The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-12-11

TOT I'VE bt1stfng Z or. equipment OF
schools or ciasses, but only for the SAL
4 aries OF tcaehers of commercial o"
industrial subjects. and that for every
dollar distributed to any community
Tor vocational education. the State
Board snail fequirc at least another
! collar 10 be slscnt by the community"
For Girls and W0mep.s
Tho recommendations "As 10 Types
OF Schools and Courses or Study for
Girls and Women ~ Determined by
the Findings Of the Industrial Snrvey''
were presented by Mrs Mary .Schenck
Woolman. formerly director of the
Man hattsn Trade School for Girls and
director of domestic arts department,
/ Teachers College, New York.
The large effort Of vocational edu-
cation for the girls and women of any
| community should he TO prepare them
as far as possible for economic inde-
pendence. Instruction in home eco
Monies, except in specialized courses
planned and followed for the purpose
OF earning "A livelihood should not be
regarded as vocational education for
! wage earning, but as a necessary and
valuable part OF general education to
/ which every girl is entitled as a part
of her adequate preparation for hv-
1 ing.
I with the exception Of the Offices
and department store the white girls
and women of Richmond are. on the
whole, employed in manufacturing and
mechanical pursuits in which the OPP
! erations can he learned more quickly
I ard more satisfactorily in the factory
/ than the school. largely because the
amount of technical training and trade
information is too meager to warrant
! the expenditure OF public money for the
equipment and instruction,
"Colored girls and women are, for
the most part, employed in domestic
and personal service, as cooks, house
maids. nursemaids, home laundresses,
t laundry operatives, manicurists. hair
/ dressers. to some extent, as factory
/ operatives and laborers. and as dress
makers and seamstresses.
There IN need in Richmond for
evening classes in salesmanship which
shall ycrr largely give their attention
to training mature young people who
| are a ,ready employed during the day
I in the stores There is also great
ueeG Fcr department store salesman
ship ty9iniag, through part time and
i continuation classes.
prsr-socational Courses for Girls.
There Is at the present time no
need or possibility OF "a girls trade
SffoQi fpE ftIHIiiCNN. Htfe uhtS en-
( list however q need or a demand for
courses OF training in the practical
arts as a part of the general education
of a.rls over thirteen years Of age.
This should begin with pre-vocationai
courses in the upper grades OF the
elementary school. Should the plan of
a Junior high school for pupils thir-
teen q sixteen years of age be adpted.
this pre-vo2ational training for girls
should be MADE a large feature of the
work of this school
'Tt is recommended that there be
established schools or classes in pre-
vocational work for girls. covering the
period corresponding to the last two
years Of the elementary school. These
courses should 10 operated with the
following purposes in mind;
"fa1 To serve as a self-disCovery
and vocational guiding course, giving
to the girl who must leave school ear
Is better basis for selecting the vo-
cation which she may enter.
"tb) To give those girls who go
on 10 the high school ar opportunity
20 choose a more intensive practical
course in the high school for which
they are best fitted. Should a junior
high school he established, as seems
Mprohabie. the third year of the course
ID the school might well be given to
5gsMsnre intensive pursuit az some one
sSfne Of practical work. The pre-yoca
tonal training OF the first two years
would prepare ier to make an intelii-
gent choice of this course
'tc) TO offer a course of study
which VIZ! make a strong. appeal to
the interest OF the pupil thus tending
to hold her longer in school.
Should Fit Occupations.
what is needed is not longer
courses i'll cooking, wing or type
writing, but an organ ized training
which Will include n variety of expert :
ences drawn from The occupations
which are open or should be open to
the girls in the life Of the community.
Tine course OF study should give
the girl an opportunity to try herself
out in such activities as cooking, serx-
inE4 first aid &c The injured, household
decoration, plain and machine sew
ing, simple garment making printing
bookbindns, novelty work, typewrit-
ing. elementary stenography and the
keeping Of simple accounts.
"Onehaf OF the time In school
should he givef to the so-called AGA :
demlc branches. which should be
made Of direct application to the prac-
tiral WORE ara everyday problems of
the girls, Among the subjects whic h
should he taught are English arith-
metic. history. civics, commercial ge-
osraphy and an elementary trea tment
Of the personal. sociai and economic
problems Of the girl which would in
clude such topics as personal hygiene
and health. conduct in social and bust :
ness relations, wages, hours of en-
ploSment, use of leisure time, personal
and family budgets, savings, insurance
and efficiency.
The school day for the prevocation-
al classes should be heightened"
Secretary rosser, OF the National
Society. presented the Recommended =
tions as to compulsory attendance as a
factor In an industrial education pro-
gram.
For Constitutional Amendment.
After discussing the limitations inn
posed by the Constitution of Virginia.
and the recent adoption of child labor
laws in Virginia, Mr.. Prosser indicat-
led two steps that should be taken to
iremedy the present situation. saying;
The first liz to secure from the Leg
Iislature the largest possible school at
Tendance which the Constitution per-
rnits. What is needed here and now
lis vigorous campaign which will sre-
suit in Statewide compulsory at
Tendance act recurring children from