National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-03-09
ART LOAN EXHIBITION.
what Can Re seea at the OLD Tayloe
Mansion.

What Can he Seea at th4 old Tayioe
MnnsiOn.
The Art Loan exhibit, now in pro-
gress in the old Tayloe mansion, in the interest
Of the Washington Training School for Nurses, has
the unusual advantage of admirable arrangement
The entire collection is classified into subjects
each assigned to q separate room, whereby
all crowding and confusion are avoided. Room
II, devoted to education and literary raritles mas
proved one Of the most attractive DIVISIONS ol the
exhibit. Three prominent interests OF education
in the United States are impressed upon the mind
by the general arrangement as seen
at glance viz: the assimilation of
races the introduction of the intentional
method in elementary stages, and drawing with
particular reference to its application in the me-
ehanic arts Examination in detail shows that the
room contains comprehensive representation OF
American education in the two courses in which
Its present movements are defined, namely: The
intellectual, or that which makes for character,
and the industrial. The initial object in the
series of representations is the case in the
middle of the room, devoted to elementary
education Beginning with child culture at
home, as treated in essays by Frobel ana
Herbert Spencer it passes, on the one hand to the
kindergarten, ON the other to the kitchen garden
for little girls and the whiting school Tor boys
Here are displayed the kindergarten giitS, their
combinations in the kindergarten, occupations, and
specimens Of the constructive exercises in prick
ing, drawing, weaving, embroidery, and modelling
The great feature of the case is the novel Kitchen
garden material the invention OF Miss Emily Hunt
ington. As the toys, which seem at first the
belongings of favored child's baby house aStray
among the grayer symbols of school exercises, are
explained; as their relation to the home life and
the future working life OF poor children is re-
yeaed; fancy pictures classes of innocent girls
rescued from neglect and trained by practice with
these ingenious appliances in the various parts OF
domestic service enlivening the routine with songs
and games which embody the dry details in the
imagery so delightful and animating to childhood,
the exhibit assumes its true character as an out
growth of the charities (which soothe, and heal,
and bless" Tho purpose and work OF the whit
tling school merely indicated by an illustrated
report. Advanced industrial training for girls is
represented by photographs Of cookery classes
and by handbook of domestic art and
economy, and for boys by drawings from the Wor-
cester (Mass) Free Institute and a set of models
made by the students The contributions from the
Washington public schools, occupying the north
east corner of the room, should be studied in i'm
mediate sequence with the kindergarten. These
states afford comforting assurance that pot-hooks
and trammels have gone TO limbo, and
that in lieu thereof primary students are
trained to mind their ps and q's, to dot their is
and cross their is. Images, if not of beauty, at
least of discernible likeness to things in the sky
above or in the earth beneath, alternating with
the copies and cabinets of entomology and natural
history prepared for use in the primaries,
suggest a probable relation between the
lessons impaired in these modern schools
and the lessons to which nature so subty allures,
the awakening mind.
There are elaborate drawings from advanced
grades which may be contrasted with similar work
from the Vosges Normal School, France, and which,
examined alone or in such comparison appear to
justify the award of the gold medal diploma from
the Paris Exposition of 1878 that surmounts the
section.
Turning from fine public school work, our atten-
ton is directed to te photographs upon the north
wall. The education of the freedmen and their
gradual elevation into Independent effort epit
omized in the picture of the Jubilee Singers.
Above is frame containing views illustrating the
experiments in the education of Indian youths at
Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. The interest
which ii excites indicates how strong hold the
Indian problem has upon the national conscience.
The Photographic views of VasSar College on the
opposite (south) wall and the relief map and books
in relieftype for the use of the blndare more fiat
tering to our national pride since we, first of ma
tions, made true the poets words, "GirlS, knOwl-
eQge HrnOW no more SedIeui anu SlilCe
we have outstripped other nations in the educa-
ton of those deprived of sight Or hearing.
Nearly all the remaining objects in the room, be-
longing distinctly to education, may be clasSed as
international" On the left is a chart of the
metric system and full set of metric weights and
measures; on the right, seventeen photographs of
the Viennese Educational Museum, and above
the same are ten water-color views Of
Japanese schools. These present graphically
the transition from the old-time schools
of the TakugaEa ,,ssty to those of modern days,
which wear the sharp impress of Western ideas.
We cannot turn from them without glance at the
Japanese intaglio printing block, or at the Japan
ese text book, which looks so familiar that we
know it is an American idea in spite of the
oriental letters, or at the japanese charts
of the mechanical powers and of Eastern
and Western social customs, which prove
how readily these islanders execute what we
teach and how easily they "better the inStruc-
tion.' Relief maps, dictionaries. charts, appa-
ratus are here on every hand, the aids which edu-
Gated faculties invent to facilitate educational
processes The ctowning effort of inventive skill
displayed is the time globe by L. ?. Jewett, which
is the most imposing object in the case along
the south end of the room. This last
case contains chiefly literary rarities. viz. old
printed books, manuscripts, and autographs The
most curious of the old prints is Latin Euclid.
printed at Venice by Erhsrdus Ratholdt. 1882 and
dedicated to the Doge Giovanni MOcenigo. The
autographs are numerous, and include nearly
every name of note in American history letters.
Visitors linger longest around a little card,
which is supposeeto contain the last words penned
by Abraham Lincoln. 1t is a pass to Richmond
for two ladies and an escort, written on the after
noon of the fatal 18th of April. The subject
signed to this room has not been entirely
wanting in purely artistic expression. Four
groups by Rogers, representing characteristic
school scenes, attract the eye, and aboFe
all rises the grand diploma awarded at Vienna in
1878 to the United States Bureau of Education. 1t
is beautiful composition by Unger, well descrv-
ing by reason of its freedom spirit. and grace, to
be ranked with the famous etGhings which have
made his name familiar to all lovers Of art.