This arrangement of work to be binding unless changed by mutual agreement of all parties to this contract.

Third. The apprentice shall report to his employer for work every alternate week when the high school is in session and on all working-days when the high school is not in session, except during vacation periods provided below, and he shall be paid only for actual time at such work.

Fourth. The apprentice is to have a vacation, without pay, of two weeks each year during school vacation.

Fifth. The employer reserves the right to suspend regular work wholly, or in part, at any time it may be deemed necessary, and agrees to provide under ordinary conditions other work at the regular rate of pay for the apprentice during such period.

Sixth. Should the conduct or work of the apprentice not be satisfactory to employer or to the high-school authority, he may at any time be dismissed or suspended for a time by the employer without previous notice. The first two months of the apprentice's shopwork are considered a trial time.

Seventh. Lost time shall be made up before the expiration of each year, at the rate of wages paid during said year, and no year of service shall commence till after all lost time by the apprentice in the preceding year shall have been fully made up.

Eighth. The apprentice must purchase from time to time such tools as may be required for doing rapid and accurate work.

Ninth. The said term of approximately 4,950 hours (three-year shop term) shall be divided into three periods as stated below, and the compensation shall be as follows, payable on regular pay days to each apprentice:

10

11

cents per hour. cents per hour.

cents per hour.

For the first period of approximately 1,650 hours__For the second period of approximately 1,650 hours____. For the third period of approximately 1,650 hours____ 12 Tenth. The above wage scale shall begin the first day of July preceding the apprentice's entrance upon the first year of shopwork of the high school industrial course.

These papers, subject to the two months' trial noted in paragraph 6, shall be signed by the two parties to the contract at the time the boy enters the shop. The satisfactory fulfillment of the conditions of this contract leads to a diploma, to be conferred upon the apprentice by the school board of Fitchburg upon his graduation, which diploma shall bear the signature of an officer of the company with which he served his apprenticeship.

Witnesseth, That the party of the second part shall from the date hereof, for the term of three years (4,950 hours divided into three periods of 1,650 hours a year, as stated in the "Rules and conditions"), and so much longer as may be necessary to make up lost time, become and be the apprentice of the party of the first part to the art or trade of____. ____and that said

parties of the first and second parts will well and truly do and perform all things required to be done and performed by them in and by said rules and conditions of the cooperative industrial course.

In witness whereof said party of the first part has caused these presents to be signed and sealed by‒‒‒‒‒

..for this purpose authorized, and said party of the second part has hereto set his hand and seal this day and year first above written.

upon the terms named in the above articles of agreement; and I further agree that in consideration of such employment the wages or earnings of my said shall be paid directly to him, and I hereby release all

claim that I now have or may have hereafter thereto.

(Son or ward.)

Each boy when he enters shop work is presented with the following suggestions:

CO-OP INFORMATION.

Read this carefully. It will save you and us trouble. Remember that the object of work is production. Your foreman measures you by the quantity and quality of your work. Social position does not enter. In the shop you are not a high-school boy; you are an apprentice. Wear clothes accordingly. If you get the mistaken idea that any work given you is beneath the dignity of a high-school boy, just remember you are an apprentice and get 100 per cent busy.

It is your business to get along smoothly with the workmen and foreman; not theirs to get along with you.

Do not expect any personal attention from the superintendent. He will probably ignore you entirely, but he knows whether or not you are making good, and in most cases his idea of you depends upon your ability to please your foreman. Don't be a kicker and don't continually bother your foreman for higher wages. If you are not receiving your raises as agreed upon, or if you have other grievances, let the director adjust matters through the firm's office.

An idle machine means a cash loss to the firm. Let yours never be idle without previous arrangement. To "lay off" without permission is a serious offense for a workingman and is just as serious for an apprentice, regardless of the relative importance of the work he does.

The foreman always plans ahead for every man's work, yours included. Therefore, notify your foreman before you leave on any regular vacation. A little thoughtfulness may prevent serious misunderstanding. And always, if sick and unable to report in person, send a telephone message to your foreman. He can arrange then to have your work done for you; otherwise he will naturally cease to depend on you.

Never try to conceal defective work. Take your full measure of blame, and do not make the same mistake twice.

Watch, in a quiet way, what things are being done around you, and don't be afraid to ask sensible questions. A good rule is to think over a question twice before asking. A reputation for having "horse sense” means that you are making good.

Foremen and workmen will take pleasure in showing you, if you show yourself genuinely appreciative of little attentions. If they tell you something you already know, don't spoil their pleasure by telling them you already know it, but let it be impressed on your mind all the deeper; for the conversation may lead to something which is entirely new to you.

If your foreman refuses to grant any requests, and you value his good will, do not refer the matter to a higher official. Let the director, Mr. Hunter, help you.

The fool act of one co-op hurts every co-op. See that your actions in and out of the shop do not bring discredit on the co-op course.

Confer freely with Mr. Hunter about your work. He is here to help you do the right thing and be a success.

RESULTS OF THE COOPERATIVE PLAN.

The plan at the close of the school year in June, 1913, had been in operation five full years. It is not possible to say, therefore, with positiveness that it is an unqualified success. Time enough must be allowed to elapse for its success in teaching the trade to be judged by a comparison of the work of a reasonable number of its graduates with that of other boys trained in the trades without attending school at the same time, including boys whose schooling ended with the work of the elementary grades, those who completed part of a high-school course, and those who were graduated from a high school.

