The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-06-13
TO MAKE COMMERCIAL
EDUCATION EFFECTIVE
Thousand business Concerns Are
Asked For Suggestions ON Inn
proving Foreign Trade
Methods.

New York, June 12-How far does
the present American system of COM
| mercial education meet the need OF
our developing export and import
trade? What changes should be made
to render the system more helpful?
These questions are the basis OF
an inquiry just begun by the National
Foreign Trade Council through its
committee on Commercial Education
for Foreign Trade. The chairman
of the committee Is Wallace d. Sim
mons. president of the Simmons Hard
ware Company. OF st. Louis. Mr..
Simons is university man. and the
committee is composed of both bust
ness men and educators. Among the
former are Walter L. Clark, formerly
vice. president of the Niles-B ement-
Pond Company, of New York; John r.
Fitzgerald who, as mayor of Boston,
greatly extended Spanish instruction
in the public schools; Stewart X. Tay-
Tor, president of the s. K. Taylor
Lumber Company, of Mobile. Ala.
and James A. Farrell. president of the
United States steel Corporation. and
chairman of the National Foreign
/ Trade Council.
The educators include Professor Ed
win F. Gay, dean of the Graduate
School of Business Administration.
Harvard University; Professor j. w.
jerks director of the Division of Pub
i lie Affairs, New York University
/ school of Commerce. and Prof G. l.
/ Swiggett, of the University of Tonnes
see. Professors Gay AID jerks head
I tVls-ttt MI lon tfh INza do Of
lively pioneering in the field OF COM
mercial education for foreign trade.
The committee thus concentrates both
business and educational experience
to an unusual degree. As the first
step. letters have been sent to the
heads of l,000 corporations and firms
engaged In foreign trae requesting
them TO respond to the following five
questions:
The Questions Asked.
Do you find difficulty in obtain
/ ing young men whose education gives
them the fundamentals which make
it practicable for you to rapidly pro-
mote them in your export business.
and 10 send them abroad os your rep
resentatives? II so. explain the diff
Guilty and to what you attribute IL.
Suggest remedies tthe more the bet
teri.
| How effective and uselul, in connec-
| ton with trade. the customaryETAO
two years Instructions in modern lam
guages given in high schools? Sug-
gest changes In these courses.
Do you find high school graduates
efficient material for clerical work
| in the home Office? II not. what ap-
pears TO be their deficiencies? Suggest
needed subjects for training. Sug-
gest better methods OF training.
| What changes in their general edu-
cational training would you sug.s est
/ for those who expect to become steno-
graphers and correspondents in your
| export department? tThis refers to
work in the home office exclusive of
that which requires a knowledge OF
i foreign languages).
TIE what extent have you employed
graduates of colleges, or graduate
schools. in the work of your home
Office, and to what extent has their
preparation qualified them for work
of this character? In what. II any, re-
spect has their education appeared
not to meet the requirements? Sug-
gest subjects in which additional
training would be helpful.
The data obtained will be communi-
Gated to a large number of educa-
tors. and made tn basis for a con-
icentration Of educational opinion, lead
ing, ii Is hoped to such changes in
icurricula as are shown to be necessary.
The inquiry will also bring to the at
| tention of business men what alread
has been done by educators.