All the educational institutions specified in a previous article furnish what may be called a formal education. Such a formal education is indispensable in many pursuits of life. One would not think of consulting, for instance, a physician who did not have a degree in medicine or was without a State license. This is equally true of a lawyer, a dentist, a druggist, an accountant, and the other professions. In mentioning the list of professional men and women who must pass an examination before they are allowed to practice, no one should be offended when we point out that a dog catcher is required to pass a civil service examination before he is given employment.

Vocational education, therefore, should be sought in vocational schools, if possible. Specialization is the order of the day, and any one desiring to fit in the scheme of modern industrial life, and be useful to society, must be able to perform some one task well. Preparation of a person for a gainful occupation is the purpose of vocational schools. But the vocational schools require a background of at least elementary school training or its equivalent, such as given by our public grammar and high schools.

There is hardly any trade that can be taught successfully without a knowledge of mathematics, algebra, and geometry. This circumstance makes it necessary for every one to complete at least a high school course before taking up vocational training; unless one enters a technical high school, or takes a 3vocational course in high school.

The need of a formal education is becoming steadily more pressing. To illustrate this need it will suffice to point out that the legislature of the State of Illinois adopted a law requiring barbers to have a high school education. This seems ridiculous, but such is the trend of the times. It is all for the good of the people, and there is no reason why a farmer should not be compelled to give his children a liberal education. We even find university students working as waiters and waitresses in summer resorts. There is no reason why every living person should not possess a liberal education, regardless of the nature of his occupation. The difference between an engineer and a manual laborer working in a factory, lies not in the nature of their work, but in the knowledge each one holds.

An agrarian and a farm-hand are both interested in the cultivation of the soil for the purpose of getting the best crop, but while a farm-hand performs the function of an implement, an agrarian organizes the creative forces of nature for the same purpose. And this is true of any field of human endeavor.

In recent times our industrial system has undergone a radical change. Introduction of inanimate power, steam and electricity, gave rise to the machine. Inanimate power displaced animal and man power, and the time has already come when horses and mules are no longer needed. Next on the list, the unskilled laborer, does not need a fortune teller to be told what his fate will be in the near future for he will be as little in demand as horses and mules are today. But for the human mind there is no substitute. The human mind is the creator of wealth, be it individual or social. The unequal distribution 5of wealth is due to the inequality of mental development and individual effort. Make all men mentally equal and the social order will immediately change. The problem of unemployment, the problem of an equitable distribution of wealth, and the problem of the enjoyment of life and happiness all arise out of the mental status of the people as a whole. Make all men mentally equal, and they will be able to solve all of our human problems.

Mental inequality is revealed in educational statistics showing that of all the children who enter public schools only nine percent are graduated from the high schools, and of those graduated not more than ten percent complete a college education. From these statistics it is evident, that for one reason or another, the ignorance of the masses is the dominant factor in the social order of modern civilization.