Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1921-12-08

was only large enough to care for
about Is men or office employees, yet
more than 100 students were given
instruction in this building every
week. In the fall of 1919 the new
Central school building having been
erected. the Vocational school was
transferred to that building. 1t now
occupies the first and second floors
and has an enrolment of nearly 500
students.
Child Labor Laws
THE efforts which few years ago
were made in the United States to
solve the child labor problem were
directed almost exclusively towards
Improvement of conditions in mines,
manufacturing and mercantile estab-
lishments. This singing out of one
or two phases OF the problem for corr
rection was due to the uneducated
state OF public opinion.
Boys all want good positions. But
would they know one if they found
it? Many men have thought that they
had the question answered and have
obtained what they thought to be a
good position, only to learn later in
middle life that it means disappoint-
ment instead of satisfaction; narrow
ness instead of growth and failure in
stead of success. Since this is a
complex world there are many things
to consider before deciding what a
good vocation is and just because Mr..
Smith, the barber, looks prosperous
or Mr.. Jones, the real estate dealer,
says there is nothing like selling
land, boys and girls must not jump at
conclusions in this important matter.
mo duty comes closer home to a
young man than becoming able to
support himself. He may dream
dreams and talk grandly of what he
isis to do, but unless he is able first
of all to take care of himself, he fails
Ambitious boys plan careers of use
fulness and seek earnestly to make
these plans reals.
Boys of red blood are eager to
take hold, to feel courSing through
their veins the joy of profitable eff
fort. They see idlers and loafers and
despise them. They see the industri-
GUS and the efficient doing things and
reaping rewards and with these they
choose to be. And yet why are there
so many failures? 1t is sad but true
that boys of promise often fail miser-
ably in adult life. This is largely
true because their ability has been
feebly and unwisely directed The
world has many drifters and drifting
is dangerous.
"COwper tried to be lawyer and
Goldsmith tried to be physician.
Both failed miserably, but they made
brilliant successes in literature.
Every man is good for something
He must put forth effort and this eff
fort should be directed toward that
for which he is fitted.
with these purposes in mind the
vocational work in Wausau has been
and is being developed Manual
training is started in the fifth grade
and is given through the eighth grade
The boys are taught how to use and
care for tools; the principles of me-
chanical drawing are taught. In this
work the boys are training their
hands to work as their mind directs.
The girls are taught the fundamen-
tails of sewing and cooking.
The Industrial Arts course in our
high school is really a pre-vocational
subject. Boys selecting this course
are given a series of experiences in
the various industrial activities.
'The girls take the various domestic
sciencesubjects which are equally val
liable.
Vocational School
I'm the vocational school we have the
following classes of students part
time, those who come eight hours per
week; half time, those who come half
day every day, and the full time stu
dents who come full day every day.
There are nearly 500 students en-
rolled. The boys and girls from the
factories, mills and mercantile estab-
lishments come to this school for eight
hours of instruction per week Many
of our students have not completed
the Sth grade. Due to various rea-
sons they have dropped out of the
regular school at an early age and
have gone into industry without an
adequate preparation for life's work.
Every year many boys and girls
drop out of the schools and enter in
to employment somewhere Some do
not enter employment but simply be-
come drifters. Many of these drift
ers would be practically lost to soci-
ETY. as far as a future usefulness is
concerned if there were no means of
bringing them into contact with school
again. Often people try to justify this
condition on the ground of economic