The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1919-01-17

The following interesting and in
structive article is from G. r. Fra
zier, Director for Washington on
the State and Federal. Boards for
Vocational Education:
In the United States there are
over three million boys and girls
between the ages Of a and 8 years
out of school. These ages are rec
ognized as the critical period in
when their minds and emotions are
a human life. Just at the time
i'm the greatest fluX, and just at the
time when in the case of many of
these they are beginning to bear
the burdens and face the real prob
lens of life, this large army of three
and quarter million boys and
girls are entirely from under school
influences. Most of them, pract1-
cally all of them, have never had
any real chance to prepare for the
jobs they are at.
Public moneys have been freely
spent for colleges of engineering
and law, and medicine, and phar-
macy. These are all of college grade
and open to those who desire such
courses and can reach them. But
what has the public done to prepare
this army of three and quarter
million boys and girls for any skill
ed occupation? Have we begun at
the wrong end in providing profess
sional schools of college grade, and
omitting to do for this army OF
boys and girls who quit school and
go to work in their teens?
America is just discovering the
value of a "part-time school,
which is a school conducted during
the regular working hours and is
intended especially for boys and
girls of the age under. discussion.
Evening schools are for adults, part
time schools are for youth. These
part-time schools are conducted for
at least four hours per week and in
some states longer, and the time
spent in school is counted as part
of the legal working time of the
minor who attends them. But how
can they be excused from the job to
attend school four hours per week?
Without state legislation, they can
not be, and that is why the Wash
ington Legislature will have to face
at its coming session the problem of
providing legislation that will COM
pei employers under certain cir
cumstanees to excuse minors for
four hours out of the working week
to attend part-time schools design
ed especially for their benefit. In
Pennsylvania and Wisconsin where
such laws are in the most success
full operation, the employers seem
to have accepted the plan as worth
while to themselves as well as to
the boys and girls concerned. AS
matter of fact, these part-time
schools have contributed greatly to
the efficiency of those who attend
them.
Special classes giving courses par
ticularly adopted to their needs, ev-
en- though they run only four or
five hours per week in many cases
do these boys and girls more good
than any previous schooling they
have had This is true because they
are now facing the realities of life
and appreciate the value of instruc-
ton as never before, and for the
further reason that in these special
classes they are given in addition to
some general education which they
still need, much that is specific and
applied directly to their jobs.
These part-time classes may be
conducted in regular school build
ings or they may be conducted in a
room of some factory or business
house. Such schools or classes are
designed to supplement and match
the work which the boy is doing and
help him learn his job, whether it
be farming, a trade, or business.
They thus become professional
schools for boys and girls who are
salready at work.
1t is interesting to note that
splendid program for vocational
education has been developed dur
ing the war, based on the Congress
sional Act passed before the war be-
gan, known as the Smith-Hughes
Act. The machinery created by this
.ot did uaarao,, saruioa during tho