The Brinkley argus., 1916-07-07
PUBLIC EDUCATION IN ARK
 ANSkS
No. z. Vocational Education.

By A. M. Jordan, Assistant Professor
 of Education, University of
 Arkansas
 The democratic spirit which has at last reached education says that there must be equality of opportunity in school work as well as in any other work. What does this mean7 It means that all people must have that preparation to live life socially ef- fcient. To be socially efficient man must be able first of all to make living; second, he must have prepara- tion to fulfill his civic obligations. and finally must be able tu enjoy his leisure time. Note that M this philo- sophy economic efficiency comes first. And indeed why should it notY A man who is unable to make a living cannot be a good citizen Poverty Is directly responsible for a third of the crime in our land. In fact, of the in- mates of the prisons of the United States as whole, 76 per cent have no definite occupation. On the other hand, those of us who have followed the great reformatories of our land know that when these young crimt- nals are taught vocation along With some other thing of lesser importance that sometimes over 83 per cent go out into the world and make good citizens. Nor is that all There are ten million people in the United States who have not enough to eat, nor enough to wear, nor a respectable place to live in for all the year. This Is directly attributable to a lack Of training along lines that are neces- sary. Now turning for a minute or two to the second phase of the ques- tion, that of good citizenship, we find that there is little done in the school looking directly to the meeting of this demand. A little text book civics, something about history, and there you have it all. Civic righteousness demands healthy, moral and inter- ested person. Hygiene, community civics. history that shows the present on the background of the past, cur rent events; these are some of the things demanded. There is scarcely a turn made looking directly to the broader moral obligations of the com ing citizen. In the enjoyment of leis- ure time there is needed good music, play, love for good literature, art and other things.
 But the case for vocational educa- tion does not have to be argued; 1t speaks for itself The means of ob- taining these ends is the trying ques- tion. How is 1t to be done? Can it be done with the equipment we have. Will 1t cost more money? Can we get the people interested? Along just what lines will we proceed? Now vocational education is broader than many people would think It includes professional education, home making, commercial, industrial and agricul. tural
 Professional education Is well cared for in our country. The universities throughout the land prepare persons for law, the ministry, medicine, teach ing or for whatever else one needs It is said that America has as good universities as has any country.
 The most important occupation of a great majority of the women of our country is home making, yet up to a few years ago there was little if any thing done looking directly to this work. Of the children that die an amazingly large per cent die before they reach the end of their first year. These deaths are preventable in many case2 If almost all women are to be mistresses of homes sooner or later, and if they are to have the care of children they most certainly should have some sort of direct preparation for this work. Most model house. wives" are very wasteful Many of these things could be corrected by means of good course in Home Eco. monies. It seems that if the kitchen is to be made place where drudgery IS not, bOUuStuluS Ol lu6 SClcutl1lC ana artistic side of cooking must be en- phasized. Sewing, of course, Is need. ed, for while clothes do not make the man they certainly improve him in many ways. It is said that If you take dirty "down-and-out" and dress him in respectable clothes he will act quite differently. Then again in sew ing as in cooking, when the aim is work of art drudgery is to a large ex. tent lost The home is the consumer. the ultimate consumer. Whatever en- ters the home is directly concerned with the woman. Is the food pure which she feeds her baby? Is the milk full of bacteria? Has the water been thoroughly cared for? These are some of the questions that the mother Is asking. If she is concerned about these things how vitally is her life bound up with the life of the commun- ity! again, the woman does most of the purchasing for the household. And how necessary it is that she know something about textiles, about pur- chasing, about supply and demand. and about all those things which de- tormina the nurnhscfnu roua. 1s