a foreman.
The inherent difficulty with ideals of success which demand that the
worker become a boss of somebody else is that the world of industry
needs only a relatively small number of bosses. Theoretically it is
possible for any individual to reach the eminence of boss-ship. In
real life less than one-tenth of the boys who enter industrial
employment can rise above the level of the journeyman artisan, at
least before later middle age, because only about that proportion of
bosses are needed.
The task of the vocational counselor will consist in putting the
pupil's feet on the first steps of the ladder rather than showing him
rosy pictures of the top of it. For the great majority the top means
no more than decent wages. This, after all, is a worthy ambition,
frequently requiring the worker's best efforts for its realization.
THE GIRLS' VOCATION BUREAU
The Girls' Vocation Bureau, for the placement of girls and women in
wage-earning employment, has been in operation about six years. At
present it is under the general charge of the state and municipal
employment bureau, although part of the funds for the support of the
bureau is raised through private subscription. From July, 1914, to
July, 1915, the Bureau secured positions for nearly 11,000 girls and
women. Of these approximately 12 per cent were girls under 21. In many
instances only temporary employment is secured, although efforts are
made to place the girls in permanent positions. More girls are placed
in office positions than in any other line of work, but a considerable
proportion take employment in factories, domestic service,
restaurants, and stores.
A careful record is kept of each applicant's qualifications, home
conditions, the names of employers, etc. The Bureau endeavors to keep
in touch with the girls after they are placed through follow-up
reports and visits by members of the office staff or by volunteer
investigators.
This spring every school in the city was visited by representatives of
the Bureau in the endeavor to interest principals in the work of
placement, and arrangements were made for sending to the Bureau lists
of the girls who were expected to leave school permanently. This
effort met with slight success, as only about 100 girls were reported
from all the schools in the city, although the number of girls leaving
school each year from the elementary grades alone is over 2,000. In
all cases the girls were visited by a representati
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