The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1873-09-04
rIFFIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

An examination of the Twelfth An
nuaI Catalogue of the Tifiin Publi,
Schools demonstrated that they are
not only well, bat excellently man
aged; and, therefore, that the scholars
are making healthy progress. The
catalogue as to subject matter shows
great care in its preparation, and ty-
geographically it is well executed.
In his third annual report to the
I Board OF Education for the year end
ing August 81, 1873, Mr.. Furness, the
Superintendent, carefully goes oYei
the. work of last year and makes per
tinent suggestions for tho improve
n1ent Of the schools ia the future.
The enrolment of pupiIs, as shown
by the Report, during the year was
,OI9, of which 7SS were English and
81 German. The enrolment was 50
in excess of last year. The average
daily attendance of the pupils was
765 against 604 of the year previous
Mr.. Furness then refers to the adj
vantages gained in the use of the two
new school houses, from the fact that
better convenience is given scholars
to attend school, of which advantage
has been taken; and also calls atten-
tion to the change made in grades be-
low the fourth, necessitated by the re-
districting Of the city and re-arrange-
ment of pupils.
On tine subject of drawing the Su-
perintendent is somewhat elaborate,
and we quote at length:
The teaching Of the art of drawing
in Public Schools can no longer be
considered an open question. The ex-
periments, made many years ago in
Germany and France, have been re-
peated in our own country, with such
success As to warrant its adoption as
a part OF the course of study Of every
graded school. Leading American
Educators have for several years ad-
vocated this step, but until within the
past three years, have failed to secure
such results as would warrant its be-
ing generally taken 4f -
For the purpose of illustration,
Drawing may be divided into two
distinct branches, Industrial which
includes Mechanical Artistic
Drawing. The former embraces all
those departments Of thesubjeet which
are employed in the arts including
designs and patterns, mouldings, jew
elers' styles, architecture, civil engi-
neering, &C.; the latter is purely es.
thetic, and applies to landscape draw
ing, pictures, &C., &c. Its the-form-
er which it is designed to introduce
into the schools.
The utility of this art as a part OF
general education is readily seen upon
reflection. The greater portion OF the
boys who attend school will become
! mechanics of some sort, and the girls
through life win be obliged to employ
more or less of mechanical art. The
workman to be efficient must bring to
the labor of his hands, the aid-of his
brains also. To do this with certain
ty, both hand and brain must be
trained to act in unison, lending and
borrowing mutual assistance. Now
the exercise OF drawing cultivates
both. Its work is to teach a knowl-
edge of symmetrical and harmonious
forms, and at the same time, how to
produce these forms with the pencil.
1t thus becomes a most useful auxil-
iary in every branch of labor. For
every art.c-s manufactured, from the
siml:, aob-nail to the mostdelicate
touches of the jeweler, must be de-
signed beforehand, by somebody. II
is notorious that all onr large manu-
factories, where variety of patterns
and designs is demanded, have been
obliged to send to foreign countries,
where schools of design have been
maintained for many years, for COM
petent artisans ''tO lay out" the work
for American operatives to perform.
1t is often urged that TO draw well,
requires genius for that particular
kind of work. The same objection
was urged against Penmanship, not
many years ago. Facts have proved
the contrary. It is true that few,
probably none, Of the pupils in our
schools will ever become skillful art
lists; it is probably quite as true that
few or none, of them win ever become
eminent in arithmetic yet it would
be folly to reject the study of arith-
metic for that reason But it is not
intended in the Public Schools TO
make artists, but artisans; as it is
not intended TO make scholars, in the
best meaning OF the word, but re-
spectacle and Intelligent men. and
women. Every one can learn to
draw a straight line, and a right ag-
gle, and four OF each form a rectangle,
which in its various proportions is the
basis of how great q variety of de-
signs. The right angle being chang
ed into the acute or obtuse, and the
straight line to curve, we have the
whole of drawing "from the fat" in
brief compass. Who cannot learn
to do these things? When these are
learned, how easy to teach the pupil
to INVENT, by adding new line here
and changing ihe angle there, until
he finds an original design gradually
growing up under mis- hand.
This success has been attai ned in
Cleveland, IN Toledo, and in Sandus-
ky, during the last year. In the
schools of the latter eity,.I saw, dur
ing visit made for the purpose OF in .
vestigsting this subject, children of
all ages engaged in this work, and in
one of the schools, l was shown how
lad had made more than one hun
dred different designs, by varying the
lines and angles of the copy which
had been his lesson for the week and
either of these designs would have an
swered for ornamental work in any
cabinet factory. | was informed by
the teacher that this was by no means
an exceptional aehievement-it was
an nachievement-although few ever
had the patience and, perseverance to
make so great variety.
Our city Is fast becoming a manufae-
turing town; we are sending our
wares out to compete with those of
other towns all over the country. We
mustof necessity have skillful me-
chanics in our manufactures. If we
cans shape our instruction in the
schools as TO aid these children the
quicker to become skillful wOrkmen-
to understand and achieve the Invsfe-