Presidents -- United States -- Messages; United States -- Politics and government -- Sources
economic world, and the dignity, the remuneration, and the power of his
position in the social world. Unfortunately, at present the effect of
some of the work in the public schools is in the exactly opposite
direction. If boys and girls are trained merely in literary
accomplishments, to the total exclusion of industrial, manual, and
technical training, the tendency is to unfit them for industrial work
and to make them reluctant to go into it, or unfitted to do well if
they do go into it. This is a tendency which should be strenuously
combated. Our industrial development depends largely upon technical
education, including in this term all industrial education, from that
which fits a man to be a good mechanic, a good carpenter, or
blacksmith, to that which fits a man to do the greatest engineering
feat. The skilled mechanic, the skilled workman, can best become such
by technical industrial education. The far-reaching usefulness of
institutes of technology and schools of mines or of engineering is now
universally acknowledged, and no less far--reaching is the effect of a
good building or mechanical trades school, a textile, or watch-making,
or engraving school. All such training must develop not only manual
dexterity but industrial intelligence. In international rivalry this
country does not have to fear the competition of pauper labor as much
as it has to fear the educated labor of specially trained competitors;
and we should have the education of the hand, eye, and brain which will
fit us to meet such competition.
In every possible way we should help the wageworker who toils with his
hands and who must (we hope in a constantly increasing measure) also
toil with his brain. Under the Constitution the National Legislature
can do but little of direct importance for his welfare save where he is
engaged in work which permits it to act under the interstate commerce
clause of the Constitution; and this is one reason why I so earnestly
hope that both the legislative and judicial branches of the Government
will construe this clause of the Constitution in the broadest possible
manner. We can, however, in such a matter as industrial training, in
such a matter as child labor and factory laws, set an example to the
States by enacting the most advanced legislation that can wisely be
enacted for the District of Columbia.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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