n of pupils who graduate is small and the mortality
during the first two years is very heavy. This is due in part to the
fact that the type of pupil who leaves school early is more likely to
elect a technical course than an academic course. About 25 per cent of
each entering class drops out after attending one year, and 25 per
cent of the remainder by the end of the second year. By the time the
third year is reached the classes are greatly depleted and the
survivors as a rule are of the more intelligent and prosperous type.
Only a small proportion of them expect to enter skilled manual
occupations. Table 9 shows the distribution of the third and fourth
year students among the different trade courses during the first
semester of 1915-16.

TABLE 9.--DISTRIBUTION OF THIRD AND FOURTH YEAR STUDENTS IN TRADE
COURSES IN THE CLEVELAND TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOLS, FIRST SEMESTER,
1915-1916

Trade courses Students
Electrical construction 68
Machine work 52
Printing 28
Cabinet making 22
Pattern making 12
Foundry work 1
----
Total 183

That relatively few of these students will ultimately become
journeymen workmen is shown by the records of the boys graduated in
the past. The principal of the East Technical High School recently
sent a questionnaire to all the students graduated up to 1915, asking
for information as to their present occupations and their earnings
during the first four years after graduation. Of those who replied,
over 60 per cent either were attending college, or employed as
draftsmen or chemists. About 28 per cent were employed in the skilled
trades. The distribution in detail is shown in Table 10.

The data furnished by graduates as to their earnings during successive
years after leaving school supply still more convincing evidence to
the effect that the technical school graduate seldom remains in manual
work more than two or three years. The complete course gives them an
equipment of practical and theoretical knowledge that speedily takes
them out of the handwork class. The technical high schools are
primarily training schools for futur