Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1914-07-23
NOW THE WORLD WIDE DE
MAND is FOR MEN WITH
TECHNICAL EDUCATION
AN Increasing scope
Schools First Started by Private
Endowments Soon Led Up
to Public Institutions.
Ony DOUGLAS $ GRAHAMJ

IaN lIil| 'fI..AN y. 90 Ih#N ~ .h VI
Iu these days of great Industrial
specialization. when the Worldwide
demand s for young men with a
technical training IL Is of interest 10
look back into history and discover,
If possible iust what Influences We're
most responsible for the suddenly ln-
crcasiug interest taken by educators
thrOul hout the country iu the osiah-
lishmcut Of institutions devoted To- lh-
dustual education.
Towards the latter half of tine
18th century and immediately follow
ing the American Revolution, great
popular interest in agriculture arose.
Papers and books began to appear
ana agricultural societies I'm many
sections of the east were organized,
Schools maintained by private en-
doWments were Oreanlzed to teach ag-
rlculture, notably those IN Name ln
1921 and Connecticut in lbIi, Al
this time. however the natural con
ditlons were against such novel ed
ucauunal movement Later thah
this toward the latter part Of the
forties and in the early fifucs, as the
west began to Opog up ana slave lIhor
in the south caused an increased IN
tcrest i'm agriculture, schools TOR aE-
rlculture were again agllated COZ
legc education was at this time prl-
mauly the bust loss Of the church ana
private enduwments were the main
stay of the colleges. 1t soon became
evident that to carry out these broad
ideas of education CfOr by this time
the mechanic arts especially engineer
ing and the sCioTCes related TO agrl-
culture were almost universally in
cludcd i'm the CurriCulum), private
endowmcnts were insufficient TINS
then lead, as is we'll known, To the
establishment I'm the early sixties OF
the land grant colleges, or, as they
are better known, agricultural and
mechanical colleges.
Increasing Interest
From that tin,c on interest in in
dustrial education began TO increase,
and from an educational point of view
the founding of these colleges marks
a great change IN the attitude of edu-
Gators towards the bringing Of higher
education to the Industrial classes.
Just what degree Of Influence the
establishment OF these \. 4 NJ. col
lcges had ON the general educational
ideas and customs iS hard to conlec-
turc, but it is Vell-known fact that
simultaneous With the founding OF
marked changes became evident in
the viewpoints of those upon whom
fell tha responsibility OF educating the
masses.
heretofore. all college or university
education was Of the highly literary
sort i'm which Geek, Latin and the
classics figured prominently. Now,
however. this was not altogether true.
The establishment Of these colleges in
which was taught the scientific side
Of vOCations in which 80 to 80 per cent
Of the population Of the country was
engaged opened a new field for those
whose business il was TO prepare
young mon and women for the coll
Icges. Thousands Of young people
who were not inclined to a profess
sioual life and who previously would
have considered a common school, or,
AZ best. a high school education suf-
ficicnt for their needs, now realized
the importance If fitting themselves
more adequately f0r whatever indus
trial field they mad a desire TO enter
and as "a consequence clamored for
entrance to these colleges.
More PractCal Courses.
This influence aione perhaps was
the greatest which induced high
schools to include in their curriculum
elementary agriculture, manual train
ing, etc This was not all Even the
common schools began the teaching
of nature study and recently school
gardens for the very young pupils
have been adopted even in the large
cities
The incentive which agricultural
and mechanical colleges gave to in
dustrial education was not alone made
manifest i'm the schools where the
teaching of the elements Of the indus
trial arts was q matter Of pTepara-
ton to still higher learning OF the
vast army of young people from the
homes OF on-prufessiOnal families,
but a relatively small per cent of them
could afford a college education even
when this wouli prepare them most
efficiently to carry on the work they
were TO follow. To meet this con-
ditiou. manual training schools trade
schools and the like were established
and in their way filled a much needed
want
Even our cor ospondence schools
are an outgrowth Of the great for