Evening star., 1935-09-15
BY THOMAS 4. HENRY.

"A blunder1ng a n d stumbling
4 \ through the critical period be-
tween high school and college.
Essentially for the benefit Of this
transition group, the establishment Of
. 100000 research project to develop
a comprehensive program for the care
and education Of youth was an
nounced yesterday to be conducted
under the auspices of the American
Council on Education.
Privately financed and directed by
a group of IA eminent leaders in edu-,
cation and business, the program is
entirely divorced from the youth
project Of the National Government
although the one is expected to sup
plement the other. The directors,
who will hold their first meeting to-
morrow. hope to solve some of the
most difficult problems affecting this
generation by intensive, objective
study and demonstrations by which
their findings can be converted into
practice.
Life's Pattern Changed.
The American school system-and
for that matter the whole American
philosophy regarding the high school
generation-grew up in days when
the pattern of life was relatively
simple and well established. There
were fixed goals and well-marked
roads for reaching them. The boy
could drop out Of the class room and
go to work at almost any time after
he had passed the age of compulsory
education and the jurisdiction of the
truant officer. 1t depended on the
economic circumstances of his family
and his own interests and ambitions.
There usually was place for him in
the outside world. He must either
continue in school or get Job. There
was not, on the whole, very much re-
lationship between the two choices.
Some boys dropped out before enter
ing high school, went into the world
Of industry, and often made far
greater progress than their more
fortunate comrades who continued
through high school and college.
Others went to work to earn enough
money to continue their educations
1t was the time of "self-made men,"
in the traditional Abraham Lincoln
mould. There was an abundance of
one thing-opportunity. There was
opportunity for formal education.
There was opportunity for progress
without formal education. America
was expanding. It all depended-at
least so the graduation oI<;ors said
on the character and quality of the
individual.
For the girl 1t was little different.
She also might drop out of the class
room at any time but, until within
the last two or three decades. she had
less opportunity. If she left school
early there was likely to be a relatively
unproductive period until she was
married. Leaving school was not so
clearly an economic gain from her
point Of view, and as result high
school graduating classes often were
overloaded with girls. Their brothers,
in many cases, already were holding
down good jobs.
Little Vocational Aid.
Elementary education has certain
basic objectives. It sought to give
boys and girls the general back
grounds-reading, writing and arith-
metic. in particular. It was intended
to make America lterate Nation.
Sometimes there was an attempt to fit
the school program to some definite
vocation, but more often there was
not. The boy and girl-especially the
boy-had the world to pick from.
Youth found Its own level in the
chaotic hustle.
America was proud Of her school
system. On the whole, it served ad-
mirably its purpose. No other land
had anything quite so good as it for
the benefit Of such an overwhelming
majority Of its youth. THE little red
school house" was one of the Nations
proudest boasts. It stood beside the
"old log cabin" and the little white
church" as one Of the corner stones
OF the American character. The Ma
ton was both a pioneer and a leader
in popular education. It provided
opportunity in abundance-far more,
In fact, than was taken advantage Of
by the possible beneficiaries. The
problem was not to provide more
schooling, nor to alter its general
structure, but to spare youth for the
schools.
The country was growing. It couldn't
get enough man power. It was bring
ing to its shores immigrants from all
over the earth. The factories and
Offices continually were inviting youth
from the elementary grades and the
sandlot Fairgrounds. Especially was
this the case on the farms. On the
whole, farmers probably were none
too enthusiastic about more than sle-