EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Vol. XXXI. October, 1914. Xo. 5. 



One of the most striking educational developments of recent years 

 has been the increasing interest manifested in the subject of voca- 

 tional training. Less than a decade ago the term itself was unfa- 

 miliar to the general public. To-day we find the desirability of such 

 instruction comparativel}^ well recognized, promising beginnings to- 

 Avard its deA'elopment in some form already under way in every State 

 of the Union, and an ever deepening realization of its importance to 

 the nation as a whole. Similar conditions have come about in the Do- 

 minion of Canada, and in both countries commissions have been ap- 

 pointed to collect information regarding the status of vocational 

 training and to present recommendations for its further development 

 in a comprehensive way. The reports of these commissions have 

 recently become available and bring together a large amount of useful 

 data along these lines. In each case due attention has been accorded 

 to those phases pertaining to training in the trades and industries 

 and to commercial education, but much prominence has also been 

 given to the question of education for farm life and homemalring, 

 and the findings of the commissions regarding this subject are of 

 much interest. 



The Canadian commission, known as the Commission on Indus- 

 trial Training and Technical Education, was appointed in 1910 by 

 the Dominion authorities following a memorandum from the Min- 

 ister of Labor. Its purpose was to inquire into the needs and present 

 equipment of the Dominion "representing industrial training and 

 technical education and into the systems and methods of technical 

 instruction obtaining in other countries." Dr. James W. Robertson, 

 principal of MacDonald College and well-known for his deep interest 

 in agricultural education, was made chairman of the commission. A 

 thorough study of these questions followed, embracing conditions not 

 only in Canada but also in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, 

 Denmark, France, Germany, and Switzerland, and extending over 

 several j^ears. The report, submitted for publication in 1913, consti- 

 tutes four volumes of nearly 2,500 pages, one volume containing a 

 summary of the commission's findings and recommendations, another 



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