New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-06-12
By HENRIETTA RODMAN.

It is a very interesting and important
fact that the American Federation OF
Labor and the Socialists have both is
sued within the last few days criti-
cisms of the public schools. talked
yesterday with Maud Thompson (Ph.
D., by the way), the secretary Of the
Socialist Committee on Education.
"More than half the children leave
school before the seventh grade" she
told me, land these are the children OF
the working classes.
what have they gained in the six
years that they have been in school?
The necessary social tools-readng,
writing and arithmetic grant, but
they have had no training which would
prepare them to choose wisely their
life work.
at is not the schools business TO
81 q child to meet an employers de-
mands. but the school should teach him
the main facts and processes OF in
dustry. so that he will know what he
is going into.
Teaching a particular trade is dan
gerous. because the conditions OF in
dustry are constantly changing. The
bow or girl needs to know fundamental
processes and types of machines so
that he or she may be able TO pass from
one machine TO another and not stand
ignorant and helpless when the old
machine is taken out and the new one
put in. 80
at is the first duty of the public
schools TO fit the children for the lives
that most of them will live. But they
must be taught not only how to work;
they must be taught also how TO enjoy
their leisure.
These are the changes that the
workers demands:
~. Manual training in every grade
of the school system adapted to the
age of the children of each grade.
80. The choice of industrial processes
in reference to
a. Their provision for variety Of
occupation.
b. Their adaptation TO the child's
physical and mental develop
ment.
c. Their power to arouse interest.
"3 Attenuation of work, play and
book study in every school day. Zone
of the eXcellencies of the Gary system
"a. Retention of cultural studies
that is, music, literature, drama, art,
languages and sciences-for all chill
dren.
"5. The teaching of the history and
present condition of industry.
sc. Education for better living, that
is, for parenthood, housekeeping,
hygienic living, self-government and
community life.
"These are the dangers that threaten
the children of the working class in
the public schools:
a. Making good machine tenders in
stead of educated men and women.
"2. The attempt to adapt the child
TO the complex processes Of present day
industry by the use of machine meth
DDS and subdivision of work IN the
schools, thereby disregarding his phy5i-
cal, mental and emotional needs.
"3. Making the product an end for
the sake of profit, instead OF a means
of education.
~. Selling the products Of the chill
dren's work in open market for less
than market prices.
rs. Teaching a trade in the elemen-
tary schools before the child is mature
enough 10 choose his vocation.
Sc. Depriving the children Of the
workers OF the culture which alone can
make d life of monotonous toll endur-
able.
~. Deepening the gulf between the
privileged and unprivileged classes by
providing at public expense two kinds
Of education il the grades. one for the
children Of the workers and another
for those children whose parents can
afford 10 send them to high school and
college.
49, Allowing employers organiza-
tions to control in any way the educa.
tional policy"
The test is the veriest rot" Presi.
dent Churchill is quoted by "The
Globe" as saying OF a history test
which dealt with such modern PROP
'7ARPET j&l ". WILLIAMS
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