Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1937-11-18
KNOWLEDGE
OF Books
Not All
The Main Purpose
Of Education Is
Usefulness.
By ANGELO PATRI,

MOST of the children now grow
ing up will have to earn their
living. No matter what type of gov
eminent people live under, that fact
! holds. The people must work or
the people must die. Education Of
children then has for its main pur-
pose training to usefulness, skill and
efficiency in business or industry.
Just as soon as a child Is In its
last year of school the family be-
gin searching for job for him
What is this child to do to earn
his living and where shall We send
him to learn it? The closer to
graduation the keener this pressure
to find the right place. the right
training, the right job for the child,
Everywhere in the social scheme
work. business is considered of prime
Importance Then why is it not given
its rightful place, its proportionate
place in the schools of the people?
Why do we still cling to books. ex-
mas from high schools and colleges
that deal only in books? Why don't
we teach children from the beginning
that their business in life, and, there
fore, IN school, is to fit themselves
to be useful pecp'e?
We keep accenting the bright child
as the child. Bright means just
one thing in school--high marks in
book knowledge. That is fine for
the bookish children; but there are
other children, very important to
society. They are rot bright in
bookish ways, but brilliant in working
ways We penalize them in schools
by making them strive to do and to
be like the bookish ones instead of
reWarding them for being their own
and very useful selves.
I mean The children who are born
workers with their hands. The
draughtsmen, machinists, printers,
painters, laboratory assistants, needle
workers. cooks, houseworkers, garden
ers, farmers, husbandmen, the great
al NY Va Will Mig 1Olh WIN CdIly UllS
world on their back Why do we stack
the schools against them instead
Of for them?
A boy of mechanical bent. skilled
with his hands, of average grade in
elementary school in grade eight
asked for admission to a vocational
school. He could not enter because
he had a lower average than the adj
mission standard. His English, his.
tory and languages were only lass
ing or fair and the school would
have none of him although his
arithmetic and his shopwork marks
were the highest possible. Why? Be-
cause the school principal had more
students than the school could well
care for, and by raising the stand
ards Of admission the number was
reduced. That meant this fine worker
was thrown on the streets.
First, it is the duty of the COM
munity, and the Nation to supply
adequate schooling for sill children.
There is no excuse for overcrowded
schools. Next, standards Of admis-
sion ought to apply primarily to
the work of the school. Why make
admission to vocational schools, art
schools, trade schools depend upon
qualification outside the interests and
purpose Of the students? A high L.
@. may or may not qualify boy or
a girl to enter a trade or vocational
or other school of training for USE
fitness. Has the child the quality
necessary to success in his chosen
field? Can the school give him what
he needs? After hat, place him where
he can learn the rudiments of his
job.
(Copyright, 1879