Industrial Education in the United States a Special Report

f Education, and hare the honor to forward for the information of the Senate, the following reply to the resolution of the Senate of the 15th instant, calling for information in regard to industrial education. Very respectfillly, your obedient servant h. M. TELLER, Becretary. The PRESIDEN OF T T HE SENATE. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, BUREAU OF EDUCATION, WasBington, D. C., December 27, 1882. SIR I have t, he honor to acknowledge the receipt of the following resolution of the Senate of the United States, referred by you to me on December 19 RosoZeed, That the Secretary of the Interior is directed to furnish to the Senate the latest and fullest informationin the possession of the Bureau of Edncation in relation to technical or industrial education in the schools and colleges enclowed in hole or in part by the Government of the United States, and also in other schools in the country reporting instruction in industry for either men or women. Education, in its relation to industry, is a subject of earnest consideration in the public mind. Older countries, struggling with some of the severer problems of civilization, have found grea, t aid in their solution by modifying the instruction - given the children in their schools. Educated labor is found to be a prominent factor in national prosperity. Recently industrial education in some form has been the subject of special inquiry in various foreign countries. Sereral of our owl1 States, S. EX. 25-1 2 INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES. ancl a number of associations and institutions, have been ma, king actire efforts to gain further information upon t, he subject. This office is compelled to make technical instruction a subject in regard to vhich it constartly collects and commuuicates facts and I have the honor to submit the following reply to the resolution of the Senate, drawn from material already gathered in the office in response to previous demands. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, JOHN EATON, Comwissioner. The Hon. SECRETARYO F THE INTERIOR. R E P O R T . It will be seen that the information called for by the Senate resolution is concerned with a wide educational field. Colleges of agriculture and mechanics, and institutions affording instruction similar to that of agricultural colleges, as well as those which give opportunities to women for industrial education, come withe the sphere of inquiry. In other words, the educational training of the farmer, the mechanic, and the honsekeeper, so far as it is attempted by organized eEort, is the subject on whiclz inforlnation is required to be given. In the West provision is usually made for the education of these three classes in the same schools for, in the newer States, it is the generally accepted belief that those who are to be comorkers in actual life may well be associated in the preparation for it that man and woman are entitled to equal and similar, if not ideutical, educational privileges. In the more conservative regions of the East and South the sexes are not so frequently educated together...