Omaha daily bee., 1918-03-17
PREPARES PLAN
Of SCHOOL WORK
FOR FARMER BOY
Prof. Dixon, Inspector Of Nor.
NAL Training, Outlines Course
of Vocational and Indus
trial Instruction.
,rrom a Staff CorrespondentD

>1>f1nt state superintendent II
b'\nn inspector of normal trainn { in
Nebraska, is an intense advocate If
vocational and industrial training IN
the schools OF the state, and in order
thut the same may be brought a'out
with the greatest degree of sue ess
has prepared a plan which be believes
would he a success and at the same
time relieve the districts of addlA.nal
expense.
For the last quarter of century !"
says Mr. Dixon. vocational anc in
du>'r al training has been slowl, tut
surely pushing to the front and t
appears TO be universal move. tnt
all over the world, True, some 6 V
ernments have taken the lead, as is
always the case, but this movement,
unlike any other OF which | krow,
has sprung from the bosom of the
people or from the masses, we might
say.
Delayed Too Long.
The only wonder is that it as
been so long delayed. Nevertheless,
it is now here in mighty force. re-
mindng the educational world in no
uncertain terms, that it must be tro-
vided for"
Continuing Mr.. Dixon discusse:, the
matter OF educational training end
goes back to the time when pratt
cally everything was made by hand.
There was no community of any con-
siderable Importance that did not cave
its shoe shop, w,gon shop. carpenter
shop, etc, and no home was COM
pIete without its spinning wheel
About seven years ago Mr. Dixon
conceived the idea that a system of
vocational training which would br ng
out all these lines OF work so that the
student would receive instru: on
along same lines as those practrced
by his grandfather and at the same
time make the education OF the pupils
selfsupporting, would be immensely
beneficial. However, his ideas did not
appear to meet with much favor. but
now he is rewarded by seeing the gov
crnment and the state take I'D the
matter Of vocational and industrial
training in the schools as a very i'm
portant part of the education O. the
child.
Dixon's Plan.
In a short way Mir. Dixon's plan
provides for the instruction of the
pupil along vocational lines by plac-
ing the main school building in the
center of tract of ground about
block in size. Surrounding this build
ing around the outskirts of the tract
are smaller buildings for the teaching
of woodwork, ironwork, dressmaking,
millinery work, business and banking,
bakery and saleSroom or their
places filled by any line of particular
work the board might require. He
would put the whole department un-
der the supervision OF main head,
out would require that each depart
ment of the work be under a compe-
tent man or woman, Especially in
the country he would, for instance,
hire competent blacksmith for the
blacksmith shop who would do the
blacksmith work for the community,
the charges to go to the school. In
this way the pupils who wanted to
learn blaCkSmithing would learn it
under practical man and at the
same time, while doing the work.
would be assisting in paying the
expense of running the school. The
same would be the case in the car
penter shop or any other department
OF the school. In fact, the school
would be surrounded by cluster of
manufacturing industries, in a small
way, which would not only bring in
revenue to the school district, but
provide a place where the people of
the community could get the same
service they could get by going to
toWr, perhaps many miles away.
Education Helps.
1T has too often happened" SAYS
Mr.. Dixon, that the father and
mother wished their sons and daueh-
ters educated that they might have
an easier time than their father and
mother had experienced. They ap-
peared to think that an education
would solve as sort of passport to
an easy place in life; out of hum
bic position INTO one Of elegance and
case
Again our fathers saw the sons
and daughters OF their neighborhood
enter the college and at once mount
to prominence, seemingly without
much effort on their part. Seeing this,
they came to believe that an educa-
ton was the thing needed to give
their children an easy path in life.
"Ihus it has come about that the
boys and girls have been educated
away from the farm, away from the
workshop and away from the home.
70 have calous hands, to wear cloth
ing saturated with grease and oil of
an engine, is considered a disgrace TO-
oo-called educated people. To sum it
all up in a few words, the boys and
girls have been educated away from
manual labor and actually taught that
it is Degrading This has been one
OF the perm clous results of Our edu
cational system, and, until its evil ef-
iects have Leen counteracted, much
loss must come to society.
Changed Conditions.
"COnditiOn$ have changed We no
longer need men and women to spin
yarn and weave cloth by hand, but
develop men and women to make
machines to spin more yarn and
weave more cloth. We no longer
need men to cut grain by hand, but
men to make machines to cut the
grain. We no longer need men to
SOW the grain, but men scientifically
trained to study the soil and climate.
men able - make two spears OF
grass to groy where one had grown
before. And so our schools must be
changed to meet the changed condi-
tions. Since the manual arts have
been lost SO far as the home is con-
cerned, the school must supply the
deficiency.
To do this our schools must be
chanrei and sunnlemented. Instead