THE CALL OF THE LAND 



if correctly reported, seem to me open to 

 criticism. Dr. Draper is right in alleging 

 "lack of sufficient articulation between the 

 educational and the industrial systems of the 

 country," but in error, I think, in saying 

 that "our elementary schools train for no 

 industrial employments." They in fact lay 

 the basis for all employments. Reading, 

 writing, and ciphering are such basis. Dr. 

 Draper must admit this. True, our com- 

 mon schooling leads to no particular call- 

 ing. It is general and liberal, and so may it 

 forever remain. We may be forced to de- 

 vote fewer grades to the foundation work, 

 perhaps encouraging youth who think they 

 must specialize thus early to enter voca- 

 tional schools or courses agriculture or 

 some mechanic art so early as the end of 

 the sixth grade. But these schools as well 

 as the nature, manual training and domestic 

 art studies of the earlier grades, should be 

 germane to the system, not divisive, not ex- 

 trinsic; they should fadge on to what has 

 preceded and, in a way, to the parallel work 

 of the pupils who do not thus specialize, so 



236 



