The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-15

in Miss Van Klceck's book IL devoted
20 the question Of vocational training
in the evening schools, "a phase OF the
work which Is still in the experimental
stage In Greater New York. The mo-
tivcs which send girls to night school
are many and various. some 90 Tor
social diversion. some go To OBTAIN u
general education, but a generous pro-
portion enter with the idea of hitting
themselves to get n better job. Almns
Invariably, however. these girls elect
some course rot related to their daily
occupation. not so much from lack Of
astu,cness and consecutive effort as
because. until very recently, the vo-
catioaal courses in evening schools
had little value rs practical prcpara-
ton Cor industries as they are to-day.
\ girl whose daily OCCUPATION IL opcr-
ating a power machine In the manu-
lecture ~ womcr's straw hats enter
ing n night millinery class finds that
| she II set at making and trimming "A
hat by hand. Naturally, such u per-
! Torrance seems to her to have little
bearing on her daytime work. She
drops out Of school and her succinct
, comment is that the class IL for
"~grcenhorns" and IL is cheaper To buy
ones hats ready made, anyhow. ON
the other hard. workers who enter n
course in ro wise related tn their daily
occupation find an even more discour-
aging situation. The night classes are
held on four nights Of each week.
with the long hours Of work In shop
and factory ard the distances to be
traverSed to and from work and
school many girls give out under the
physical strain entai,cd by NJ attempt
at night school Attendance. Yet a
course OF four lights "A week from
September to May. 100 evenings In all,
Is inadequate 10 equip a student eth
ciently for an occupation niles her
daily work is correlated with II.
In the spring of 1913 classes were
formed i'm the Manhattan Trade school
for Girls of "A character different from
any evening classes hitherto held in
New York. although experiments W
"A similar nature have been tried In
Massachusetts. Here were offered in
struction in ~drcSsnaking, millinery.
Ian yshade making and machine oper-
ating of various kinds. With II eN-
ccptior OF plain machine operating,
entrants were required to have actual
trade experience related To tht
courses: n girl enrolling for advance
machine embroidery must he cNpe-
ricnced in plain operating; only Slrls
actually employed in drossmakinG
establishments were admitted To- IN,
classes I'm waist draping or pattern
drafting. Glasses were held on tive
nights Il week only and in addition
"A supper was scrvcd at cost in III,
school building. The glimpses of girls
nj work in this school are the hap
piest and most heartening section o'
Miss Van Kleeck's report. Here q
young dressmaker. with "A record o'
two wears apprenticeship in Buda'
pest and Ave years Of work in large
New York dressmaking establishments
had found the opportunity she nae
been seeking those seven years. NJ
her work had been on garments after
they had been u n dr1pcd. Now
:. she had an opportunity To learn drap'
:. ing. A young Italian girl. a
OF the day classes of the
Trade School. who in W years ha'
worked her way from a wage "i =
a week to sl5 "A week. was studNlns
:. pattern drafting and cutting.
IL will be seen that these eNperl
mental classes covered oEly II ma
|, section of the industrial work dom
by women When 1t is recalled that u
+. the twelve large industrial groups
= listed by the state Department f"
:. labor. only three Of them, the manu-
facture of paper and pulp, the bulldln'
, trades, ani the industry of supplying
water, light and power in elite an
/ villages, are without women worker
y the vastness Of the possibilities "f sue
evening schools a this Manhatta'
n Trade school experiment Is force'
: upon one.
Miss Van KleeCk's report reflect
= an efficient and tacrful INVESTIGATION
g II will be interesting - all th"ughtiu
and sympathetic observer Of N"'
York's great army Of women waE
earnprs.