Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1917-02-01
WHY GO TO SH00L?
Secretary of Commerce and Labor
In Presidents Cabinet Answers
The Question.

article ON regularity of attendance,
going to school is not desi nd as
a ''time killer" There is reason
for going to school.
When Theodore Roosevelt was
Pre- sident of the United States, he
named Mr.. Oscar Strauss of New
York as Secretary of Commerce and
.abor in his Cabinet. Mr. Strauss
set for his Department the proble m
of finding out the value of educa-
ton in terms of earning capacity
If the people of the United Sat in
all walks of life. He divided he poo
pie into three classes with respect
to the amount of education each
had received.
The first class was composed OF
hose who either had no education
Or had dropped out of school before
reaching the High School.
The second class was composed Of
hose who had finished high school
education.
rrhe third class was composed of
College graduates.
Blank report forms were prepared
and sent all over the United States.
The deductions were finally made
aftcr thousands of reports and tens
of thousands of sub reports had BEEN
gathered. A period of forty years,
rom about 20 to 60 years OF age,
was taken as the average working
life time of a person
1t was found that the earnings of
he first class, composed Of un d1cat-
ed, unskilled people, who had quit
school before reaching the Hi7h
School, averaged $4,000 for the
life time of forty years.
For the second class, composed Of
High School graduates, the rerorts
showed the earnings averaged a lit
lie over $40 900 for the working life
time of forty years.
The difference in earning capacity
between these two classes is Sc n
% be $4,000 for the working life
Tine.
The school year consists of $50
sohooI days. 1t takes twelve yea"s
Dr. 2160 days for the pupil to finish
he High School. To the question,
Does it pay?" Mr.. Strauss puts it.
his way: Divide the difference in
earning capacity between the first
and second classes, which is s22 900,
BY the number of days it takes to
get the High School education, which
IS 2160 and it will readily be sen
hat in going to school for twelve
years the pupil actually earns lit
lie more than $40 day in ''futures".
Is Mr.. Strauss conclusion, wor h
Many boy has dropped out Of
school, giving up his salary of $40
4 day in futures" to accept $3.50
N present cash and honestly thought
4 was doing the thing that was
best for him. He did not realize
hat the time spent in sharpening
wits and developing keennc ss OF in
.ellect would materially increase his
earning capacity, at least not to-
he extent which this report proves.
If so, he would have chosen . more
wisely.
Now l know, and SO does every
,ne, that there have been exc ptions.
There are men without school edu-
,ation who have made fortunes, and
here are men who are highly edu-
Gated in books and schools, who are
not worth their salt. On he whole
he exception is rare and does not
prove any thing, but no one can sue
,essfully dispute the results of an
such as that made by
he Secretary of Commerce and La
Dor with all the machinery of gov
and labor to help him.
This investigation considers only
he question of whether education
pays in dollars and cents-perhars
he loves in the list Of motives.
It leaves out of account the big
ger things of life. such as increas d
ability to appreciate those things
which are BEAUTIFUL, sublime and
slevating, and the increased capacity
or service, which, after all, is the
thief end of education and can not
,e computed in dollars and cents.
Add all these to Mr.. Strauss de-
lucticns and ask again, docs 1t
Jay to go to school,?
There are numberless other just
Is good reasons, but the limits Of
pace forbid more than one. VIII n
feorge L. Chase was president Of
he Hartford Fire Insurance Com |
amy, the largest in the world, he
ssued an order to the effect that
IS between two applicants for posi-
t.