The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-27
LABOR IN THE SCHOOLS.
Does the Education System Di>cour-
age Honorable Toll:

To II Editor OF THE SrN-Sis. How
ala 1t come about that foreign workmen
IN dangerous numbers are present in his
country
The top and bottom Of tine whole
trouble IL our school system From one
enc OF the ana to the other We see and
near Of schools. schools. schools. No
child is So poor hut it must Ice sen,
to school and kept there In the hope "
discovering, perhaps, some latent spark
of intelligence worth blowing into flame.
Kind folks with hiGhbrow tendencies
actually want ''thc child to STAY in
school until ~ Is sixteen years old. and
they disparagc blind alley Jobs FOR any
pupil. Nj jobs must n~ominally, at least.
lead to a career.
The school system actually takes any
thought Of industry or self-rcliancc out
Of pupils heads. They won't work when
they htv" heard only disparagement ~
work all their lives why should they"
II. then, the common. everyday work OF
the country is there To he done, and our
own young folk are not raised to he
workers. clearl, some ono Else must he
brought in by millio to do il.
1t goes the round Of tho paperS a,
times that Italians hero send 500. 900
600 yearly to Italy. that great labor
exporting country NJ one can look AT
them and think they are in any way "A
veal and dccadcnt race. Al the height
Of pumhI's agitation $50 oar. 600 was
reported AS tho annual tribute paid by
Tho United states to Austria for lthor.
Is il not wonderful To consider that IN a
country founded for ia" common pco-
pie every effort is made to rcuder work
physically Impossible and mentally alb
horrent To those same commonso Tho
city school systems are made SO good
60 and effective in this way that all
the world throngs cityward to learn to
he too good to work. We have with a
vengeance cured what was bad with
what was worse.
Hut IA remedy is at hand. simple and
effective, our schools teach nothing ac-
curately. Teachers in the upper clcmen-
tary classes spend their time on matters
nominally taught below promotions are
made on 80 per cent, uf attainment. yes,
and uu 80 per cent, quite ~ readily as
on any other. Il Is officials admitted
on page II of Andrews School Re-
port Of July /, 1913 The iilnus invest.
eating committee said "graduntion from
NR class Is no proof that the pupil knows
anything accurately"
Vet accuracy Is tho most valuable part
Of education, and pupils Astounding in
in|arcuraCy regarding all subjects are
only too plentiful in all the uppcr classes.
the high" schools. the colleges. We
actually have truant officers at work
In our high" schools, incredible ~ II
may seem. This fact may interest Stew
art Browne, that inquisitiNe ~taXpaycr
who wants tn know so much.
Bu back To our muttons. the remedy
for the refusal of ''the child to work.
by any and every means, whether con-
stitutional provision. legislative art,
home rule act. the teaching profession
should be required Ia h. honest, They
should promote no pupil not well fitted
with 80 per cent, or more regularly at
tanned in all subjects. Comparatively
few are capable of 90 per cent. even
in spurts. and fewer in long continued
effort, They will then not he deceived
into the belief that they are educated"
they'll have quite AS much as il good ia,
them, and AS much in fact as they nav.
now Then W. shall have our work don,
by native labor, and keep the ANNA
quarter OF a billion dollars right here
Let us have honesty In schools.
ROBERT L. GREEN.
NEW YORK, October %.