Aspects of Vocational Guidance

THEODORE W. NOON, CAMBRIDGE, MASS.

II

A PLAN FOR DISCUSSING VOCATIONAL POINTS IN A SPECIFIC LESSON IN LITERATURE.

I. Introductory

OUTLINE

Statement of the Problem: A Neglected Field in the Teaching of English. Possibilities of putting life into the Recitation Period that is conducted in a co-operative way by a teacher who knows what Vocational Guidance is and who knows how to apply its principles.

"No general education without vocational education, No vocational education without general education." II. Discussion

Lesson assigned: Review of the story of SILAS MARNER. Central thought of the story: "A child more than all else brings forward-looking thoughts." (Wordsworth in commenting on this novel, entitled SILAS MARNER.)

A. The Child in the Home. Made possible:

(i) Silas had learned a trade.

(ii)

Industrial Revolution in England

(iii) Child Labor Laws. Massachusetts. In the South.

C. Silas the Miser or the Right Use of Leisure

(i) Gold: Wrong use of

(ii) Gold translated in terms of life values

(a) Eppie

(b) Silas

(iii) Gross Neglect of this right use of leisure in the case of Dunsie Cass. His tragic end. Cause: Fundamental Principles of Vocational Guidance had not been applied in the case of Dunsie Cass.

The reason why vocational points have not been discussed more in our classes in English Literature is because the teacher has not appreciated the value of literature as a means for vocational guidance. This neglect is one of the reasons why the subject of literature arouses so little interest among many students. The teacher does not make the subject interesting. He does not relate it to life. The treatment is largely technical or abstract. The result is that the student carries away very little that will be of any value to him in life. It is the purpose of this paper to show that the subjects of study in the high school can be "socialized," the vocational points can be emphasized and thereby the offering can be greatly enriched.

"Silas Marner," an English novel usually studied in all our secondary schools, is replete in references to occupational life. A review lesson has been assigned to the class in "Silas Marner." They have read the book. They know the story. They have been asked to come prepared to discuss the story and to give the purpose of the author in writing this novel. Let us in this specific recitation touch upon vocational points that appear upon the surface and analyze rather minutely one of these vocational points.

Wordsworth commenting on this novel thus defines the central thought:

"A Child more than all else brings forward-looking thoughts." I. Theme: The Child in Industry.

(a) Industrial Revolution in England.

i. Value set upon the child.

(Illustration: Taken by the cart loads to the cotton mills. One sub-normal child thrown in. Age of these children.) ii. Reform movement in England.

iii. Struggle in Massachusetts to secure child labor laws.

iv. Present struggle in the South in cotton manufacturing districts.

V.

Child under sixteen, employed in industrial world is a liability.

Place the child from earliest years in industry, make a machine out of the child, we get economic values, it is true, but what becomes of the HOME? What would have become of Silas Marner, incidentally? What becomes of the child?

(Illustration: The child is more skilful, he is more deft with his fingers. The constant, continued gaze in one direction extending over long hours for one so young has been known to destroy the eyesight of the child. We can buy cotton goods at a reduced rate at a sale, but I ask you, boys, where does that cotton come from? Some cotton that has been bought at a low price is literally red with the life blood of child labor.) II. Theme: The Child in the Home.

What made it possible for Eppie to remain at home? Answer: Silas had a trade.

(A) Value of a trade.

(Talmud.)

i. "Teach a boy a trade or you teach him to steal."

ii. Every Athenian citizen was obliged to teach his boy a trade and to teach him how to swim. Value of learning a specific trade: in this case (Trade of Silas Marner.) (a) Cloth of Florence

iii. weaving cloth.

(b) Florin of Florence

Principle: Florence, first free city to make good, was founded upon respect for manual toil. This made possible the art, literature of the Renaissance.

(c)

Contrast Athens, founded upon slave labor. The Age of Pericles.

(B) Waste caused by failure to learn a trade, to acquire knowledge, skill, social understanding:

i.

Will Wimble, the youngest son of an English
Lord (cited by Addison).

ii. Dunsie Cass, who simply grew up without learning a trade.

iii. Godfrey Cass GOOD but GOOD FOR NOTHING. (Illustration: One half the criminals in the prisons of Massachusetts, as boys, never took up the study of occupations, trades, never selected one trade, never prepared for it, never entered upon trade. Many of them were lounging around the street corners. Many of them went to the school for a time. You say they were "taking no thought for the morrow." I can prove to you by the life careers of Will Wimble and Dunsie Cass that they were deliberately taking thought for a wasted life.

(C) In view of the facts of the case are we warranted in fixing 18 as compulsory school age, given the right kind of subject matter and the right kind of teachers in the schools?

I want the class to come prepared next time to give reasons pro and con, in view of all the facts in Silas Marner and to be ready to vote on this question. You can get at it better through discussion among yourselves. Get the views of those at home. Discuss out of class as law students do. III. Theme: Right Use of Leisure.

A. Silas had only two strings to his bow. These were: (1) Work (2) Church. One of these strings broke. As a result Silas lost faith in man and in God. Silas became a iniser.

"Boys, has this question nothing to do with life conditions

today? Bring in your answers tomorrow after glancing over the headlines of any morning paper. In what respect was Silas absolutely deficient vocationally?

(a)

How about the care of the body?

(b) How about active participation in citizenship?

(c) How about reading? study?

(d)

How about the right use of leisure?

(e) Is that boy any better off than Silas when he attends certain kinds of movies, reads certain kinds of light literature or wastes his time in playing certain rag time music?

B. Lack of the right use of leisure was the real reason why Silas became a miser.

i. What finally brought Silas to his senses? The minister failed to accomplish this. The neighbors called at the home of Silas. They met with no success. It was Eppie, the little child, that called Silas back to a normal life.

We are not to lose sight of this central thought, its vocational aspects, in the study of style or questions of grammar. IV. Silas and Eppie: Principle: Co-operation. Through actual participation in a HOME PROJECT, in taking care of Eppie, Silas came to himself. The lack of any home project in the life of Dunsie Cass was his ruin. There was little co-operation in that home. Dunsie missed the influence of his mother. Squire Cass was too preoccupied to give much attention to his boy. We have no evidence that he ever learned a trade. He was another Will Wimble. His end was tragic, a fitting illustration of the enormous waste both in time and in lives that is produced by the LACK OF THE RIGHT KIND OF VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE.