal., 1914-12-21
MAYOR FAVORS
Education Plan
Agrees With Other Citizens
That Industrial Training
is Necessary
SCHOOL BOARD
SHOULD CONSIDER

81 am glad to say" said Mayor
Howell yesterday morning in response
to an inquiry by The Sunday Star as to
what position he thought the city
should take in regard to adopting a
system of industrial education in the
Wilmington school system, that
can thoroughly agree with what 9th
ers have already said about this sub
iect in Wilmington, in that we should
by all means have a system of educa-
ton for our children which will mt
them for the work they are to take
up upon leaving school"
When asked what plan or plans he
might have to suggest to carry out
the scheme, the Mayor said. Il am not
sure that I have any well dehned
plan in mind, and. even so, 1t is the
duty of the school board to make all
plans concerning matters of this kind.
can only suggest what has occurred
to me. much of which / gathered from
the recent address delivered by Mr..
H. e. Miles. president of the Wiscon-
sin State Board of Industrial Educa-
ton before the members Of the Cham
her of Commerce last October.
For Children Who Leave School.
1T seems to me. however, that we
would be able TO follow course OF
action which would enable Whining
ton to take care of that so per cent
or more of its children who leave the
public and parochial schools with only
such elementary and general knowl-
edge of reading, writing and arith-
metic as they find it difficult either TO
retain or to apply, and which can
easily be made of great benefit TO
them by their attendance upon Con
tinuation Schools" for half day a
week.
these schools. I am told. have
been in most successful operation in
Europe for generations. some of them
starting in the Sunday Schools of Ger
many for instance. where both relig-
ion was taught and a trade or useful
occupation on the theory. suppose
that intelligent occupation is or should
be the best sort of religion applied
1.-THE Manual Training Department
Of our High School with its directors,
offers a splendid place for a begin
ming. It's present classes cease at go
D. M; a school should no more stop
at go than a factory or a store, and
It might we'll begin as carly in the
morning as other occupations DO at
least for the children who are in those
occupations.
Make School Day Longer.
IF our factories or other places Of
business employ children at Z a. m. or
Sam, we should have our classes for
their operatives begin at the same
time and run as late in the afternoon.
Some classes in colleges in New York
begin at a. m. l am told that the ap-
prentices of the New York Central
Railroad are in school for two hours
two mornings each week from a. m.
until 3 a. m. and the superintendent
of apprentices says the wages paid
for these school hours are the cheap
est that the company pays TO these
apprentices because it makes them so
much more efficient. happy. and intel
lgent the rest of the week. If the
High Schools cannot give two hours
to instruction, conveniently, before the
regular school opens, some adjustment
could be made whereby tho continual
tion class. beginning, say. at 7.30 or s
o'clock, could extend into the regu-
lar school hours, even if regular pu-
pills had to give way just little 10
these other and more needy and less
favored children. At any rate, think
we have perfect opportunity for 2 l.
or three hours instruction in the af-
teTnOon.
every likely, also, there Is room in
the basement OF this building or in some
other school building that could be
equipped at from 5000 to 800 to teach
sheet metal work. pattern work, wood
working, electric wiring and installation
Running eight hours day with the
class averaging 90 pupils, we could care
for two classes or 40 pupils daily, OF
200 pupils in five days, or 2l0 in six
days.
"If we ran twelve months in the year
Git might be eleven, and each pupil had
six months instruction, we would
thereby care for 400 or 500 pupils yearly
in one room, and the cost including
equipment would be about Sll year pei