The article examines the positions of three groups (industry, labor, agriculture), the eventual alignment of these positions that allowed passage of the Smith-Hughes Act, and implications for the passage of future legislation. The National Society for the Promotion of Industrial Education is discussed in detail. (CT)

The author analyzes manufacturers' involvement in the turn-of-the-century movement to include vocational education in the secondary school curriculum. He tests the "vocationalist" interpretation of this development and provides insights for current vocational education policy deliberations. (Author/CH)