The Washington times., 1914-06-12

The subject which holds my warm
est interest Is vocational education
in the public schools.
Social service workers agree that
the unfortunate condition Of a large
percentage OF both men and women
Is mainly due TO their inability to
earn living wages. Thsy also agree
that employers of labor. in both COM
mercial and industrial fields, meet
every request for increased wages
for their most poorly paid employees,
with the same reply: I'VE would
gladly cay higher wages II we could
secure help trained for their work.
When our boys and girls have
completed their eight years of pub
lie school, about nine-tenths of their
number must give up all thought OF
further schooling to earn their own
living, and, in many instances. con-
tribute to the support on a widowed
mother, or smaller brothers and sis
tersI But they have been trained
to no kind of work. They have not
learned one thing by which they
can earn a living wage, and, II we
may believe their employers. they
have not even received a mental
training worthy of the name.
They are always forgetting. they
cannot be depended upon. they can
not readily comprehend orders, they
are unable to concentrate their
minds on anything for more than a
fleeting moment, they are lacking
In Judgment, they have no mental
control, and they are becoming
worse and worse year by year
These are few of the, complaints
Mentally and physically unframed.
they are unable to earn living wages.
Before they have learned their work
and gained mental poise, their strug-
gle against their unfortunate situa-
tons have proved too much Tor
large number Of them. They have
found ii impossible to live respect
ablv on s. a week, and have turned
toward the downward path
When tits too late, We find mat
an ounce of prevention Is better
than a pound of cure.
Failure of System.
We have eight years to nrepare
each boy and each girl for life. But
we fail to do 1t. We are afraid 10
touch our public school system be-
cause the system was in use before
we were born. Perhaps. because We
pay a great deal of money for the
education of our children, We think
mai their education, however
faulty, is as good as II can De.
AS a preparation for high school,
and college. our public school sys-
TEN is very .Ssr s0oo bops Ds' to o" receive
higher education. For the other
nine-tenths the public school does
not AFFORD the best preparation Tor
life. A.
ficiency might be devised on soiii'
such plan as the following:
Al the end of the sixth year tne
lines OF instruction should De divided
into three main branches, the aca-
dennic. the agricultural and the IN
dutr1al. A vocational guloance
bureau should help each puPI nnS
his vocation. The academic orahcn
Should 60 on as now, to prepare
Students for high school and coilege
snd the other two branches snouio,
during the two years which remain
prepare the pupil for life. ,,,
The agricultural and inous 80
branches should be subdivided INTO
vocations, SO that each pupil could
receive a thorough training IN the
nsrtictIlar vocation he had chosen
instruction in marketing the PROD,
nets of the children's LABOR "oulo
make geography tnteEestie
nh,idren learn rapidly things which
interest them. Calculations Of cost
and profits. studies Of soils. fsstil-
Ting. animal and vegetable hygiene
ind,1strial machinery, and raw ma
terial would afford better menta,
exercise than English literature ana
poetry.
Mental Expansiveness-
Another consideration Of great I'M
portance is the mental expansive
ness which comes with the satisfac-
ton over achievements saving
wood ia better exercise than swing
ing dumbeIls. because it gives you
the woodpile-
pupils in the agricultural and in
5nstriaI branches, or at least those
from very poor homes. should pc
furnished their meals out OF tne
profits from the products or their
labor and any excess should oivloeo
among them There would be Fewer
criminals and indigents: Even
t-.,,a tha Government turn the