New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-03-06
BUSINESS SCHOOLS
COST MANY DEAR
Cleveland Investigation
Shows Faults of Short
CUT Methods.
PLEA FOR CHILDREN
OF THIS CITY MADE
Public Should Take More Inter-
est in Welfare Of Pupils,
IS Urged.
BY HENRIETTA RODNAN.

BY HENRIETTA RODNAN.
The Vocation Bureau for Girls IN
Cleveland mas lust completed study
Of commercial schools. Miss Bertha
Stevens. director OF the bureau. made
this study in order TO find out why
graduates of business schools did not
make good in business.
$50 many girls came 70 the bureau
70 get work in factories after they had
spent a hundred dollars. perhaps, IN
learning stencgraphy, and a wear or
two in 'mriftng helplessly and finally
hopplcssly. into and soon out OF OF III
paid jobs.
81 found. in the first place. that only
one-tenth Of the students taking busl-
ness courses were in the public
schools Ninety per cent were IN prl-
yate or parochal schools.
The private business schools carry
on an extraordinarily active campaign
70 get pupils from the public schools.
They offer short cuts to success with
out regard 20 facts, or 70 the welfare
Of the children.
we found by far the largest per
centagc of failures in business among
Young people who left the elementary
schools to 90 20 business schools. Inc
most general education the better
chance of success. that is 10 say. better
wages. hours and conditions Of work
and greater permanence OF employ
mert
We found tina. in the private bust
ness schools the equipment OF books,
tvpewriters, etc. was often poor ana
the teachers ignorant. The course OF
study was almost invariably made
ouate. for even when the stenOgraphy
itself was well taught it was entirely
insufficient without thorough training
in English
Miss stevens told me a great deal
more, all OF which tailed with my own
knowledge of similar conditions IN New
York. We are badly in need here OF
such study Of commercial schools
and courses as Cleveland has made.
Mss StevenS'S report IS about TO be
published.
The public schools take youngsters
At i've o. SIN years old from the uny.
protected world Of the home. and IN
about ten years send them out INTO the
very large and unprotected world OIL
factories, dance halls and movies.
We. the people of New York, control
in large measure the lives OF elghI
hundred thousand children for ten
years. Eight million years OF human
life. which we can influence. you and
t. And what are we dong win thlS
colossal opportunity"
Yawning over our problems, most Of
us. ike stupid children. leaving the
schools to about three dozen average
citizens and one dozen exceptional
ones our b. Of +. They IN turn are
lntrusting them for the most part TO
about dozen and a half selected
school teachers our Board or super
intendents.
Let YOUR Imagination wander Tor
moment over those 100000 years or
human life, which are here az our hsnd
so plastic so ready to be moulded INTO
loneliness and Joy. so easily stifened
into stubborn dulness, our pfevaIlIng
social condition
What do the public schools need
most?' ! asked chemist, an architee'
and an anthropolOgl
Revision Of the curriculum replied
the anthropologlst. cut out the de-
tailed facts. Don't cram the children $
minds with dead weight; cultivate m
depcndent, individual thinking. hu-
man nature is static enough; develop
the dynamic elements.
what we need most in the schools
is true democracy. he building OF me
international mind" said the chemist.
who is also an idealis'. We need
new patriotism based on understanding
and appreciation o. other nations.
From such teaching in the public
schools would develop cooperation
among the nations IN place Of compe-
titiou ard conflict
"Wha, the public schools need most
are teachers free from blgotry. preJu-
dice and all uarrow-mindedncss.' SAID
the architect. without them the
broader ideals Of to-day Will be forced
with difficulty into our cramped school
system
How 90 YOU define mental defec
tiye'?" asked Miss Edna Bryner Of
the educational department Of the Sage
Foundation.
AS the inability of an individual to
nerform the duties or the position in
which he was born she replied That
Is. defective is a relative term. The
family which may be fairly efficient in
the country will often be driven to the
wall by the more severe competition Of
city life
How common il Effectiveness" !
inquired.
1T is estimated that there are
500. 900 detectives in the United States.
There are more insane persons IN IN
stitutions than there are students IN
all the colleges and universities in the
country The cost Of their care Is
greater than the combined costs OF the
judicial. executive and legislative de-
par,ments Of the federal government.
About % Ter cent OF the inmates of
criminal institutions are detectives.
and yet very large majority OF all
detectives are a. large IN the com
munlty
Women detectives nave twice as
many children as normal women.
Our only hope Of protection from
this increase Of degeueracy in the popu-
lation lies IN the public schools They
have been called & dragnet which
brings under observation all the chill
dren Of the community. II this obscrva-
ton Is sufficiently expert detectives
can he detected, and Il We become
aroused 20 our responsibility 10 safe
guard our civilization they Will be
Se2rezrated'