Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-02-24
WHAT AN EX-SERVICE
MAN FOUND OUT ABOUT
VOCATIONAL TRAINING

That federal vocational training
is not q charitable institution nor
something which is thrust upon eE-
service men in the place of some
thing else which they want more,
has been discovered by many con-
yalescent ex-soldiers. one has
written of his experiences in study
ing Spanish under a training CEN
ter teacher a sfollows;
mo doubt this article should be
entitled Round and Round With
My Dear Little Teacher'-but she's
so dignified and so nice that 1t
would not be quite proper to infer
that we might have quarreled or
that we had been tripping the light
fantastic. one does not trip the
light fantastic, when one is taking
the cure.
The facts are that l became in
terested in what the federal board
for vocational training was doing
and thought the best way to find
out would be to visit the different
classes with one of the instructors.
Being human and still retaining
some of those qualities that Flo
Zlegfield possesses and which
helped to make him great, if you
know what ! mean---I picked the
Spanish instructress.
"Since classes have been estab-
lished in all the sanatoria, in
| boarding houses and in homes,
conducted twice and thrice weekly,
my doctor decided that / should
visit only those classes that were
held at my san. After rest hour /
was given my first opportunity of
studying the r. b. Crabbs inti-
mately as an aggregation when
they were serious and not indulg-
ing in the great san sport of pan
ming" someone. There were ten
of us in one of the boys rooms
teacher occupying the most promi-
nent position of all (atop the chif-
fonier. You see we were a little
short of chairs.
After that we visited former
Corporal Cost, who has a tempera-
ture and whose doctor says must
stay in bed for awhile, so in bed
he had his Spanish. He was very
much interested and was so
pleased that the government was
still interested In him and wanted
to make a cure, Not only that but
he was laying the foundation for
something in the future. They were
making it possible for him to get
back into his old stride-that of
doing for himself. After our class
with the corporal we paid more
visits to individual men who
couldn't attend the Spanish class,
but who wished to study.
ut is not the purpose of the
federal board for vocational train
ing to endeaVor to thrust some
thing upon the eX-service man, but
to act as the right arm of the gov
ornment in assisting men in reha-
bilitation, 1t is their purpose to fit
the wounded and eX-serVice man
In any branch of learning he
thinks he may use when he has re-
gained his health. Every possible
means will be used to place him
where he can do this. Private in
struction will be given in the home,
the sanatoria or the boarding
house in almost any subject. Those
who are well enough may study at
llic tanning EellleI' at the hofDef
building; if ready to enter college,
may receive training there or they
will be placed in some position
where they can learn a trade. It's
a mighty good thing, fellows--lock
it up-it's straight from the should
er of an eX-service man who hopes
sorte day to get rid of the bugs.
BERNHARD A. STERNBERG,
Presbyterian Sanatorium.