The plan appears to be very successful. The opinions of all who have had an opportunity to judge by the results already obtained are unanimous in its favor. The following are statements of some of the employers and foremen who have had under their charge old-line apprentices and boys of the cooperative industrial course:

On their graduation we find that the high-school boys are practically of the same intelligence so far as shop work goes, possibly not quite as keen in touch as the ambitious boy who serves his time on the old plan, but they have a mental equipment from their study in the schools that would give them in a few months' time in the shops the same touch with the addition of the school

training. They are better boys without any question. They are more manly and have wider vision, and we prefer them to the boys who are taught the trade without the school experience.

The industrial course seems to me to fill a long-felt want, because it takes up the "why" and "because" of the task of the boy. I have had several of the boys under my care and find this true. They seem to take more interest in the shop work than the regular apprentices. I regret that I did not have the chance to take a similar course while attending school.-A. Anderson, superintendent Bath Grinder Co.

It is the biggest boon that has ever come to the boys of Fitchburg. Since the opening of the course the employers are taking a more sincere interest in the boys, and the growing kindness of the employers is very manifest in many ways. The course is most commendable, and the boys who graduate from the high school after having followed the cooperative industrial course are bound to be our future foremen and superintendents.-Mr. H. Jennisen, manager of the Jennisen Co.

The boys of this course want a high-school education, and many of them could not take the course if they did not earn money to help out. Many more desire a higher mechanical education and can earn a part of the cost by taking the course, which gives them practical experience as well as money. Another important advantage of the industrial course is that the boys who take it are very popular, and are looked up to as leaders of the school and society. As a matter of fact, it has been easier for the past three years to get regular apprentices, or all-time boys, than before the industrial boys came to the shop.

There is no question that this course stimulates the boy to do his very best, gives him a brighter and wider outlook, and increases his manliness and efficiency. Mr. Charles Fosdick, superintendent of Fitchburg Steam Engine Co. The discipline at the school helps the shop and doubtless that of the shop helps the school, both keeping the boy traveling along the right road all the time. The shop is benefited in that there are two boys in the course when there was only one before. This gives the prospect of two recruits at the trade, while there was only one under the old apprenticeship system.

After 33 years of experience, 23 years of the time as foreman, I would prefer this course, with its practical experience, to any technical course, without the practical experience that I know of.-Mr. E. J. Tilton, foreman of metal planer and hydraulic press departments of Putnam Machine Co.

In my opinion, based upon contact and extended investigation, the benefits of this course to the boy who wishes to advance excel those given pupils through any other educational course.—Mr. R. D. Redfern, secretary of Fitchburg Board of Trade and Merchants' Association.

We have these boys in our machine room, in our drafting room, learning the sawsmith trade, and in our office. All of them are doing nicely.

It is a great pleasure for us to uphold what we consider the best plan of education that has ever come to our notice for a boy of limited means, whose main object is to fit himself to earn a living at the earliest possible date. The boys are learning a trade and getting an education at the same time. Judging from their efficiency, we feel they have learned as much of the trade by alternating in the shop and school as other boys did under the old plan of apprenticeship by being all of the time in the shop. The boys whom we have in the shop will have an education at the end of four years, will have a trade, and will be earning as much as they would if they had served only their three years' shop work. They will have a foundation on which to go further than would be

possible for a boy who had to start in with common-school education, and sometimes less.

There are a great many schemes of industrial education; all of them are good. They all help, but we believe this is the best of them all. The boy gets the benefit of actual contact with the students and faculty of the public-school system, which, to our mind, is a decided advantage over a private tutor. He learns to mingle with his fellows and sees life as it is in the school; then he goes to work in a commercial establishment where the activities of life are performed in a truly commercial way. The tools must be kept up to date. The foreman must give the boy enough individual attention to see that he knows what he is going to build and to see that he does it in a most efficient manner. It is the same with him as with any other boy or man that is hired in a commercial establishment. He must earn his way, as it is evident the business could not be founded on philanthropy. He, too, is surrounded by men who are masters of the art, and learns from them by observation and personal contact. When he finishes school he knows what he is going to do and knows what he can do. When the average boy who goes to the high school finishes his course and applies for a position he is asked what he can do, and his reply will probably be, "I don't know."

This course gives the manufacturer a thinking mechanic. It gives the boy of the laboring man a chance to become a thinking mechanic; gives him a chance with the education he obtains to become a manufacturer, if he has the energy and determination to carry him so far. It gives a man the education that enables him to think clearly for himself, and he does not have so many troubles that he can not overcome without assistance. It places him in position to compete with anyone. Manufacturers will tell you that they are constantly looking for men who are capable of taking “thinking parts" in overseeing and managing their business, and they do not always find what they are looking for. A system of education such as this can not fail to relieve this situation. In conversation with men who have been to an institute of technology they have said, Wish I had had this course, and I would have gotten more out of my tech." We feel very certain that the very great majority of taxpayers will get more for their money in this way than they received from the purely academic instruction that has prevailed.

In conversation with our superintendent of schools he tells us that, while he does not know positively, he feels very certain that 100 of the 800 or more pupils who will start in our high school next year never would have gone further than the ninth grade, or the first year in high school, had it not been for this course. The fact that the boy is able to earn a certain amount of money, which helps his parents (and very often they need this help), makes it possible for them to allow him to spend the extra three or four years necessary to graduate, having in mind that when he graduates he will be as well equipped for life as if he had stopped going to school and spent his whole time learning the trade.-Mr. H. B. McDonald, superintendent Simonds Manufacturing Co.

STANDING OF THE INDUSTRIAL GRADUATES IN ACADEMIC SUBJECTS.

The success of the plan depends not alone on its merits in teaching the trades, but also in giving a general education. The results from this viewpoint can be determined by a comparison of the industrialcourse graduates with the other high-school graduates in regular courses. An opinion concerning their standing in the academic work