Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1881-09-09
Mechanic Arts.


phia Exposition of 1876 only as "a si.len
did bewildering spectacle. But there
can be 10 doubt that it Was Of incaicu
Liable and durable service to Us rs u Ia
ton, i'll that il showed us our own sh r.
comings, and suggested to us new uris
Industries and modes of earning a
living.
The keen eyed, initiative American
who began the year with boasllDg. ate
his humble-pie, took every hint, ana
before the year was over acted on then
Ont of these hints came the whole re-
cent outgro9th of potteries for tue
broidery. together with rapid general
improvement in every handicraft.
Towards tho close of the Exposition
poor cobbler was observed, by lady
who knew him, coming out Of the
grounds with distressed look. She
inquired what it meant.
Madam" he said, - have taken
| three days from my work to try to find
out here how other countries teach
their children. l have boy IN the
High School; he wishes to be mo
chanic; when he graduates he will have
his head full Of book-knowled9e. but
he will have learned no use for his
hands. 1t will take three years more
to give him trade. Now 1 find that
in these foreign countries they train
head and hands together. My son
could there have studied his books an
learned how to be carpenter or u
machinist ut the same time. Then ]
have sickly little girl who has de
cided talent Tor drawing. That is the
only way she will ever be able to earn
her living. l cannot afford to send hey
to q costly art-school. In these other
countries she would be Taught giutui
tously in the public school to design,
80 that when she left it she could Ii,
once turn her skill to account"
Other men than the poor oobbler saw
the deficiency in our school systems,
and in most Of the large cities schools
of design have been established. but 10
Philadei phia there now is a free School of
Industrial Art open both day and night,
so that mechanics and others employed
during the DAY can have the beueit OF
the evening classes.
Another significant move in an OPP
posite direction is that of Bsh p War
rem, in Georgia, who has org Iniz ii Il
College of Carpenteriug in the uni.ers-
ity. The young men who are being
educated for preachers aud teachers
eagerly thronged to i'll Youths Com
panlon.
TIE GREAT WALL OF CHINA An
American engineer who. being engaged
in the construction of q railroad il
China. has had unusually favorable OPP.
portunities of examining the famous
Great Wall, built to obstruct the incur
sions of the Tartars. gives the following
account of the wonderful work: 1.-The
wall is ,72S miles long, IS feet wide
and 10 feet thick at the top. The fuun'
dation throughout is of solid granite,
the remainder of compact masonry. Al
F, intervals Of between two and three
hundred yards towers rise up % to 81
feet high, and 20 feet in diameter. Or
the top of the wall. and on both sides
OF it, are masonry par6pets, to enable
the defenders to pass unseen from one
tower to another. The wall ittelf il
carried from point to point in per
fectly straight line, across valleys and
plains and over hills, without the
slightest regard to the conGguration ei
the ground, sometimes plunging dow +
into abysses thousand feet deep
Brooks and rivers are bridged over by
the wall, while on both banks Of larger
streams strong thanking towers are
placed.