The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1917-09-18

NEW YORK
DEFENDING
GARY PLAN
National Council of Defense
Education Chief Issues
Statement.

1 NEW YORK. Sept ls.-The Public
4 Welfare committee began it's defense
i or the Gary system Of education
yesterday by giving the opinion Of
i II E. Miles OF Racine Wis. who is
chairman Of the Section on Industrial
/ Training for the War. Emergency Of
the Advisory Commission of the Ccun-
+ eli Of National Defense. Mr. Miles is
I a former president of the Wisconsin
State Board Of Industrial Education,
former Chairman Of the Committee on
Vocational Education of the United
States Chamber Of Commerce. and is
chairman OF the Committee on Indus
4 trial Education of the National Asso-
! citation OF Manufacturers.
4 step in Right Direction.
! In Mr.. Miles opinion. New York
+ city has stepped in the right direction
I by introducing the system of voca-
/ tional training. He is not surprised
that there has been criticism of the
i Gary plan. and adds that IL VIII take
+ ten years 70 get results from the plan
as far as it is in operation now.
/ The idea Of vocational training in
/ the schools" he says. lis merely the
working Of a social and economic de-
velopment, and is not a matter for
+ the credit OF any individual group.
4 1t will establish national efficiency
/ on broader lines than have been
dreamed Of by having the growing
4 generation trained to the mastery Of
1 successive tasks. through competent
training in some one. and in that way
i the individual viii lift himself to a
better place. and provide a larger ana
finer life.
NO one with the least intelligence
viii conceive that training in the
humber occupations will have any
/ tendency to keep a person in those oc-
equations. but to make a boy or girl
master Of some one thing gives him
or her a distinct advantage in the
battle of life"
The charge that the Gary system
/ is undemocratic in its intentions and
that it purposes to rivet the poorer
classes TO industrial pursuits Nj
+ Miles says. is narrow and wicked
+ that there is no compulsion about the
matter and that many of the leading
men Of the country are not now fol-
lowing the work they started in.
"The Duty of the NatiOn.>
Look at the question for a moment
from the broader standpoint Of ma
tional obligation" ne said. Only a
I traction over 4 per cent OF the popu-
lation enter the professions. 1t is the
duty OF the nation TO see that the
other s5 per cent. get an equal oppor-
tunity. No man will be injured spir-
itualiy or socially by training that
makes him a better mechanic"
He pointed out that so per cent. Of
the school children leave between the
third and sixth grades OF public school
without any specific educational equip
ment that will help them in the fu-
ture, and he declared il was the duty
or the community 10 see that these
children have their birthright He
quoted Bishop Grundvig of Denmark
to the effect that "a school that be-
gins with the alphabet and ends with
book knowledge is a school Of death
and added that this must be avoided
He declared that supervised play and
work experience should supplement
books in the school course
The Public Welfare committee will
have rival in the person of the Save
the Public Schools Anti-Gary League
which has taken Offices at the Hotel
Marlborough. Sol TckuIsky. secretary
Of the league. announced that a speak.
ing campaign would he inaugurated
Frank White. president. has sent out
letter attacking DR.. Abraham Fiex-
ner and other members of the Board
Of Education.