The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1915-11-27
SUGGESTS CHANGE
NSCH0OL SYSTEM
6. N. Thomas Shows Need Of
Vocational Training.
BACKS OPINION WITH FACTS

Taking the Economic Condition Among
Our People In Philadelphia az an
Example, Professor Thomas Makes
Strong Plea For tho Kind Of Eduea-
ton Which Supplies Individual Needs.
Charles M. Thomas, LII. B., In an
able article which appeared in a recent
issue Of the Philadelphia Ledger dis
cusses at length the need Of vocational
training for colored people. Professor
Thomas article in part reads thus:
1.-THE time has come when the color
ed citizens of Philadelphia and every
citizen should talk, discuss, investi
gate, agitate and enthusiastically sup
port all forms Of education which
seek to improve Industrial efficiency
Having passed the period Of exploita
ton of extensive natural resources.
this country. and especially in its ur
ban centers, is facing an era Of con
servation and higher efficiency through
elimination of waste and increased
skill in its operatives preparatory to
securing the perpetuity of the republic
through unborn generations. ......
An examination Of the occupation
statistics for the last census Of the city
of Philadelphia shows 51O,871 males
and 200.298 females engaged In the
fundamental activities of agriculture,
trade, transportation, domestic and per
sonal service and clerical work. OF
these persons about 5S in every 1,00O
are colored males. and 100 In every
1000 are colored females. How are
these people employed and in what
ways can public education aid them
and consequently the community In
which they live? For, unlike many Of
the foreign born elements Of the city.
the colored people spend their earnings
where they make them.
Suffice it to say that these people
have physical wants to be satisfied by
foods, houses, woods. metals. textiles
and clays and drugs, such as all men
have. and they have spiritual aspira.
tions to be satisfied by culture from
social contact, travel, amusements, lit
erature, music and art. but they have
aimed to satisfy the more pressing
wants and aspirations by the methods
at hand, by imitation and, to a large
extent, by accepting any and every op.
portunity offered by those to whom
they could be Of any service. ...
"A few, through keener insight, better
guidance or more friendly contact and
the equality of opportunity, have blaz.
ed ways for their peculiar capacities
to supply the wants and aspirations of
those more able to secure what their
capital would command. In fact, Phil
adelphia has been renowned among
colored people for the number and fair.
ness Of its opportunities to secure di
versified employment. and there are
not a few families among its colored
population who are beyond immediate
want, If not able to aid others both BY
charity and employment. Using the
method Of trial and error. many have
sought to increase their capacity to
satisfy their greater wants by follow
ing the traditional curriculum Of the
free school system. only to lind In
many instances that such procedure
made them aware Of even larger wants
and higher aspirations without pro-
portionately increasing their power to
satisfy them. @
"What is needed today is such a
method Of educating each and every
child In this and each other American
community 50 that he may not only
know how to secure permanent and
positive good In this life. but that he
may know what constitutes such per
manent and positive good In an eco
nomic age such as this now sand bids
fair to remain. Education today must
aim to inculcate character as just and
equitable relations to ones fellows In
all activities. to give training In the
skillfu and economic production OF
useful things and In rendering etfi-
cient service by maximum output with
minimum expenditure of time and en-.
ergy and to induce loyalty to the state
and activity for its betterment Such
an aim can be realized at cost not
much greater than that now borne for
q training largely literary and clerical,
"a training which neglects to large
extent the necessity for motor activity
in the formation of the very ideas the
schools claim to establish
"In the vocational schools the yari-
ous activities may be subdivided, and
tho special fitness Of students may be