The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-07
DOLLY DALRYMPLE
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ably a few thousand inhabitants in the town; look what it is today, a magnti- teemlng prosperity And who has done of the country rich in natural resources which the practically educated master minds have turned into panorama of teming prosperity. And who has done this? The technical men--there's Mir. Cor don Crawford, the able president of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad com pany, who is a Tech man; young Jones of Montgomery, an Auburn graduate. first conceived the idea that ultimately led to the establishment of the great Alabama Power company, and it's vast industries and resources. As if by the magic of Aladdins lamp your prosperity has sprung into existence; your growth is one of the marves of the new south; splen- did structures great aggregation of population, multiform industries bearing witness of the marvellous transformations But, every effect must have a cause; things do not merely happen. Wherefore this mighty metamorphoss. this mighty creation of wealth, this production of values? Not, l say, by chance, nor by ignorance, nor by common sense alone, but by education, my mental training, by the magic of that peculiar form of power which has been developed within the last
 
 science.
 From the beginning of educational ef- fort. the aim of the systems of any pe- riod has been to prepAe men for their vacations, or callings, or professions. The particular vocation or calling, of course, varied with the era; yet. the aim of the schools has ever been the fitting of one for the chief calling of his day, be that what it may. Within the last half cen tury the masses have asked equal rights with the classes. The artisan has arrived upon the educational stage, the me- chanic, the farmer, the doer of things, as well as the thinker of thoughts, de- manding training for his own special life work Perhaps the most significant fac tor in our educational life today is that education known as industrial or voca- tonal, of which I am an ardent cham pion. The aims and methods and results of this industrial education are entirely different from any of the old literary or classical traditions of education. It's aim is to dignify manual labor, and to lit men for the practical business of life.
 Continuing, pr. Thach said: .While training the intellect and the imagination ana the emotions of the pupil, the aim of this education is also to train the constructive and executive faculties; it aims to teach not only how to think thoughts, but to do deeds; not only to reason abstractly, but to apply knowledge concretely, practically, effectively, trans lat1ng the intansible concept of the mind into the concrete and tangible thing of the laboratory or the workshop, or the barn yard. Education according to this view, is for physical welfare as well as for pure mental delight. To equip a boy or girl with practical profession or trade which places them upon their feet and assures an honest livelihood by productive, constructive work; to increase the product of economic goods In all their forms; to understand and direct the great physical and chemical forces of nature for the use and advancement of humanity; to contribute to the ma- terial physical comfort and happiness of man-these are a few of the practical aims of the education of which speak," You understand" Dr. Thach said, that in my enthusiasm in advocating the in- dustrial side of education it is not with the motive of disparaging the classical education, but to supplement it, the ratio in the curriculum, in other words, uniting the cultural clements with the practical clements, thus making perfect whole" Will women aid in this constructive worlS-have any part in it-or are you in favor of such things, suffrage, and the rest?" I asked.
 Dr. Thach smiled and said quickly: My family is divided on that ques- ton. have veryFprogressive daugh- ter, a Converse college girl, later a Vas sar student. She is highly in favor of suffrage. I have a son at Johns Hop kins who is just as much opposed as my daughter is in favor of suffrage" was the reply. And one more question, and then shall be through I begged ''Tell me about the class of material that you have to work with now--the boys who come to you-do they measure up to the stand ard of decade ago?''
 T could not ask for better material" pr. Thach said proudly. especially in the matter of preparedness; or perhaps prep aration would be better; this is largely due, I can trutbfulIy say, to the system of county high schools and the splendid work done by them. Nearly all the coun- ties of the state are now equipped with high schools and they are doing valiant service in preparing the boys and girls of today for college and, indeed, for life!"