The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-09-01

woman whom big bushes concerns are
willing to pay $50 day as an expert
| on solving labor problems. to whom
labor unions are willing to listen. and
who is a coniidante of newsboys and
telephone operators, should be of some
| use in Strengthening out that tangle of
excited self-interest and mutual mis-
understanding known as the labor prob
lem.
Such a person evidently has in some
degree the respect and confidence of
all parties to the controversy-nf the
employers. the unions and individual
workers who are without organized
protection.
Such a person is Mrs. Ana Y. Read,
head of the Junior section of the
United States employment service, who
is now engaged in organizing in various
American cities branches OF the employ
ment service which are to work IN con-
nection with the public school systems
Their primary and immediate purpose
is to find satisfactory jobs for young
men and women Just out OF scnooL
Their secondary and more constructive
purpose is to help the schools find out
how to make education more of n real
preparation for work than 1t generally
Is at present.
This Is to be a se-vfce 10 employers
as much as to workers In Mrs. Reeds
own words. she intends to 'tie I'D the
source of labor with the agencies that
education functions outside of the
schoolroom"
She has been IN employment work for
many years, and may be said to have
made a life study of the relations e.
tween these two factors in our national
life. which should be friends and part
ners. but as a matter of fact seldom
see each other. Mrs, Reed, through her
Junior departments, intends to intro
duce them to each other and to see IL
they can't be introduced to work in
harmony.
According to Mrs. Reeds explanation,
the trouble is not so much that the
schools teach the wrong subjects-ones
which are of no Use to the pupil in
after life-although they often do that.
The fundamental trouble is that the
school usually has the the wrong view
point, and is not able to recognize aud
develop good industrial material when
1t gets it.
Just an Illustration.
To illustrate this. Mrs. Reed told of
study she once made OF several thou.
sand newSboys, who were making their
own livings and going to school at the
same time. She asked each boys
teacher for an opinion OF character and
ability, and asked the same questions of
the wholesalers of newspapers and
others with whom the boy came in
contact in business way. In a sur
pristng number of cases the opinions
were in conflict. The prize scholar and
teachers pet was often failure at
selling extras and did not command
the respect of his business connections
and competitors On the other hand,
a good aggressive little street merchant
was often a scapegoat in the school,
room.
Has too much self confidence, and Is
unruly. Would be better off out of
SCHOOL" was the report that a teacher
made on one boy.
The man from whom this same boy
bought his papers told Mrs. Reed that
the little chap must be given a chance
10 get good education. He has real
business ability
That incident tells more about mod
ern education than many long books
on the subject.
Mrs. Reed believes that school very
seldom does much good for the excep-
tonal youth. The mediocrity gets
alonS well enough, but the unusually
energetic pupil finds outlets for his
energy that meet with the teachers
dlsapproval. and the talented youngster
Is bored by his dry lessons. If his
parents are wealthy or weil-to-do, he
may be taken out of school and edu-
Gated by tutors or sent TO some spe-
clal institution. But if he is poor as
about IS per cent. of all youngsters
are, this unusual one generally needs
up in reform school,
Mrs. Reed has verified this fact by
studying reform schools. She says that
about 60 per cent of the inmates are
mental detectives and about 40 per
cent. are gifted individuals-above, the
average in mental endowment and gem
orally having some special talent. such
as music. drawing. expression, or in
Vention. This talented youth often is
affictcd with some nervous or mental
trouble. But he is none the less an in
diVidual who could be made valuable to
society If properly handled. Our school
system throws the idiots and the
geniuses into the same discard.
Solving Problem.
Mrs. Reed believes that this problem
will eventually be solved by providing
special classes for the exceptional chill
dren. Some minor attempts along this
llne nave been made in this country
ana 1t Is done successfully in France
ana Germany. In those countries a
youth showing artistic gifts. for In
stance, is Immediately placed in a spe-
cial class where he has a chance to de-
velop them.
In this country. the problem of the
exceptional youth Is for the future We
must do the broom and shovel work he
fore we go in for decorations. The
need Is to train the average
child to do his work in rne world and
then to help him find that work. We
must eliminate the immense waste of
human power which is caused by Great
ing insists
This work the local bureaus OF the