Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-04-10
10 Esd. for rre.Ident rrn.t.

NO Fads for President Ernst.
OMAHA, April 80 the Editor Of The
Bee I have read with interest the COM
municatione in the daily press signed
Knott Abitt Paddle" wish 20 state
emphaticaliy that ever since | was first
elected a member of the school board at
Lineoln, many years ago. 1 have per
sonally been opposed to rads-nor am I
the only member OF the present Omaha
school board who is mot bit faddy."
I FULLY agree with those who hold that
the necessity OF High School OF Com
merce, as at present operated, is at least
debatable. l fear that much time is being
wasted by being devoted to the mere
study Of stenography. typewritlng, book
keeping and teiegraphy, which ought 70
be devoted to studies Of broader cultural
scope, I confess that I have not had time
to look into facts in detail. but that 10
my present impression. have not hest
tated 10 Indicate my opinions to my COL
leagues of the Board OF Education and to
Superintendent Graft. had a long inter
view with NJ. Graft about two weeks ago
and have letter wherein he pitt him
self on record In part as follows;
An ideal plan for the solution OF the
present difficulties would be to erect a
building adjacent to the Central High
the commercial department Such a
building should be large enough to take
care OF the manual training departments
OF the Central High school or else two
buildings should be erected--ons for each
department. The manual training at pres
emit IL unsatlsfaotoriiy housed and can
not be PE PRO- for 4 II . SSlSns OF
The advantages Of this plan are OBJ
vious: First. 1t would oentralizs the man
agen1ent and reduce overhead expenses
duplication of courses and duplication oe
EQUIPMENT. Third, Il would enable any
high school pupil TO take any of the vari-
ing him rigidly to a single department.
Prior TO September 1919 commercial In
struotlon was given at the CentrE High
school in the same way as there existed
and English course and classical
course. That commercial course as
one branch of regular high school work
may be necessary and perfectly Justifiable
Is possibly true or, to put Il in another
way, thore are probably many children in
a city like Omaha whose parents might
insist on some fundamental training
along ''oommerciar' lines at public ex-
pense. But they should not be permitted
TO bulge" In that direction to the neg
lect OF studies promoting general cul-
ture. That the money required for a
building to HOUSE the pupils now
crowded into the Leavenworth street
school and a lot OF wholly unfit store
rooms in that vicinity should be separately
voted on do not concur IN. unless the
young mem and women now thus Inn
properly housed must be wholly elirnin-
ated from enrolment as pupils OF our
public school system
1 do not think that the question OF an
additional building, absolutely and un-
avoidably needed. and which It IL pro-
posed to erect upon or Immediately adj
jacent to the Central High school CAM
pus has anything to do with the ques-
ton of the status which commercial or
vocational education shall hereafter Of
cupy In our educational system. . Mr..
Graffs letter. concurring with my own
general idea. that the couple divorced"
three years ago when the Commercial
High was established as q separate and
independent entity shall be reunited
\ in some form upon or adjacent to the
Central High school campus, and the
fmpossibility of crowding any part OF
the present 800 students enrolled in the
Commercial Fsigh into the present Cen
trail High school building. ought TO be
sufficient reason for the expenditure OF
the necessary money 20 erect the addi-
ditiOnal building needed. upon or ada
cent TO the Central High campus.
The people OF this city owe Il TO the
children now In the. public schools of
Greater Omaha" to vote that million
dollars of honda not a dollar of which.
think oan ASSURE them, win be wasted
on "fads" o. J. ERNST