Armstrong High School - Resume Yearbook (Armstrong, IL)

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ll ll' ' 19' ll 1' Q illnrplc zmh Gjulh Q ll ll ll ll -1 Some people bring up the argument that the commercial schools to- day are not fully meeting, all the demands of modern business. Now that is not a just criticism, because the same may be said of the medical schools, the law schools, and all other schools of technical or professional training. The schools of medicine are not fully meeting all the demands cl the medical profession. Can we say that the law schools are meeting al tlie demands of the legal prolesslon? If the graduates of these pro- QGSS,Ol'lHl schools who spend several years in intensive training for their profession do not measure up to the highest standard of professional pro- ilclency, we surely then may expect that some of the graduates of our commercial schools or those who take commercial subjects in high school to 1a-l short of tae highest standards of business service. How can we expect at this stage of development of the commercial work, pew:- iectlon irom all. But I do beneve that graduates of our commercial de- partment of our high school are as well qualified or better qualified than graduates of other departments. This year there will not be a failure an the commercial department unless some students radically fall down in their work between now and graduation. ,' Reports from commercial de- j citniciits of other schools can also be shfown that do not have a failure. This is not true every year, but contrast commercial work with other sub- jtets and note the failures. Some think commercial work rather easy. but I urge all who think it so to enter into the Work and I know that they will change their minds. We commercial teachers are frequently accused of not being famil- iar with nor teaching cultural subjects. I do know that some higher in- stitutions of learning that give full value and credit for basket making and not even recognize such subjects as shorthand or typewriting. But I believe that any subject is cultured that will develop a person, make him better, make it possible for him to enjoy life to the fullest, and make him a citizen of the highest type. I sincerely trust that the commercial subjects may be able to get the recognition that they deserve. Show me a man or woman who will not use a knowledge of bookkeeping during their life, even to the smallest ex- tent. Shorthand is becoming more popular every day, while in nearly every home you will now notice a typewriter and many times I have heard this remark by men and women, I wish I could operate a type- Writer. Commercial education is just coming into its own. As to how rapidl- ly it will continue to develop, depends upon the students and upon those ll' n n :Il II If--Q 1 9 2 4 G-:ur-an n ll ll E

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ll n ll n i u Q purple zmhqgulh C9 n u ll n of Boston by Mr. Gregg. The Gregg system is radically diiferent from the geometric style which Pitman used, the characters being based upon the movement used in longhand writing. The Gregg Shorthand is the standard shorthand system of America and is used in about 90 percent of the high schools and colleges today and is readily the best system in use because it is easy to learn, easy to read, easy to write and superiorin speed. Ithink the people should be proud to think that the Board of Education adopted the best system for their school. Regardless of all that has been said. the use of shorthand did not be come general. I think the difHculty was due to the fact that the older systems were so hard to learn. Along with all these activities in the fields of shorthand and book- keeping, comes another great invention, the typewriter. The first type- writer of which we have any record was patented in England in 1714. In 1829, the first American typewriter, called a typographer, was patented by W. A. Burt. The Remington Typewriter made its appearance in the year 1873. When the great possibilities of shorthand in conjunction with the typewriter were discovered. the introduction of these two sub- jects into the schools of this country was assured. I will mention a few of our most famous men who give credit to their busineis training for a measure of their success. Ex-President Wilson. Frank A. Vanderlip, Ex-President of the City National Bank of New York, Judge Landis of Chicago, Hugh Chalmers of the Chalmers Detroit Motor Co., Governor Cox of Ohio, Senator Lenroot, of Wisconsin, Edward Bok, Irvin S. Cobb, Edward Everett Hale, and many' others have made their start with a knowledge of shorthand. ' Commercial Education used in connection with high school training is the process of equipping the normal youth of high school age, who pur- sues it with such knowledge, skill and power as he can reasonably be ex- pected to find useful in his immediate endeavor to earn a living in 2, recognized business activity. Commercial educationin the high schools of today should share with general education the responsibility of determining the place and efficiency of the individual in society. I think our high schools are meeting the de- mands of modern business. I may even go further and say that the frraduates' of our commercial schools. public and rrivate. are better Quali- fied technically for business service than the graduates of few years ago. pl flI'1'll u :ui 1924 Ca n u n ll um

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Q 5 H H H ll Q isufpieimnceuin Q H H H H F who are engaged in teaching commercial work. Let me say this to the : parents, see that your children take commercial work while in high school and let them get that commercial education which you were not able to secure, thereby fitting your sons and daughters for better citizen- : ship in this business world of which we all must take a part. 2 THE VALUE UF AN AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION By Albert l.au,rence From its earliest beginning, Agricultural Education has been ridi- E culed by a class of people who do not believe in anything progressive, or showing improvement. The easiest thing in the world to do is to criti- cize. Anyone can always point out flaws in every move or action, no : matter how useful or praiseworthy it may be. It is a significant fact that in the majority of cases in every commun- : ity, it is the children of the most progressive farmers who attend High School and take Agricultural as well as other subjectsg while those young people from the farm who do not attend High School are more commonly : the children of farmers who are satisfied with the customs and practices that have been common for a generation or twog and do not care to change their mode of farming until compelled to by force of circumstances. As : Agricultural Education becomes more common and well fixed, this opposi- tion is rapidly disappearing. ' : Agricultural Science has done much to change the farmer's prac- tices many of which ideas are laughed at until their values are proved. The inoculation of alfalfa and soybean seed is an example. The idea of : coating the seed with soil from a field where the crop has been grown successfully was considered ridiculous at first. But no progressive far- mer today doubts the soundness of the practice on fields where the crop has not been grown previously. r In our Agricultural Courses we take up three main lines of study. 2 One is the work of Agricultural investigators and Experiment Stations in their efforts to improve farm practices by better seed, better stock, con- Tltlr n ll'- 'lF-'-'1I Q 1 92 4 Gill'-4-II u --u- nj