Evening star., 1915-05-30
VOCATIONAL
TRAINING IS ADVOCATED
Federation of Woman's Clubs Would
Have Schools Extend
instruction.

Plea for additional vocational train
ing in the public schools of the Dis
trict of Columbia proved a bomb. of
the fiare-up, smoky type. at the meet
ing of the District of Columbia Fedora
toin of Womens Clubs at the Rale gh
last night. 1t was a resolution from
one of the constituent bodies seeking
the approval of the federation to the
plan to have the board of education
provide adequate vocational training
facilities in the schools here. The reso-
luton was adopted, but it had rocky
road, in which some of the mothers
there were told that they should do
some of the vocational training in
their own homes, and not delegate 1t
to d tired. tagged out school teacher
who had to learn the temperaments of
children where the mothers even had
failed.
The resolution when first placed he
fore the organization by Mrs. Ellis 1.c
gan, president, brought forth storm
high school boys when their mothers
tried to get them to fix lock. or put
a caster on piece of furniture. Some
of them couldn't even tie bundle, ac-
cording to the statements of some
mothers 1t was all because they
couldn't use their hands. and this was
blamed on the public schools and the
LACK of adequate vocational training
facilities. There should be vocational
training for the poorer classes, who
have to go out in the world and use
their hands in order to make living,
according to the contention Of some.
This line of Endorsement went on for
about fifteen minutes
Urges Teaching at Home.
se1x-,,,+ $50 ,o,, x,or,an 5o;n1 in ,,our
own homes in the way of vocational
training? Are you teaching your girls
to sweep, to clean house. to make beds?
Are you teaching your boys to drive
nails, do jobs about the house. to wrap
bundles and to use their hands as well
as their heads?
The school teachers have their
hands full trying to teach them to use
that it is part of your duty to teach
them to use their hands and to be use
full. The teachers get tired They have
to do things at school in the way OF
disciplining your children that should
be done by you in your home. You
have not taught them obedience, so it
has to be done at school by the teacher.
who has a lot of other things besides
to do. You must handle your children
until they are eight or twenty one
ears vi dSt, dCCoIuiHS u Tie SldLulc
of the state in which you live. You
have to do it and your husband has to
do it. 1t is part of the duty OF the hus-
band as well as the mother.
Mothers Have Responsibilities.
Il hope you will not delegate to pub
lie school teachers that which belongs
rightly to you. You have duties put
upon you to perform and you cannot
thrust them upon or delegate them to
the teachers of the public schools"
Then there was the complaint that
there was no work for the city boy to
do except to run errands. There was
plenty for the girl to learn.
Yes, there is replied DR.. Jagers.
Let them cook and sweep. It is just as
much their right to learn to do that as
it is the girls,'
The federation also approved the
plan for the construction of a memorial
to Clara Barton, one of the founders Of
the American Red Cross. Mrs. Ada
Weiss, president of the Loyal Legion,
made the proposal
The federation voted SO to the fund
to be used in allaying the suffering in
Mexico. I"