The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1877-08-23
NUMBER 30.
A Whiting School.
Boston Post. |

On Tuesday and Friday evenings of
each week, from seven to nine o'clock,
for some time past, the ward-rOom on
Church Street has presented one of the
most peculiar scenes to be found in this
city. At firm work-benches, conve-
niently arranged about the room, can
generally be found thirty-two boys,
ranging in age from twelve to sixteen
years, busily engaged with chisels,
gouges and knives in learning the prac-
tical features of the woodcarver's trade.
Each boy has four feet in length of two
and half feet wide behch allotted to
him. Each bench has wise with COM
mon wooden jaws and an iron screw, a
drawer with lock and key, in which the
tools are kept, and gas-burner with
movable arm. Each boy is provided
with large work-apron of cotton drill
ing. All the benches, tools, and aprons
countable for their care and keeping. The
the whiting school," which has been
carried on for five seasons in the chapel
of the Hollis Street Church, with the
Industrial School, conducted for two
seasons in the Lincoln building. Mr..
Frank Rowell, of the firm of Allen &
Rowell, photographers, has been superin-
tendent of the whiting school: from
the beginning, without salary. Practi-
cal wood-carvers have been employed to
give instruction. The tuition is free,
and there are more applicants than
could be received. If any boy is absent
two successive evenings, his place is
filled by another. A rank list is kept
and pasted on the wall, and each boy
knows how his work is estimated by
consulting the list. A course of twenty
four lessons in wood-carving was pre-
pared with special reference to securing
the greatest amount of instruction with
the least expenditure for tools and ma
terials. 1t was not designed to make
finished work in wood-carving, but to
take advantage of the natural talent
that any student might possess. The
tools are the fiat chisel, the gouge, and
the veining tool. Smooth blocks of
white wood, six inches long, two or three
inches wide, and an inch and a half
thick, are the materials worked upon.
The first lesson aimed to teach the boys
to cut a concave chamber around the
block, keeping carefully within the lines
drawn parallel with the edge of the
blocks, and making the mitres perfect.
They were also taught to keep the dip
of the gouge even throughout. The
second block had eight corners instead
of four, as in the first lesson, and the
same manipulations were continued. The
third block had curved corners. The
fourth lesson introduced fiat chamfers,
with vein-lines cutting across the block.
In lesson fifth the vein-liEes of block
were stopped before coming to the edge.
The sixth lesson introduced a pattern of
ornamental figure for veining. No.
taught the boys to make perfect corners
with vein-lines. No. 8, the shape of
block was changed and a new pattern of
veining given. No. 9, this lesson taught
how to make round ends to hutings. No.
10, finishing mitre-ends of chamfer. No.
II, futing with especial care in keeping
| dip orgouge even and making the mitres
perfect. No. II, carving diamond points
all around the block and futing. No.
Is, making perfect projections around
| the block. Nos. IA and Is, futing and
finishing the end of flute. No. 16, same
as No. Is, with change in shape of block.
No. II, making scroll-corners Nos. Is
and 19, same as No. IL, with change in
l9, with new pattern. No. %, cut
corner camier and flute. No. %, same
as No. %, with new pattern. No. "a,
| make perfect mitres, with sharp points
at mitres. The result of the expert
ment has been very satisfactory. The
contributions for the support of tie
| school have been $732.39, and the ex-
| penditures $754.5S.