Arizona republican., 1919-09-08
By Eredsric ]. Haskin

WASHINGTON, D. C., Sept IA woman whom big business concerns are willing to pay fifty dollars a day as an expert in solving labor problems, to whom labor unions are willing to listen and who is a confidante of news ooys and telephone operators, should be of some use Tn strengthening out that tangle of excited self-interest and mutual misunderstanding known as the labor problem.
 Such a person evidently has in some degree the respect and confidence of all parties to the controversy-of the employers. the unions and individual workers who are without organized protection.
 Such a person Is Mrs Anna Y. Reed head of the junior section of the United States Employment Servlce who is now engaged in organizing in various American cities branches of the employment service which are to work in connection with the public school systems. Their primary and immediate purpose is to find satisfac- tory jobs for young men and women just out of school. Their secondary and more constructive purpose is to help the schools find out how to make education more of a real preparation foraWork than it generally is at present Th1s is to be a service of employers as FrnuGh as to workers. In Mrs. Reed own words, she intends to ''tie up the source of labor with the agen- cies that place and use it." and ito see how education functions outside of ahe school room.
 She has been in employment and educational work for many years, and may be said to have raade q life study .ef, the relations between these two f8ctors in our national life which should be friends and partners, but as amatter of fact seldom see each other. .3Rrs Reed, through her junior depart rnents, intends to introduce them to each other and to see if they can't be induced to work in harmony.
 ~According to Mrs. Reeds explana- tson, 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 wrong view point. and is not able to recognize and develop good industrial material when it gets it.
 To illustrate this, Mrs. Reed told of a study she once made of several thousand newsboys, who were making their own livings and going to school at the same time. She asked each boys teacher for an opinion of his character and ability, and asked the same questions of the wholesalers oi newspapers and others with whom the tv1o o4 fra1 I,rrc Tn a surprising number of cases the opinions were in conflict. The prlzs scholar and teachers pet was often a 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 scapegoai in the school room.
 Has too much self confidence, ano is unruly. Would be better off out oi school' was the report that a teacher made on one boy.
 The man from whom this same ooy bought his papers told Mrs. Reed thai the little chap must be given chance to get good education. He has req business arility."
 That incident tells more about mod
 
 on the subject
 Mrs. Reed believes that school very seldom does much good for the ex. ceptional youth. The mediocrity get. along well enough, but the unusual, energetic pupil finds outlets for hi. energy that meet with the teacher, disapprovai. and the talented youngstel is bored by his dry lessons. If hi. parents are wealthy or well-to-do h, may be taken out of school and edu. cated by tutors or sent to some spe- cial institution. But if he is poor, a. about ninety eight per cent of al youngsters are this unusual one gen orally ends up in a reform school
 Mrs. Reed has verified this fact bl studying reform schools. She say that about sixty per cent of the in mates are mental detectives and abou forty per cent are gifted individuals above the average in mental endow. ment and generally having some spe eial talent, such as music, drawing, ex pression, or invention. This talented youth often is afflicted with som, nervous or mental trouble. But he il none-the-less an individual who coul, be made valuable to society if properly handled. Our school system throw the idiots and the geniuses into tn, same discard.
 Mrs. Reed believes that this prob tenn will eventually be solved by pro s1diug special classes for the excep uonaf children. Some minor attempt along this line have been made in thi country. and it is done successfully il Trance and Germany. Tn those coun ffies youth showing artistic gifts, fo instance. is immediately placed in special class where he has a chance t develop them.
 h this country, the problem of tn exceptional youth is for the future Ee must do the broom and shove work before we go in for decorations The immediate need is to train tn