The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1917-10-27
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Federal Government viii Help
Finance Vocational Educa-
ton Work.
BY gibson GARDNER.

WASHINGTON. Oct. 25.-You
probably did not know it, but since
the war began your Uncle Sam has
undertaken to furnish practical,
everyday common sense education
to every working boy and girl between
IA and IS.
The idea is to democratize the
school system and give publicly paid
for instruction in useful lines to young
America.
1t is a large order. The scheme IS
something like the federal good road
aid.
At the top, sitting in some dinyy
old office in some out-of the way old
building in Washington is the Federal
Board of Vocational Education. This
board consists of secretaries of asrf-
culture, commerce and labor, the COM
missioner of education and three pri-
vate citizens representing labor, farm
ing and commerce. The president ap-
pointed Arthur Holder of the Ameri-
Charles A. Greathouse of Indiana,
for agriculture, and James P. Mum
roe, of Boston, for commerce. The
board, working through staff of ex-
perts, of which Charles A. Prosser Of
Dunwoody Institute Of Minneapolis is
the director, runs the job.
The law which started the machin-
cry to working provides specifically
that none of the public's money can
be spent to help pay the education
fostered by anybody else's money.
Congress wanted TO get away from
the Carnegie Institute, the Rockefeller
Foundation, and the rest.
Congress has set aside nearly
100000 for the current year. This
amount, which increases annually till
help the state pay the salaries of the
teachers of agriculture, home eco
Monies and trade and industry SUBJ
jects, and for their training. The
states appoint state boards which
think up scheme for their own use,
submit it to Washington, get an o.
K, get their money and go ahead.
Will Make Big Advance.
Experts on the board say the Smith
Hughes act, under which they are
operating, cannot help putting this
country forward at least a quarter of
a century. They point to a recent re-
port to congress which charged that
Equality of opportunity in our pres
ent system of education is not afforded
to the mass Of our children. While
our schools are opened freely to every
child, their aims and purposes are
such that a majority of the chill
dren are unable to take advantage Of
them beyond a., certain grade and
hence do not secure at public expense
a preparation for their work in life"
If you look up the statistics show
ing at what ages children leave school
you will find that they begin to drop
out fast at the age of II. BY the
time that the young Americans, blessed
with the opportunities of this free
and equal nation, attain the age of
16, only so per cent are receiving any
education whatever.
The high-brow educators Of the
country as a. class do not understand
or sympathize with vocational educa-
ton. They want nice academic, i'm
practical courses Of study. When the
new system which Uncle Sam is just
starting gets fully under way it will
have something fine to offer to the
girls who are at work in the day.
time and who would like to get some
training in cooking and housekeeping.
Write to your state board of edu-
cation If you want to find, out what
chances are opening up for you or
your children under the Smith-Hughes
NJ