Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-06-11
ny W. Carson Ryan. Jr..


The average citizen knows Of the
Federal Board for Vocational E.dUca-
ton Mt Washington, II nc knows or
II at all. as the ill-starrcd agency Of
soldier rehabilitation. But the public
viii be more and more concerned. as
tho years 20 by. In the little adv"r
tisei but highly significant original
task for which the board was created
administration OF the Smith Hughes
act FOR the promotion OF vocational
training OF less than colicg" grade
In agriculture. trades and Industry
commerce. home economies and teach
>er training in these Acids.
Tho Federal Board for Vocational
Education was In no scnse a war ere.
alton. II happened that the smith
Hughes act was signed fow months
before Americas entrance into the
World War, Just as our Hrs, great
Federal adventure In practical cdu-
cation--thc land grant college act
dates from the outbreak Of the War
Between the States. AS Il matter OF
fact however. tho Smith hughes act
OF 1917. Ike the Merrill act Of 1862.
was tho elimination Of Il long series
Of efforts for Federal educational
Hesitation. The National society for
thu Promotion of Industrial Education
had begun its work in 1907. A con
grcssiona! commission made "A con
Tn IN FSGoF. .h %" ne
that despite our claims OF universal
IL ts.ya
nina other great nations OF the world
, In provision for the vocational train
ing OF our citizens.
PIonrrr Industrial schooiS.
y few states and local communities
had done something. there were p!O-
ne"r industrial schools IN some OF our
cities that wcr" AZ good as those 20
De FOUND anywhere. and one or two
states Massachusetts particularly
were trying 10 think In terms OF cdu-
cation for Industry, but for tho most
part America seemed To- be content to
let al least onc-half OF her youth
leave schoo! vocationany un.quippcI
for life. II MAS this revelation that
resulted in the passage ~ the smith
Hughes act IN 1917. which provided
small amounts OF Federal mnn"y-be-
ginning with approximately two and a
half millions the FIRST year and in
OF seven miilionr should ne reached
by l926-,o aid In the establishment,
OF specific vocational training
Has tho smith Hughes act worked?
Have we mad. tho progress That we
ought To have made in Vocational
education throughout the nation
since 1917
Tho volstcad act is opera
tive measure II is based on the
"hfty-hfty" plan now familiar In goou
roads, home demonstration work. ma.
'erntty care. and other fields y State
must match dollar for dollar tho Fed
eral appropriation IL IL wants any
Federal money AT ali In lesS.than
ten months from the beginning Of tho
operation Of the act every State in
the Union had formally accepted it's
provisions and was prepared TO spend
money 20 carry them out. In this
same initial pcriod-thouEh the Fed
eral act Was only permIssive. ..
course-forty- States had estab-
lished aohertraininE courses I'M
der the provisions OF the act. and
FcderaIly aided vocational courses
had been SGT UP for agricultural
training In torty-one States. for trade
and industrial training In thirty-two
states, and for home economic train
inG in twenty-ninc States.
VIII support Education.
tina, i, lures the States and local com
munitics into spending money for the
psrticulAr kind Of education for
which tho bait is offered. Those
VIII" favor the plan argue for il on
the same. ground Certainly the
record OF the past four years
shows that the States and local com
munitics OF America vii! spend
money for vocational education il
encouraged 10 do SO by Federal aid,
however small Already some States
have not only matched the Federal
appropriation, AZ tho latest Federal
hoard report shows, but have set up
programs for overwhelming the Fed
cral money over long series OF
years.
The first year of tho operation Of
the act tho amount spent from all
sources for vocational education In
Fcderaiiy aided schools in tho United
States was s3.l29,22l. of which Ss27.-
996 was from Federal funds. In 1921
the total was sll.672,070. OF which
s3129,221 was from Federal funds.
In other words, the Federal govern
ment has secured tho expenditure OF
several times what 1t offers. In part
time. continuation schooling. for ey-
ample, the Federal government paid
only s2S3,S53 last year. but 1t at
tracted an expenditure of more than
Sl,2500o0 from local taxpayers; and
In home economics tho local com
munities alone raised over 100000
to meet the states $3.50 900 and the
less than 100000 appropriated by
the Federal government-irdicat
by tho way, that there is reason for
tho demand from the women Of the
country that the vocational law shall
he amended to do moro nearly for
home economies what 1t does for
agriculture and tho trades.
The story I'm Numbers OF schools.
Perhaps the hest indication Of
progress is In the number OF schools
established. In 1918, the first year
of tho operation OF the act. there
were La Federa,ly aided voca-
tional schools. In 1921 the number
had grown to 1859. The increase
was especially notable in agricuitu-
raj communities: the COS Federally
aided vocational agricultural
schools OF 1918 had grown to
1921 three years later. The num-
Der OF industrial schools receiving
Federal aid had only slightly in
creased, but the number of schools
OF home economies had nearly
trebled-from aga to Ola.
y Nearly twice as many pupils took
vocational work In these Federally
=