, 1881-05-29
TEE PICrURE-PAPERS HELP Us.


The current number of Frank Leslie's H.
l1tstrlted Newspaper contains handsome
picture Of the st. Louis Manual Training
School Building, With this Inscription:
progress Of technical education in the
United States-Tht Manual Training School
Of St. Louis, Mo-" The description Of tho
institution which accompanies tho cut is in
considerable part Il quotation from letter
published i'll THE; TRIBUNE April II last. In
addition Leslie has this to say Of the St.
Louis experiment:
It is an elementary school Of the highs school
or academy grade, whose course Of tralutu1
sights neither tho head nor the hand but seeks
TO cultivate the powers Of tho one and the sElil
of the other.
TIL. sr1ool is young. It has by no means at
der tho i,roAd provisions ii IT'S charter, is ready
90 tutw ward To tho turthest limits dictated ~
wisdom md experjcnce n th,5 promising 'ic;a
a matter OF general, not special, trantlls this
Srllop to-daV stands alone IN cur country, 0;in
the ltUrtd.
The City of St. Louis can point with pardon
abs pride to IN institution OF nnt!:e growth
which n:,s already taken front rank IN the @ eda-
lalors oi Prof, {. n. Woodward, It's present
ct1 To 9 ii tho p pit do5Gn a5G u 1oa1 s pf the
establishment pf system Ut education which
should train all the faculties Of our youth fur
the duties uG active life. We have sa:d that tue
| growth OF this manual training idca, In its
brnadcst sense, WIS native tn st. Louis, and tile
claim is Justly made. For, previous to tho year
18Th before shO,1-act1nels were MANY there. hr
elsewhere, and before tho schuols OF Russia had
shown us at Philadelphia how much could t,e
one ry y, f i1o r1
Wootlwurds 5 ius4lrlnl-itlty, had 4 5hup tilted
for tool Instruction. and regularly ot2rat-d
upon the Instruction OR so-callcd Ruasnn plan.
The friends of the cause Of practical cdll-
cation are under obligations to Mr. Lesllc:s
Illustrated Newspaper for so pointedIy call
ing the attention Of the whole country to the
st. Louis Manual Training School THE TK1I;-
uSE is endeayor;ng to rouse spirit Of emil
lation of the splendid example Of St Loui;
in the breasts Of the people Of Chicago. as
yet no response is heard from our public
spirited citizens, but we shall labor and wait.
Three years ago the then President Of the
Chicago Board uf Education called public at
tertion to the palpu5e defects Uf the existing
system of instruction in tie common schools.
lie said: Labor is apparently becoming u.l-
| popular, and too many dcsplsc it., and
luok down upon those who earn their bread
by the sweat Of their brow as an unfortunate
and inferior class. Consequently tho So
Called ntnletl UCclt psiLUlI3 atl UftlClONNoll,
and the army Of idicrs Is being recruited
from tho schools. The trimming Of
children to habits of industry will, III my
| Judgment, tend more than any other agun-
cy to make them good and useful citizens.
Much may be done in our present schools, ut
small additional cost, to develop an indus
| trial spirit and Il TASTE for mechanical pur-
suits. More time should be allotted to draw
t ins. Boys should be familiarized with sim
! pie tools. Saturdays, OF part Of them, might
proiitably be devoted to industrial educa-
| tion.'
It is plain that, in the opinion OF the presi-
dent Of the Board Of Education Of Chicago,
"etlucation does not etlucate' III our coin
| mon schools, for he says: 1.-THE army OF
! idlers is being recruited from the schools
| lie thinks that children should be "traincd''
in tie schools - to habits Of industry" This
is his remedy for what he regards as Il
slaring defect in the present system Of public
instruction. Mr.. George 4. Walton found,
in the schools OF Norfolk County, Massn-
! chusetts. within ten miles Of Roston- sail