Some of the labor unions in Chicago consider it wrong for the public schools to give boys an opportunity to learn a trade, and in this connection the unions have directed vigorous attacks against the board of education for initiating vocational courses in the schools in Chicago. Manual training is being branded as a whim of fashion, a "fad" which ought to be banned from the schools.

The unions will not gain the support of the public in this attitude. The complaint has been quite generally made that our schools are not practical; that they pull our youths away from work instead of training them to work. The consequence is that a large number of young men and women hold themselves too good for ordinary labor when they finish their courses at school. So 2they try to get positions as clerks in offices or stores, preferring this sort of work, even at starvation wages, to work that pays better but is considered "plain" and "rough". Such an attitude reacts as a drawback both for themselves and for society as a whole.

Attempts have been made of late in most American cities, including Chicago, to transform the schools into real training institutions,preparing students for life. The goal is yet distant,but a good start has been made. In some schools, girls may now learn cooking, sewing, and many other of the household arts; boys may learn to use a knife, a saw, a plane, and other tools. This develops their abilities and gives them a healthier view of life. It teaches them respect for labor; it gives them facility in using their hands. Such knowledge is useful in any occupation and under any conditions, and it opens the door to a number of positions.

But now there are certain representatives of practical work who protest against this development in the schools. The reason they present is that because of vocational training in the schools, organized labor is endangered. Anybody will realize that such an attitude is narrow and misleading. The labor unions will not promote the cause of labor by trying to prevent a reform in the educational system which is needed for the welfare of society as a whole, as well as for the individual boys and girls. The attitude of these labor unions is even less justified in their attempt to restrict unreasonably the chances for the young to learn a trade.

Under present business conditions labor unions are necessary. They have accomplished much good and in a large measure they have popular support. But when they oppose the schools for trying to develop the young people into capable, practical men and women, able to take care of themselves, then these unions are going too far. The people will not stand for such attempts at monopoly whether they make their appearance with labor leaders or with trust kings.