Mr. FRIEDMAN. Yes, sir. Mr. DALLINGER. Where did you have that taken? Mr. FRIEDMAN. At the Polyclinic Government Hospital, on Fifteenth Street. Mr. DALLINGER. And you say it was seven weeks before they had any report on that X-ray examination? Mr. FRIEDMAN. No; I couldn't exactly remember-three or four weeks. It was three or four weeks before I had any answer from that X ray, but I did hear about it when I was over in the hospital. Mr. DALLINGER. I wanted to get that time definitely. It was three or four weeks from the time that you had the X-ray examination that you heard anything about it? Mr. FRIEDMAN. Yes, sir; that they told me I could go home and they would let me know. At that time I was told that I had to go under an operation. I kept on going to the hospital every day. Mr. DALLINGER. Have you any complaint to make in regard to your treatment by the employees at the office of the Federal board except this delay? Mr. FRIEDMAN. I have no complaint. Mr. DALLINGER. You were never treated discourteously? Mr. FRIEDMAN. No, sir; I was treated pretty well, as far as I know. Mr. ROBSION. You say that your injury is an old sprain in 1918? Mr. FRIEDMAN. Yes, sir. Mr. ROBSION. Was it an original sprain or an injury incurred in the service? Mr. FRIEDMAN. Yes, sir. Mr. ROBSION. What part of the leg was injured? Mr. FRIEDMAN. The knee. Mr. ROBSION. Is it stiff? Mr. FRIEDMAN. Why, it is swollen up all the time. Mr. FRIEDMAN. Yes, sir. Mr. ROBSION. Were you walking lame when you got out of the Army? Mr. FRIEDMAN. It will hurt me for a certain time and swell up, and then let me go for a week or so, or two weeks, without walking, and as soon as I start to running around it will swell up again, and the same thing over again. This is the third time it has happened since I got out of the Army. Mr. ROBSION. Were you in the hospital while you were in the Army? Mr. FRIEDMAN. Yes, sir. I was told my arches were broken down. and different things like that. Mr. ROBSION. You were told your arches were broken down? Mr. ROBSION. Well, were you discharged from the hospital when you came out of the service? Mr. FRIEDMAN. Yes, sir. Mr. ROBSION. And they were fixing to send you to another hospital? Mr. FRIEDMAN. They were supposed to send me to another hospital, for another reason which they haven't done, and that was my teeth. They pulled my teeth out. Mr. ROBSION. What did they do that for? Mr. FRIEDMAN. I suppose it was gas or something. Mr. ROBSION. You have applied for war risk-for compensation from the Bureau of War Risk, haven't you? Mr. FRIEDMAN. Only about two months ago. Mr. ROBSION. And you have applied for vocational training? Mr. ROBSION. How long had you been in the hospital since you were discharged from the Army? Mr. FRIEDMAN. You mean over on this side? Mr. ROBSION. Yes. Mr. FRIEDMAN. I was one place and another. I have gone into the hospital at different places, and I haven't really laid in the hospital until I found out about this trip when they send me over there to the Polyclinic Hospital. Mr. ROBSION. Now, you did not apply for vocational training until about two weeks ago? Mr. FRIEDMAN. Two months ago. Mr. ROBSION. And you were discharged in May, 1919? Mr. FRIEDMAN. Yes, sir. Mr. ROBSION. Why didn't you do it sooner? Mr. FRIEDMAN. I didn't know anything about the board, sir. Mr. FRIEDMAN. No, sir. Mr. ROBSION. You never before that had heard of this vocational training? Mr. FRIEDMAN. No, sir. Mr. ROBSION. Didn't they talk to you about it in the Army? Mr. FRIEDMAN. They might have done, but I never thought of it. I never remembered anything about it. Mr. ROBSION. Didn't you see any posters or papers or letters about it? Mr. FRIEDMAN. The only ones that I did find out was when a friend of mine met me and told me about it, and also another party told me to go there. The Columbia University and the Y. M. C. A. has a certain booklet telling about the different training. Mr. ROBSION. And that was the first you heard of it? Mr. FRIEDMAN. That was the first I know of the Federal board. Mr. ROBSION. And all that time you were in New York, were you, since you were discharged? Mr. FRIEDMAN. Yes, sir. Mr. ROBSION. Living right at home? Mr. FRIEDMAN. Yes, sir. Mr. ROBSION. And you had not heard of it? Mr. FRIEDMAN. No, sir. Mr. ROBSION. That is all. The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Friedman, you may be excused. The committee will stand adjourned until 10 o'clock Monday morning. (Whereupon, at 4.15 o'clock p. m., the committee adjourned until 10 o'clock a. m. Monday, April 12, 1920.) COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Washington, Monday, April 12, 1920. The committee met at 10 o'clock a. m., Hon. Simeon D. Fess (chairman) presiding. The CHAIRMAN. Certain of the witnesses that we expected to have here this morning have been delayed. There are, at least, a number to appear, but, as the public knows, the railroad situation is rather serious and in all likelihood their failure to appear is due to that. The committee will adjourn until 2 o'clock this afternoon, when we will resume the investigation. (Thereupon the committee took a recess until 2 o'clock p. m.) AFTER RECESS. The committee reassembled at 2 o'clock p. m., pursuant to recess. Mr. TOWNER (in the chair). The committee will come to order. Mr. O'Grady, you may be sworn. Please give your full name to the reporter and your address. STATEMENT OF REV. JOHN O'GRADY, CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY, WASHINGTON, D. C. (The witness was sworn by Mr. Towner.) Rev. O'GRADY. My name is John O'Grady, Catholic University, Washington. The CHAIRMAN. I believe you are connected with the Catholic University? Rev. O'GRADY. Yes, sir; I am professor of sociology. Mr. TOWNER. You have had some work to do in the rehabilitation work of the soldiers, as I understand it? Rev. O'GRADY. I have had considerable experience in dealing with the wounded men during the past year. A year ago, after studying the problem carefully, I felt that the most difficult problem which the Vocational Board would have to deal with was the problem of the man who had very little previous training or education. At that time I suggested to the director of the Federal board that we would be willing to organize a special department for the training of such men, the training of men who had not completed the eighth grade in the ordinary school. We felt that so far as they were concerned, so far as these men with very little education were concerned, the problem of vocational education