THE NECESSITY FOR TRAINING

(3) Whether a citizen follows a vocation of his own voluntary choice, or one into which he has fallen by chance or by force of circumstances, he is under obligation to the community as well as to himself to do his work well.  In these days of specialization this inevitably means preparation, training.  If the community expects the citizen to perform efficient service, it must afford him a fair opportunity for preparation.  During the war the government made special provision for training, not only for military service, but also for the industrial occupations that the nation needed.  Vocational training is now receiving great attention from the schools and from government.

HASTY ENTRANCE UPON VOCATIONAL LIFE

As in the choice of a vocation, so in preparation for it the individual has his share of responsibility.  It is always a temptation for young people to get out into the active work of the world at the earliest possible moment.  The desire to be independent, to earn one’s own living, to “make money,” is strong.  It leads many boys and girls to leave school even before they have finished their elementary education.  In the great majority of cases this results in serious economic loss both to the boy or girl and to the community.  The charts on page 137 furnish evidence of this.

PATRIOTISM IN VOCATIONAL LIFE

We call it patriotism when a man gives all that he has, even his life if necessary, for the good of his country, without stopping to consider whether or not he will receive an equal benefit in return.  There is no higher type of patriotism than that which prompts a citizen to perform his best service for the community in his daily calling, not for what he can get for it, but for what he can give.  This patriotism is shared by the young citizen who is willing to defer an apparent immediate gain to himself in order to prepare himself thoroughly for more effective service later.

If your father had his life to live over again, would he choose the same vocation that he is now following?  Consult him as to his reasons.

What special kinds of farming exist in your locality?  Is there a tendency in your community toward specialization in farming, or toward general farming?  Reasons?

To what extent is “scientific farming” practiced in your locality?  What does it mean?

Make a study of the extent to which specialization is necessary in the industries of your town.

Does your school offer any vocational training or vocational guidance?

Is there a tendency in your school for boys and girls to quit before completing the course?  At what grades do pupils begin to drop out in considerable numbers?  Why do they leave?  What sort of work do they do when they leave school?