The sun., 1919-07-21
War Department UnprepAredness for
Vocational Training.

War Department UnprepAredness for
Vocational Training.
One Of the greatest inducements
held out to young Americans by the
War Department to Join the United
States Army Is that while a man is
learning and practising the duties Of a
soldier he will have an opportunity for
education and vocational training OF
high character. Few must be the
newspaper readers who have not been
impressed by the announcements of
the War Department as to its plans
for the education Of the enlisted man ;
they seemed not only we'll planned
but unusually comprehensive. More
over. the schools established among
the troops of the American Expedl-
| tionary Force in France had met with
| sufficient success to warrant the be-
lief that this army pedagogical expert
ment could also be carried out at
home equally we'll.
But the publication by the Adju-
| tant-General's Office in Washington
of a camp recruiting publicity bulle-
tin on the subject of Army Educa-
tional and Vocational Training in the
United States" may we'll lead us to
suspect that the War Department is
as Ill prepared for teaching its sol
diers the trades of peace in 1919 as
| Il was to instruct them In the art
of war In 1917. This bulletin in
cludes five documents. all devoted to
the topic Of educational and voca-
tional training, the pertinent ones be-
ing a memorandum from the recruit
ing officer at Camp Lewis, Washing.
ton, letter from the Adjutant-Gen-
eral TO the commanding general Mt
Camp Lewis. and one from this Off
Ger which occasioned the letter from
the Acknowledgement.
In his memorandum the recruiting
officer at Camp Lewis quotes the Ian
guage of the national defence act OF
June 8. 1915, providing for educa-
tional and vocational training for our
soldiers and for the employment of
civilian teachers 10 aid in such train
ing. He writes:
The War Department at the pres
ent time is making a feature OF the
phrase Earn While You Learn but
no scheme of vocational training ap-
pears to have been laid down for this
camp. 1t has been stated that appli-
Giants for enlistment often present
themselves 20 recruiting officers and
are unable to learn where they may
receive vocational training of speci-
ned kinds. as recruiting officers have
no knowledge as TO what is being done
in the way OF vocational training
other than that II Is contemplated
vocational training is to be had.
He goes on to say:
The daily routine WORK in this
camp offers opportunities TO teach
several voca tons Timber is pres
ent to permit teaching logging, mill
ing. &c. There Is much land avail
able for the purpose of use in teach
ing agriculture, agronomy. hortcul-
tye, &c. There are bodies OF water
on or adjacent to the camp to teach
bridge building, fish culture, &c. In
fact, there are 500 vocations, trades
and pursuits used in the army~other
than those entirely military which
are used in civil life. Many such are
used In this camp. Educational
training of illiterates can be had
without any difficulty, needing only
instructors and some little school
room paraphernalia-"
The recruiting officer adds list Of
upward of seventy-hye occupations
and trades which according to re-
ports submitted under date Of June l,
1919, by several commanding officers
their departments are equipped to
teach"
Yet with all this teaching equip
ment on hand 1t appears that no
schools have been established. In for
wardlng the above quotoA memoran-
dun of the recruiting officer the com.
mander at Camp Lewis says;
1T is idle to say to the public that
a soldier can learn various trades
unless the plant be in operation dem
onstrating that other young men are
learning such trades, Cntil such time
as the War Department authorizes
employment OF instructors from out
side and Is willing and able to fur
nish material for other courses I de-
sire 10 commence vocational training
with such officers as are available In
the army and with such material as
is now in the camp II the proper
kind of officers are not now at this
camp ! believe that they can easily
be found and sent here. AS far as I
can foresee | have officers OF proper
qualifications to initiate vocational
training"