62: Educational Extravagance
Chapter 62, "Educational Extravagance," criticizes the public high school system for its disproportionate focus on "educational frills and vanities" over practical training, arguing this approach is detrimental to most students from working-class backgrounds. The author contends that time spent on superfluous cultural studies is wasted for children who will enter manual trades, delaying their entry into the workforce and providing little tangible benefit. This dual extravagance—of parents who unwisely choose such an education and municipalities that impose taxes for a system benefiting only a few—is seen as unjust, advocating instead for a practical, business-oriented curriculum that truly serves the masses rather than an elite, and urges parents to demand an education aligned with their children's real-life needs.
For the full audiobook can be obtained here. The contents of this volume appeared originally in The Catholic Transcript, of Hartford, Connecticut, in weekly installments, from February, 1901, to February, 1903.
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