The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-11-16
Frederic Haskins Lette,|
" -ac-i - AanN. i q sts
Teach Women to Work.

planning the course and the 80
tunities In that line OF work.
OF 104 schools in which
were enrolled in industrial ~
courses last term, ther.
only three schools where
were taking automobile meess,sa
and repair. In two schools ~
had machine shop training: n ,N
they were taught wood-workh..
eight Matchmaking and 49,
trades; and in two glove-maki,s
Most Of the courses Il ~
women and girls were enrolled -
the traditional ones. Sist,s
schools taught the clothing ~
a millinery, and II gave inst,,.
ton In branches of the textile ~
It would be too much to -.
that = large number Of girls ,hoss
claMor for courses in, say. a..
mobile mechanics, IL they ms,.s-
knew that they would not hsiss
cluded If they should apply. M
the trade schools were new ~.
had to be interested in them n.
woman's bureau maintains tn, .
large proportion OF girls could
interested in industrial traipins
The old contention that : =,
looks upon a job merely a. 4 am
interlude between school and : n.
band is failing. There are thoa.
sands Of women in factories 81.
have dependents at home, and, thar
are other thousands who add ths;.
earnings to those of their hushands
1t is believed-though there are !.
figures available-that It .is NM.
common for girl workers to turn i,
all of their wages to their famil;s,
than for their brothers to DO ii
Most Of these women are eager for\
Advancement and take a real inter.
est in the work they do.
Where Women Excel
Women have made good in vort
requiring attention to fine detail. IN
inspecting products, in assemblin,
and finishing furniture, and grind.
ing and polishing optical lens,
They are not, as a class, very d..
sirable in foundries and rollin,
mills where heavy weights are %
be lifted and smoke and heat n.
intense, though they have BEEN
used satisfactorily at work reouir.
ing weights to be lifted when pul.
leys or some other mechanical an.
paratus bears the strain.
From its observations Of women
In factories and shops. the buresu
concludes that abilities vary not %
much by sex as by the individual
and that therefore it is difficult 10
say exactly where a woman's limi-
tations in industry are to be fixed.
A few women are interested in
! blacksmithing. A much Larger
number want to be automobile me.
chanics. Few women have the
physical strength to pound on an
anvil. and many lack the necessary
qualifications to become expert me.
chanics. But some women have IN
inclination for these trades, which
is not more unnatural, the bureau
believes, than for q man to be ,
tailor or a, stenOgrapher,
The department of labor has no
idea Of advocating that women
should not fit themselves for the
clothing or millinery trades Il
their bent lies that way. But Miss
Mary anderson, chief of the won.
eriss bnreaus says that these indus.
tries are overcrowded, and that thu
government should see to it tina,
girls and women are given the
same opportunities for training 10
other vocations as men and boy!
receive, especially as skilled Cir
workers are in demand in some o.
the manufacturing states.
The wOman's bureau has no a.
thorfty to fix policies for schools d
the country to provide an equa
chance for all pupils to learn > vo
cation. 1t can only set forth tn
facts. In its report it brings GU
the point that the act under whicl
the federal board for vocationa
education functions. provides tina
the board may financially assis
state schools. This provision i
now being almost entirely used I
help train boys for occupation.
whereas, Miss Anderson claim!
girls are equally entitled to th
benefits of the act.