New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-07-16
~ r. A. WRAY.

as Minister for War, fought for mill
tary preparedness in n manner none
of his predecessors had ever attempted
and upon whom lies the credit for the
efficiency and expeditions dispatch 10
France Of Britain's original expedi.
tionary force, has now entered upon
another campaign of preparedness.
one to which he is lending the full
weight of his knowledge and influence
| Preparedness" in this sense ia not a
movement in the direction of war; its
object. on the contrary. is to fit Britain
to fight its cause and maintain its
own in times of peace.
after this war;" Lord Haldane told
me, "the United States and Great
Britain both will be faced by a greater
danger from Germany than any mill
tary aggression on her part could pro-
duce. The signatures to the treaty
of peace will scarcely be dry before
Germany will be launching her new
campaign. On that field Of battle her
weapon will be technical education. To
save herself from utter bankruptcy,
Germany will make terrific CONNER
cial onslaught. and for that she IL or
ganizing from the elementary school
upward Both in the production and
sale of her goods she is preparing for
! this Verdun of trade, and America
and ourselves, her chief competitors,
must be prepared TO meet it.
an this question Of training the boy
to make himself as efficient a CONNER
cial unit as his powers will allow,
/ think both the United States and this
country lag behind Germany. ] know
that America is superior 10 us. and
that great work has Leen done in many
centres in the direction of technical ed
ucation. But neither of us, as ma
ton. can compare with Germany in this
respect. We both suffer from the same
ills.
BOYS Leave School Soon.
"Our circumstances are not dissimi-
lar. Elementary education up to the
age of fourteen runs on much the same
lines in bot countries; but then, after
that. there is bfurcation. The boys of
the well-to-do and the middle classes, as
a rule. are sent to secondary schools
their general education and then go on
to specialize. But with the poorer
classes. in front of whom some form OF
manual work lies mainly, the prospect
is not so happy. In poor home, where
there are several mouths to feed and a
small income TO meet their demands, 1t
is almost natural TO turn boy into a
wage Garner q. the earliest possible
moment even although his subsequent
possibilities may thereby be stultihed.
alexander Paterson, who has stud
led boy life in London very closet y,
SAYS in regard to this: AS rule, the
work which ~ easiest to obtain offers
the highest wages, but the worst pros
meets. The lad becomes a van boy or
sells newspapers and is enabled to
make a substantial addition TO the in
come Of the home. He finds money,
freedom. excitement But in three
wears time come unemployment and
poverty. He now wants a mans wage
and is fit only for a boys job. An
other is added 10 the list of those who
have been ruined by blind alley occu-
pations and the economic value TO the
state Of the boys life is practically
wasted
ain the years to come both America
and Great Britain will need an enor-
mons skilled army of trained workers
TO deal with the commercial attacks or
Germany. The school IL the natural
place 10 recruit them, and Germany IS
turning all her attention in this dlrec-
ton. The pioneer Of her system was
Kerschensteiner. of Munich. HIS meth
cd lay in the association OF compulsory
training in continuation schools WIN
the very beginning Of wage earning
and its continuation up to the age OF
eighteen. His principle was TO take
those who intended TO enter special
trade and use the studies necessary
for that trade as a medium for I'M,
parting both trade skill and general
knowledge.
German System Better.
Germany has induced employers to
coOperate, and they now appear TO nave
realized the advantages over their COM
rotitors which they will derive from
wide and constant inflow into the
work Of youths highly trained in the
special requirements Of the business IN
which they are wanted. The employers
contribute TO the special schools ana
take an actual part in their manage
ment. The teachers are partly school
masters and partly foremen trained TO
teach.
"The object Of the employer is to
get highly trained man. The object
of the state is to get that man well
prepared and educated for his duty as
n citizen. The new type of school,
fashioned on the Kerschensteiner plan,
aims at accomplishing these combined
nurposes. These schools arc OF varl-
cites as regards instruction correspond
ing to the varieties Of trades. There
are schools for young metal workers
for wood workers, for engineers, plumb
ers masons. butchers, bakers. walters
and other occupations, including those
Of women.
"The employer is compelled by law
to send the young wage earners IN MS
works to the appropriate school Tor a
number of hours, which are taken out
of the working times instead of the
evening. In this way instruction comes
while the mind is still fresh. The sys-
tenn is a modern substitute for appren-
ticeship. The employers IN Germany
appear TO be welcoming Il, and the
adult workman is glad to be relieved
from the intrusion of the unskilled.
Employers to Extend Plan.
"The system, which was originally
applied in Munich by Kerschenstoiner