Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-09-21
INDUSTRY'S CALL
TO BOY WORKERS
Advisory Board Expert Says
Demand for Skilled Labor
Must Be Met
BY JANE HILL
ATLANTIC CITY. Sent. 20.

UTN ORDER to meet the demand for
skilled labor, we may have TO give the
boys, and perchance girls, instructions on
Sunday afternoons in the various trades
they desire to follow" says II. e. Miles,
chairman of the section on industrial train
ing for the War Emergency OF the Advisory
Commission of the Council of National De-
fense and chairman Of the state Board OF
Industrial Education Of Wisconsin.
Mr.. Miles has been spending the week at
the Traymore attending the War Emer-
gency Convention Of the National Chamber
of Commerce, and It was there he consented
to be interviewed about the part industrial
education. on which he is one of the finest
authorities in the country, will play in help
ing solve the economic problems.
And why shouldn't children spend their
leisure on Sunday afternoons learning some-
thing that is useful?" he continued. For
religion is applied service and doing Is the
purpose of life. Every essential thing is
noble, and is there anything finer than
teaching children to be useful, happy citi-
zens?
"I remember being in Cincinnati on
Sunday afternoon. A group Of boys were
being taught a trade, and taught in so in
teresting way that another group Of boys
who were about to have baseball match,
were so curious and so fascinated by what
the other boys were doing that they dropped
their bats and came peering in at the win
dows to see what was going on.
European countries are much in ad.
vance of us in the care OF children. No
where in the world. except Russia, is
there such a neglect Of childhood as in Eng
land and in the United States. In the city
of Munich the children receive some reli-
gious training on Sunday mornings, and in
the afternoons they go to the trade schools
Fifty different trades are taught in that
city.
Vocational Training Needed
Vocational education is not teaching oc-
cupation only; it is the making Of men and
women. We see vocational education too
generally. In the concrete, we think of it
in terms of carpentry and the machine
| shop. Even better than we have commonly
taught these trades, we must teach that
| of the butcher the book printer, typesetter,
| photographer, photographer, tinsmith barber,
jeweler merchant cook, tailor druggist,
matchmaker uplolsterer. decorator millner,
| garmentmalier, etc English, hygiene, safety
and citizenship are common to all students
| This kind OF instruction. and this kind only,
should be taught in common,
Educated and efficient mechanics. farm
ers salespeople. homemakers are wanted
for the nations sake. for the sake of each
i
quite so badly as they are today.
From so to so per cent of the boys and
| girls leave school at fourteen. In the State
of Pennsylvania from 10000 to 10000 leave
| under sixteen with only from first TO
fifth grade education, and the great majority
leave because they want to do something.
The three RS cease to interest them.
| Think how much better citizens they would
be IL they were taught to do some one
thing we'll that would fit them for their
position in life. not only from an economic,
but from a social standpoint as we'll
No Skilled Men in Jail
"Do you realize that there are no skilled
mechanics in the prisons today? Men with
good Job seldom get into mischief 1t
is the man who lives by his wits who goes
astray. 1t is the right Of every child to
be given an education that will make him
or her efficient and reasonably happy, able
properly to maintain himself and meet
various obligations Of life and citizenship.
Almost as well deprive a child Of life as
to deprive him of education I'm the funda-
mentaIs OF right living. accomplishment and
rT.. 80
racy must have as fair opportunity as their
brothers in the monarchies of Europe
Some OF the employers have recognized
the economic value of giving training to
employees and setting aside certain hours
from their work for study. Unfortunately,
the training given is not always along
the wisest lines.
Those who receive the lowest wages
are usually most expensive to the employer,
and those who receive high wages bring in
most profit to the firm, so skilled labor is
always in great demand, and there should
be established in every community con-
tnuation schools wherein the children of
fourteen to eighteen years Of age now in
the Industries shall be instructed in the
science and art of their respective indus
tr,sS :. nd in citizenship, to the end that such
education may be made available as soon
as possible to every child who needs 1t. In
fact, there is no reason why facilities
should not be provided so that a man
may go TO school from the time he is
six until he dies In Wisconsin we have
made that provision,
Wars Effect on Women
zone of the big factors In winning the
war is in supplying skilled labor. In the
coming industrial contest with northern
Europe for neutral markets our country
needs leaders in technical skill quite as
much as II needs capital and mana cement.
We must teach our boys and girls the
dignity of labor and make the study Of
their tasks so interesting that they will
love their Jobs"
THE loss of so much man power be-
cause of the war is going to bring women
into the shops and factories to take their
places. What is the section on Industrial
training for the War Emergency going TO
do for them7 Is 1t going to give equal
pay for feminine service1" asked.
Undoubtedly there will be equal wages
for services equally rendered" was Mr..
AIiles's reassuring reply. The big problems