The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1878-10-17


be made more practical; that pupils
be taught something Of the business
in which they will engage in after life,
in other words they demand that the
state shall teach boys the different
trades OF professions which they wish
to learn. Some of the daily papers, as
we'll as a few educational, and relig-
ious journals, advocate this plan, and
are bringing many specious arguments
forward to prove that they are right.
We are glad to see that the Education
al Weekly sets its face sGuarely
against this nonsense. 1t argues the
cause thusly: "Would it be wise to
remodel our public school system, and
to build by the side Of every school
house in the land an annex contain
ing a carpenters bench, and black
smiths forge and wise? Would it be
for school boards in city, town, and
country districts to make some such
announcement as this? Hereafter,
all teachers employed by this board
must present, in addition to their or
binary certificates, satisfactory evil
dence that they are able to use with
some skill the hammer, plane, saw,
chiSel, file, and square, and they shall
be required to devote not less than
four hours each week to the instruc-
tion of their pupils i'll the use Of said
tools" *
70 no teacher who might
apply for position would it do to
ask the question, Did you ever make a
SaW-buck, OF q clothes-hOrse, or a
trLndle-bed, OF a wash-bench, or a
bookcase, or Wood-shed? 1t would
never 10 to ask him to take square
ana scrite-aWl and lay off board into
pieces foot long, in the most work
manlike manner he could. 1t would
never think Of asking him to make
mortise in q block of wood, or to take
file and true up the head Of Il ten
penny nail. And yet some such
course as this it would be obliged to
pursue in order to be consistent with
its own principles as announced re-
Gently, or i'll order to carry out the
theory of President Runkle and Of the
advocates OF industrial education as q
part Of the common school system.
= Generation after genera
ton has. been brought up upon that
familiar copy, Education is more de-
sjT061e than gold, meaning not manu-
al education but education OF the in
tellect. * s. X
We now are to change fronts. We
have tried to train the intellect; now
we must train the hand. Just so far
as the necessity for this manual
training is granted, just that far must
it be admitted that the apotheosis Of
common school education for the last
fifty years has been mistake. II
But again. If the State
acknowledges or assumes the obliga-
tlOn to teach children to saw, to plane,
TO m0rtiSe, ETC., at what point in the
life of the citizen-pupil will the State
be rid of it's obligation? If it brings
a boy up a carpenter, is it not bound
to furnish him with carpenter work
when he becomes a man?"
The Weekly is right. We hear too
much of this senseless twaddle about
the State taking care of its citizens
the State does take care of it's citizens;
1t gives each one equal justice before
the law; it protects it's citizens at
home and abroad; and, as q measure OIL
safety to itself, it should and does edu-
cate the intellect of its citizens.
But the most important objection to
this plan Of industrial education is
that it would destroy the iaadiuidatozjtg
of the boys SO taught. The men VINO
have succeeded in this world have been
for most part, children of poor parents.
They have risen by hard work. Hav-
ing no one to depend on but then-
selves, they fought the battle Of life
alone and fought it well the i7adicid-
etot succeeded where the State could
hoC' sARraA
The child of rich man,-one who
knows that his father can and will
provide him with everything needful
rarely amounts to anything. ""
Carry this matter of State paternity
SO far as to teach boys trades. and thew