was very new; that we knew 4661-20-vOL 1—39 607 very little about it, and we felt that a special course should be organized for them in order to obtain good results. Mr. TOWNER. Was it your purpose to extend the work beyond academic training, or did you go into the vocational training as well? Rev. O'GRADY. We begun with a school intended primarily for what is known as try-out work. We took men who had had very little previous training, most of whom had not completed the sixth grade in the ordinary schools, and gave them some general cultural courses. Then we supplemented that with try-out work for 60 days in the different trades, in order to find out what trade they would be best fitted for. Now that was continuous from May until October Mr. TOWNER. What year was that? Rev. O'GRADY. Last year, 1919. We dealt with quite a number of men in the try-out work between May 1 and October 1. Beginning October 1 we developed regular training courses in automechanics, machine-shop work, electrical work, and clerical work, and since October 1 we have been giving these regular training courses. Mr. TOWNER. Do you have vocational equipment there for training the men? Rev. O'GRADY. Yes; we have a fairly well-organized department of automechanics. We have a well-organized machine shop; we have a well-organized electrical department to give the men about half time in theoretical work, the theory of automechanics, mathematics, which would be necessary for them in their trade, reading, and free-hand drawing. We give the same type of supplementary work for half time in the machine trades and electrical trades. Then the other half is devoted-the other half of that time is devoted to practical work in the shop. Mr. TOWNER. In what way have you sought to coordinate your work with the activities of the vocational board? Rev. O'GRADY. All of our men are compensation cases and come under the Federal Board for Vocational Education. They are placed in our school-in this school that has been especially organized-by the vocational board. They come under the direction of the vocational board. Every man is sent there by the board. The board planned the work in cooperation with us, and the board continues. to supervise the work. We deal directly with the board in regard to every man who is in training in that school. Mr. TOWNER. What has been your experience with the boardfirst with regard to what might be called their sympathetic attitude. toward the soldier? Rev. O'GRADY. Well, I feel that it could be improved to some extent. We suggested some time ago to one of their men that it might be desirable to have, say, a representative of the American Legion on their board of review, the board which passes on the cases. It seemed to us that in view of the large number of cases which the board had to deal with, they have necessarily had to deal with them in a rather routine fashion, and it was very difficult, it seemed to us, if not impossible, to give individual attention, which is very essential. We have found that it would be very difficult to have the men profit by the training if they had not been given individual attention. Mr. TOWNER. Well, so far as these young men that are in your school are concerned, you are giving them individual attention? Rev. O'GRADY. Yes; we are giving them the individual attention. Mr. TOWNER. In what regard would you criticize the board for not giving individual attention? Rev. O'GRADY. Well, what I feel is this, that a man comes to the office of the board-he is one of a thousand, the board has to deal with a great number of cases, and it is difficult for the board to give them attention-it is difficult for them to give the ex-service man the same amount of individual attention that we could give them. I am not making that as really a criticism of the board; I really feel that it is inevitable. I feel that it is true of any organization which is developing a large number of men. They had to deal with them in a very matter of fact, routine way. Mr. TOWNER. Now, the board, or the officials of the board, must first pass upon the case and determine what line of vocational work the soldier will take while he is with you. Do you have any difficulty in coming to an agreement with the board as to the line that is to be pursued by the soldier? Rev. O'GRADY. In that regard we never had any difficulty with the board during the first four months of our existence. We were engaged in what is known as tryout work. During that period we were endeavoring to find out what occupations the men who were placed with us were fitted for. Now, after the man had been in the school for 60 days, we then talked the matter over with the board's representatives, and we came to a conclusion in regard to the trade in which that man should be placed-in regard to the type of course that he should take up. Of course, we also took the man's own wishes and notions into account; we talked it over with him; we had a round-table conference, which was attended by the man himself, the person in charge of the work in our school, who had charge of the work while he was in school, and a board representative. Mr. TOWNER. So you have never had any difficulty with the board with regard to the courses which the men should pursue? Rev. O'GRADY. No; I must say that we have had excellent cooperation from the board. Of course, the board felt just as we did, that in dealing with that type of case we were all dealing with a perfectly new problem in the field of vocational education, with a problem on which we had very little, practically no, experience. Take auto mechanics, for instance. We found that in organizaing our courses in auto mechanics, both the technical training courses and the supplementary vocational work, we had practically no experience to go on. We found that there was not a single book on the market that could guide us in developing a course in auto mechanics, which of course would include practical shop work and supplemental Vocational work, for a man who had, let us say, completed the sixth grade in school. We had simply to go ahead and develop the course ourselves. Mr. TOWNER. Have you sought to carry on some academic training with those men who have been with you; for instance, that have not more than a sixth grade education? Have you sought to supplement that academic training as you went along with your mechanical training? Rev. O'GRADY. Yes, but we have endeavored to make the academic training as practical as possible. All the men have a course in civics. |