The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-10-19
MORE VOCATIONAL
And MANUAL WORK
URGED In SCHOOLS
Board of Trade Commit
tee Wants More Support
For Such Training.
ASK NEW CLASSES
Requests Made for Courses
In Costume Designing
And Tailoring.
ASK NEW CLASSES

More vocational education and
manual training in the Washington
public schools will be asked by the
school committee of the Washing
ton Board of Trade in it's annual
report, it was decided yesterday at
a meeting of the school committee.
"One-third of our children leave
school in the sixth grade, and but
one-tenth of them ever reach high
school," Chairman William s.
Washburn pointed out. Those
youngsters have absolutely no prep
aration for the work of the world.
They ought to have some knowledge
of mechanical things, how to use
their hands. I don't want to see
them trained to be skilled mechan-
les but they might be taught so
that they can tell for themselves
whether they have a liking for me-
chanical things"
He urged that the committee rec
ommend to the Board of Education
greater attention to vocational ed
ucation and ask that Congress ap-
propriate larger funds for that pur-
pose n, s,,,o, on,,...
DR.. Abram Simon. president Of
the Board of Education, when told
last evening Of the recommended
tons, expressed his approval. In
an interest, that far, he said. the
Board OF Education would feel thor
oughly Justified in pushing ahead
their program.
Vocational education work in
decidedly in the last two or three
years." declared DIR. Simon. And
the most gratifying thing is that
1t Is getting decided Congressional
support.
I'VE have had requests lately for
classes in merchant tailoring and
in costume designing. 1t would
seem that those requests are rea-
sonable and the courses might fill
real purpose. DR.. Ballou, the
ors anything of the kind that has
real educational value and are OPP
posed only to things that are
"faddy." WITH backing from the
community we will perhaps put in
courses of this sort as quickly as
the money Is available to employ
the teachers"
President Agitation Beneficial.
If Washingtonians will not be.
lieve every idle statement that is
flung out haphazardly the present
agitation over the Distri>t school
system is a symptom which prom
ises great results, DR.. Abram Simon
told the City Clubs luncheon forum
yesterday in a brief talk proceed
ing the address OF Frank H. Camel.
boy ologist" and expert in voca-
tional guidance for boys.
II know of no place in America
where greater interest is shown
by the citizens in the school sys-
tenn DR.. Simon said.
The public has been led to be-
lieve that something is awry, but
| say to you officially that we are
are on the job and that in spite
of great handicaps. we are doing
work here that l believe every citi-
zen should be proud Of We are
trying to meet a big situation; DR..
BalIou has the whoie-hearted sup
port of teachers and board, and l
believe we are meeting the prob
lem. And the fact that the public
is so strongly interested in our
schools is an admirable thing"
Mr.. Camel, the speaker of the
day. made a strong plea 10 the
club members to realize that the
character of the boys of today is
much more important than many
other worthwhile activities in
which men participate at the ex-
pense of their own children's well
fare,