Evening journal., 1914-12-16
VOCATIONAL TRAINING
by Milton I. Townsend.

we making fair rate Of interest or
could II be used to a better advantage.
According TO the census Of 1910
there were over thirty-fvc million
children of school age in this country:
taking that for every one hundred pu-
pills who enter school. five reach the
high school and out of this number
two viii go through an institution Cor
higher training, We have left an aver
age, OF thirty-four million youth who
receive no more than a surface train
ing' this is not taking the number
of those who haye never attended
school. Does not this harhor the
seed OF class hatred in future years
by having the diversions of capital.
middle and lower classes with their
resultant envy Could not this br
overcome by a more drastic, COM
pulsory educational law. and by add
ing TO our equipment and our curri-
culum the necessary instructors ana
apparatus, teach each ono h|H trade
who did not seem prepared or other
wise minded TO nur uC . professional
course through a school of higher
training
Il
lion seventeen million are boys. they
arc naturally going to earn their own
I livelihood. what arc They going to do.
They arc prepared for nothing except
as providence has piSvided ihem
/ with hands, and in most cases that
is all. yet their guardians place them
| or they have GUARDIAN In positions
/ for. which too often they are unfit and
/ TO which they have no calling
! Now the writer's idea is this. Why
should not tho government separate
each youth as hc comes under its
surveillance. into the channels or oc-
cupatlon to which he Is apparently
4 best fitted and instead of letting the
\ pupil drift in and out of school at
his desire, compel him as thoy would
an enlisted man. for IN this case
the result would be more bcncnciai1
TO remain in the institution until ne
had become sufficiently we'll trained
to earn a fair wage and be of im-
mediate value to his employer and
consequently TO himself.
Vocational Training is the term
now being applied TO This form of
procedure although il is not com
, pulsory, and IL seems when we look
at II, it were the only reasonable
method of training What right have
we to say TO our youth or our par.
: cnis. send your children 10 schoo
2 and VIC will make mon out of them
when in most cases VIC arc but half pre-
parmg them. and as someone has said
"A little knowledge is "A bad thing.
SO II Is with our youth of today. fthcl
arc dropped when they have only
little knowledge, hence arc handi
capped when they should have ih'
advantage
As this method is sed, or could b
in places where il is not, il follow
like this. The child. ON reaching th
high school, has, as a rule, four year
of study ahead: if he desires &c fol
low an academic course of study. we'll
then take the full four years of pre-
, paratory work; If not, he should no
r be compelled TO take these subject
, and then leave High School to spen
I. four OF more years learning his trade
. lie should. after one year of prepara
G. tory work i'm the High School
r placed under th, charge of competeI
ie instructors mot merely men with II
n degrees of A. b. or NJ. A.. but if tho
'e have these they should also have hi
10 few years of actual experience in q
y branch they are teaching), from who
: they may receive practical and tecl
nical instructions in the branch fc
= which they are best fitted. AS to th
! fitness. this may be up to the teache
: OF II may be up to the student.
Now after three years of subiei
= matter and technical instruction alon
ono line, he will in every way be {
!. more value than the pupil who leav
v school when he has finished the grade
/. and is put into a shop to catch HI
l. trade or other occupation. This
II true because in the shop he cannot q
3. the proper tutoring he would recei'
l. in the school. nor the oversight
e Again. at the time Of leaving III
~ school. he will probably be fourtec
n years Of age and the shops will ne
T. take him until he is sixteen al leas