The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1915-01-09

The private commercial school is
technical institution. 1t prepares steno-
graphers and bookkeepers and teaches
Office routine 1t won its respect and
position in the business world and has
since maintained that position and re-
spect, merely because it has given and
continues to give the kind of instruction
which it held out to give.
The Business college does its work
efficiently and public high schools viii
do well to model their clerkship courses
after the private school and adapt their
methods of instruction. The objection
to the private school is that its course
is limited. Clerkships as a profession
comprise only about Is per cent of the
work done in the ordinary business
establishment. The public high school
should make provision for the remain
ing IS per cent who go into business
without especial training.
Many corporations, business houses
and Y. M. C. AS over the country pro-
vide courses at their own expense in
such subjects as advertising, salesman
ship, business management, business
law, banking and finance, etc., which is
evidence the work is demanded. City
high schools could add economics, COM
merciai geography and sociology to this
list and with the English and mathe-
mates required, together with the stem
ographic course and bookkeeping rout-
inc, provide a splendid four years
course.
High schools in the country and in the
smaller towns could substitute Farm
Accounting, Farm management, Legal
paper, Dairy management, Rural eco
Monies, Commercial geography and rur-
al sociology, and formulate a curricul-
UNI desirable for the country town. 1t
is alright too, in the country, to teach
the correct and rapid use of the type
writer and adding machine, for their
use is necessary on the farm; but short
hand and office routine and department
store management and banking prac-
tice have no place in rural high school
Many small high schools in Kansas are
initiating the private business schools
in attempting to prepare stenographers
and commercial bookkeepers. When
they do succeed in equipping a student
for this work it means that he must
leave his home and go to the already
crowded city for employment. The
most worthy aim of the rural high
school is to prepare for rural living.
SUMMARY.
The purposes of any education are to
prepare for complete living; the salts
flying of human wants and desires is the
great problem of the age and the race
puts in most of its time and energy en-
deavoring to live, therefore it follows
that money spent for educational pnr-
poses should serve all the people as near
ly as possible. In other words educa-
ton should be democratic. Since the
occupations of modern society are so
complex and diversified, our school sys-
tenn must be specialized and diversified
in order to meet these new demands.
Education must be differentiated. l.
Between the city and the country. The
special subject matter which is fit for
the city high school will not do for the
country high school. The converse is
true. 2. Education should be differ
entiated between the head and the hand.
Since probably four persons out of every
five work with their hands, it is GRIM
inal not to give the four the advantages
of hand training.
By this statement it is not intended
that the cultural side Of education should
be neglected. Certainly every one
should learn to read and write and fig
ure and spell; these things form an es-
sential part of the life of every citizen.
Indeed there is no objection to learning
higher mathematics, languages, philos-
ophy and science, but the school which
provides only these things, falls short
of the requirements of a democracy.
The older theory of education was
based upon mind culture, or mental dis
cipline as it was called. Educators have
found that development, culture and re-
finement may come from other sources
than the classical. When any curricul-
UNI meets the nOSOS Oh the IIlOINIuudl, III
rounding out his nature, giving him
command of himself, broadening his
outlook upon life, fitting him for better
and more complete living, making him
better citizen, it is cultural jim the
broadcast sense.
8. Education must be differentiated
between the various trades. This can
be accomplished through the night
schools and through the Continuation
schools. Mention has been made Of the
Continuation schools of Germany. Prob
ably the best example of Continuation
school in the United States is offered
by the School of Commerce, Accounts
and Finance of the New York Univer-
sity This great school requires &C.
credited high school graduation for en-
trance. IF, for example, a young man
desires to become an Accountant, he
goes into an accountants Office, down
town, and learns practical accounting;
l Il L, l.