PURPOSE IX EDUCATION. 489 



necessity to arise. Even if one could grant that the introduction 

 of cultural subjects into the curricula of schools is not due to 

 the idea that they are part of the training of a high-class pro-' 

 ducer, can anyone assert that they are introduced with a definite 

 and clear view to man's social activities, other than production. 

 One would not wish to assert that these other activities are totally 

 neglected, for it would not be correct. Curiously enough one 

 finds subjects introduced with a definitely non-vocational inten- 

 tion into the curricula of commercial schools. Civics is obligatory 

 for the new Preliminary Commercial Certificate, though one has 

 to note at the sanie time a certain amount of protest against it. 

 Economics is also in the list of subjects for the higher 

 commercial examinations, and though this deals largely with 

 production and distribution, yet it also embodies man's relations 

 to his fellows in that field. 



One reason for the demand 'for vocational training is the 

 existence of blind-alley occupations. Four or five years ago this 

 question aroused quite a large amount of public interest. The 

 discussions on the subject showed perhaps better than anything 

 else in recent years the failure of even thoughtful people to 

 realize a suitable purpose in education. Even from the point of 

 view of production alone, the ideal is for every person to do that 

 work for which he is best fitted, and it does not seem to hav'e 

 occurred to anybody that it should be the duty of education to 

 fit somebody for these very occupations. The idea that educa- 

 tion of a particular type will enable the ex-pupil to avoid these 

 occupations is based on a fallacy. All occupations become 

 eventually blind-alley. The Prime Minister of the Union is in a 

 blind-alley. Even though a field-marshall's baton lies in every 

 soldier's knapsack, we know — to use an Irishism — that it is not 

 there. In every organization the number of posts diminishes 

 as we near the top. and it is a mathematical impossibility for 

 every employee to occupy them. There is nothing intrinsically 

 objectionable in an occupation being a blind-alley. If an occupa- 

 tion is necessary, it is obvious that some one must undertake its 

 duties. It is not the occupation that is wrong, but, either the 

 person who is actually doing the work ought to be engaged in 

 some other occupation, or the pay attached to the occupation is 

 inadequate. Further, as long as an occupation is necessary, a 

 wider diffusion of education will not remove the necessity for its 

 existence, nor prevent people from entering it. The spread of 

 education has not done so in the past, and there is no reason to 

 suppose that it will do so in the present or in the future. It 

 simply means that however high the educational standard may 

 be the weakest educationally will have to fill these positions. The 

 question is mainly an economic one, and if the social organization 

 reanires that certain occupations are to be taken merelv en passant. 

 as it were, then the organization must see to it that the emoloyee 

 i: not rendered unfit for some later occupation. This of course 



