The Washington times., 1915-03-19
Representatives of Many Or
ganizationS Are Heard BY
Board of Education.
By J. r. HILDEBRAND.

Earnest pleas that the Board of Edu.
cation take some definite steps toward
vocational education in public schools
were made at the meeting of the Board
| of Education a few days ago. one of
the most interesting appeals in behalf
| of vocational training was made by Anna
B. Sloane. a native OF Sweden, who has
| studied vocational training methods in
| that country.
Mrs. Sloane Opens Discussion.
Mrs. Sloane read q paper opening the
/ discussion which brought forth applause
and audible expressions of appreciation
from members of the board. Other
speakers talked without notes
Mr.. Rosenbaum. president Of a big
clothing concern" said Mrs. Sloane
spoke before the New York board OF
factory Investigators, and said 90 per
cent of the graduates Of New York
schools were unfit for any kind of work,
and that Of the other 30 per cent. ~
per cent had to be dropped after trial
by employers because of their inability
to learn a trade.
not with the officials or teachers OF cur
schools. 1t lies with the school system,
which now Is thoroughly out of touch
with the ever-changing conditions
about it."
After the period between twelve and
fourteen years, Mrs. Sloane said, it be-
comes increasingly difficult for a boy
or a girl to acquire complete correla-
ton between brain and hands. She
said the mistake made where some Vo-
cational education is being tried is in
delaying it until too late in the pupils
life.
Any Training Valuable.
Teach a child a vocation" she con-
tinued, and even IL he wishes to
change it later no harm will be done.
The training will be as valuable as the
abstract training he now gets with
algebra which no one pretends is going
TO be useful to him.
In Chicago, according to Mrs. Sloane,
q $3.50 children are receiving instruction
in various vocations. Their training is
begun in primary grades. 1t includes
house building, carpentry work, print
ing, metal work, plumbing. and me-
chanical drawing for boys; and cook
ing, dressmaking millinery and other
forms Of domestic science for girls.
Such education has higher value
than mere bread winning" Mrs. Sloane
asserted We need to teach teachers
the difference between information and
education, between JOY and pleasure.
Pleasure is only a sense satisfaction
which, like candy, may be agreeable for
the moment. bnt is bad mental food.
The craving for motion picture enter
tainments indicates an inward lack of
n entail and spiritual qualities.
Children need to be taught true val
ues in life. They should learn that the
cook who prepares food is more valu-
able member of society than her mis-
tress who eats IT, unless that mistress
can do something equally valuable.
Have Right Instinct.
Children also should be helped TO dis
tipguish between recreation that re-
quires active participation of mind and
body instead OF that which creates men
tai picture films. Children have the
right instinct in this regard; they wish
to dig caves, build huts. and make
things, to work for definite results"
School farms is one plan Mrs. Sloane
advocated for Washington. Suburban
cars, she pointed out. run to the coun-
try each morning empty to bring work.
ers to town, and run in again empty in
the evenings after taking them home.
On these trips the cars could be utli-
lied, she believes. in conveying school
children to these farms. There the chill
dren themselves could build small shops,
came ries. laboratories, and hothousC-.
She believes the products of these
farms would more than pay the 81 500
annual salary of an instructor from the