Show INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION The Deseret News referring to what the CHRONICLE had to say recently concerning concerning concerning con con- the advisability of establishing a department of industrial training in connection connection connection con con- with the University quotes us as being opposed to industrial education in general The News after quoting our objection to its former suggestion says 1 Everyone to his inclining of course but butan butan butan an education in the coarse arts is sometimes sometimes sometimes some some- times a very handy thing to have in the house We infer from this correction of the News that it meant in the first place just what we supposed it meant that departments of industrial training in connection connection connection con con- with educational institutions are for the purpose of teaching young men trades and occupations something that I will be a handy thing to have in the house We have observed heretofore that there is a prevailing misconception of this subject and we demurred to the suggestion suggestion suggestion sug sug- of the News on the apparent ground that it also misconceived it it This last expression of the News confirms confirms confirms con con- firms our belief and makes it all the more plain that there is a a. general misunderstanding misunderstanding misunderstanding standing of this subject for when anyone so acute as the editor of the News falls into error we need not be surprised t tc to find those less falling into the same error In the fhe first place the primary object of university education is neither to make lawyers doctors and professors nor t to tomake make school teachers miners carpenters or bricklayers s though there are institutions institutions institutions where a general knowledge of any any- of these may be obtained but it is t to tomake make intelligent upright and moral moraD citizens If a young man wishes am education in any special art or occupation he will find many better ways of obtaining obtaining obtaining obtain obtain- ing it than by plodding through a long along college college college col col- lege course or if he does take the college course he will find it still necessary to too take the special instruction The CHRONICLE as representing the students of the University of Utah Utah wishes to say emphatically that it is not opposed to industrial education on the contrary it believes that the lack of such sucre education constitutes one of the greatest of modern ci civilization We evils r rec- rec c- c the fact that thousands of young men come out of colleges every year no nomore nomore more prepared to fight lifes life's battles than they would have been if they had spent the years of their youth in a monastery but at the same time this industrial training training training train train- ing idea is rapidly degenerating into a fad iad whose l level vel will be that of the football football foot ball and boat club craze of eastern cistern col- col J As As we said before but few understand the meaning of industrial training as applied applied ap- ap plied to the general education education of youths It is not for the purpose of teaching trades to young men and women that this feature is introduced into common commons s schools and colleges es the idea is to train the he senses of the young to give them command of all their pl physical faculties to enable them to acquire through the senses nature has given them material instructions that shall form the basis of study in the future We believe in industrial education of this kind but as as we said in the first place we believe it should begin in the public schools and be completed in the high schools U Universities Universities niver- niver should be for f r higher education Here Rere the student should learn to reason correctly on all that he has previously observed his previous training should have been such that all his faculties are area a alert ert to observe the ever varying phenomena phenomena phenomena phe phe- which constantly occur around aroundhim aroundhim aroundhim him while he is acquiring the he receives through the senses I i All knowledge is knowledge of rela- rela No amount of acquired facts can be beof of any use without the appropriate activity of the mind Evel has facts facts but not everybody knows how to tose use se them Emerson truly says Each truth that a writer acquires is a lantern which he turns instantly upon what facts facts' and thoughts lay already dy in h his s mind and behold all all- the mats and rubbish which have littered his garret heco become e precious Every trivial fact in his private biography becomes an illustration of this new lew principle revisits the day clay and delights delights delights de de- lights all men by its piquancy and charm Men say when did he get this and think there is something divine in his life But no they have myriads of facts just as asgood asgood asgood good would they get a lamp to ransack ansack their attics withal So we say that if higher education cannot aid the mind in acquiring the power to shed phed light upon t f tie le Ie facts it is receiving from day to day dy then higher education is worse than useless In our universities we do not need more compulsory compulsory compulsory sory work more ore conventional discipline but less The soul requires room to expand else it becomes cramped and at at- at That student who will not do dothe dothe dothe the work required in a university course without coercion would better occupy himself learning a trade or something useful which will be better fitted for his capacities for such a student is rarely by his compulsory study We Wedo We do not say such students are always failures failures failures fail fail- ures far from it they often succeed just justas as well as the diligent college student when left to develop their powers in their own way But there is yet another point of view from which this question of industrial training should be regarded W We Ve e have not said we do not say that labor is dishonorable dishonorable dishonorable dis dis- honorable intrinsically We say all honor honoris is due to the honest industrious laboring laboring- man or woman But Rut does society in general general general gen gen- eral recognize this truth Are not all present tendencies c combining to bring labor to disrepute Is not the world full ful to overflowing with skilled labor and ar are not thousands of skilled skilled laborers everywhere everywhere everywhere every every- where on the verge of starvation S Supposing that industrial education n is is' f for r rth the th put purpose purpose of 01 turning out sk skilled 11 dt laborers we do not retract one iota of our protest It is useless to reiterate the time honored phrase that labor is honorable while every tendency of our institutions is isto isto isto to degrade it it is time we had done with these meaningless platitudes If these mean honor to the laboring man then we say we ve will take a little le less s honor and a aa aa aa a little more silver if you please Wherever that recognition which is due to the coarse arts is given then there will be no dearth of skilled workmen to take hold of them but while the small business man and the smooth professional hold such power as they do at pre present ent over those who perform the coarse labor it is little less than cruelty to encourage young men and women to enter those lists where men and women fight for the privilege privilege privilege of earning a meagre crust to prolong a miserable existence |