, 1881-06-12
The Necessary Reform Step in Edu-
cation-We Must Combine H.
tellectual and Manual
Training. &. "
Tile Trades Are Running Out; Man.
ual Training-Schools Will Re-
cruit the Mechanical
Forces.
Letter from Prof. Woodward, Director Of
the st. Lcuis Institution,


/ III 3tA4 ti"lS IL liUASc II movement Ill Il}Dl
| Of manual education in Chcayo So far as
Interest is concerned YOU have succeeded,
for your excellent articles OH the subject have
been widely read and frequently copied. You
| have now Il, direct this interest and convert
it into enlightened action. II IL WORT flonl
Inc ca'l help on your noble work shall
be glad. | haze 10 doubt of your ultimate
| complete Success,
The TIME is ripe far This new departure il,
| cducatiul. Long experience las shown that
onr American schools. excellent rs they have
brcll and still are in many respects, are on;-
si.lc,l and defective. at least for large cities
In rural districts the need Is less urgent but
| III Il city like Chicago or st. Louis nothing
can secure for the children Of to-tiay Il fair
| chance i'll the world but
f. A EEFoEM IN EDUCATION.
Repeatedly my attention las been called
| to tho fact that our best men are mt city
| born. With frequent exceptions (which geli-
orally admit Of clear and easy explanatory
| lhe chances are in favor Of the country buy.
| cannot now discuss the causes OF tlls I
| must content myself with saying that the
! question is not uneof pure air, nor whole
some food, nor gootl teachers, nor evil ent.l-
| ,nunicatiols. so much is it is the proper
balance Of intellectual alld physical training.
! III tie country, 4 boys ti1ae is about equally
divided between scllnoI mot always
| under the best teacl,ers} and INTEL
ligcnt manual labor. LII the city, as u
r1!lc. Il boy attends school nine or ten months
! and is idle the rest Of the year. Even his
games ar. narrow and of little physical value.
fur his playground is the public street. Il
should like to say exactly what 1 think Of &.
city which has scores Of public parks and
public grounds, and yet not Il single square
where boys are at liberty to play bali or
crirkc1, football or cru4ucID
Recognizing our
POVERTY ON THE MASr.tI. SIDE.
we have hitherto eluleayored to make UP for
the deficiency in the manual elements by
adding to the intellectual pabulunl. The re-
suit is Ill unhealthy, unbalanced develop
ment
..nother reason why it is necessary to in
corporate manual training into our system
OF education is that opportunities for lcar1t-
ing the u>e of i0u!s, outside of schools. are
fast disappearing. One OF our leading prac-
tical men said u me last week: '*IItt trades
urr 7',fEHi,a.t ont. Through, the influence of
TrateS-E Enions the number Of apprpnticesd does
not make good the annual !oss, and skilled
mechanics are becoming less and less i'll
number. l see 10 way IF fostering Our
nanufactorics. and Of giving our boys a
chance to acquire mechanical skill except
through manual training, Schools" This
mai has proved his faith by his deed, for he
has one son in the school to-day, and has
two enrolled for next year. And ha is right
Tu0 often the apprentice has dogs life, and
boys shrink from 1t. Sulne people suppose
that the peculiar trials, priyatfons, discour-
agcluents, and hard-kl10ckS of an apprentice
are necessary ingredients i'll the education Of
4 workman. Nothing could be farther from
the truth. Under such 4 regime the greater
part OF what lie learns liz would be better OFT
without. One might rs well assert that the
proper way to rear Il good shade tree Is to
let the boys break off the branches, and club
1t; to let the horses g!law it.. and finally to
let the wind break off the top: or maintain
rs, according to Charles Lamb, the Chillcsedid
fur centuries that the true way to roast pork
is to let the fated pig smother anil cook amid
the smoluering e1nbers Ut the owners house.
In tile march Of the grand army nf prog
Tess the column OF old-tin!c apprentices and
nlrruWly-trainetl mechanics is growing THU
her. II becomes lis to
EEcErlr, ORGANIZE, AND DRILL
to-day the new-tisne mechanics whom the
world will need Tomorrow, Tie journey
men Of to-day re not uraugltstnell, anu their
knowledge of tools is limited to tlose ot :,
single craft, often to 4 part Of i craft. The
mechanic Of the future must know how to
draw, us well as to work from 4 drawing; lie
must lave IL liberal knowledge Of tools, and
he must understand tho principles Of mcchan-
les and their application to machinery. as wc
waning front it fades AWAY into the past, let us
ring III the new recruits with swelling ranks and
n1,t you nsk, will tho graduate Of tho Manual
Training Schooi be able tn enter upon IL tr1tdc
without first serving tho usual term Of upIlrcn-
tireship: As regards MANY Of the trades, an
swcr without hesitation that il he proves to have
mechanical tastes and nptitrdcs. lie certainly
will. lis knowledge Ut tools. mHterlnls. iuechnn-
icu principles and processes Will be such thnt ho
will readily pick up the special features Of Il
trade II necessary. For work III wood and iron
the majority will be well preparcd.. l.. This cD.,1 p
fulioiyn; testimony OF II. II Johann, lunstcr
mcchanic of the Wabash Railway, Springfield,
ILL.,, should hnve great weight with those who
wish 10 hear from Il practical nnA:
At your eug:c .t,n took t1yo men from your
so :asx yst " II ar s3rSs
during The vacation mouths Just lrtisel n,d found
ceved GG in III tic 90 coii. ts orss'lol IN tbs us a,d s
% oi us oo ey were sapane Of 3 IeTtTFninT r1 m
little INSTRUCTION I" the use of special toois tnr tbs
n 9t Ct II rsas pSs S1as
and overseeing u Inakc ieni understand what w0Tk
Law lave had iitc o. o. .ssrsttc, c'%eaton sspcsaily
Sst liz e ysa dc k so ia
been accustomed.
Or course our students will not come out
stlOE,1akI:l;S OF: T-AtI41ES
any more than they will be lawyers or doctors,
but it is safe shy that X tEgr taste ciFettll
STANCES lead them intO any one Ut these dircc-
tions, they will hare i line basis OH which to
build
| wish 1t 10 be noticed that I sail that those
who ilau IL taste and aptitude for practical me-
charis:n would come out fair work men in wood
aud iron. We do not expect that all will develop
into time mechanics just BECAUSE all are re-
t1,irel 10 take the regular course III shopwork:
neither lo we expect that nil will develop into
fine nlutAematc:lns because all study algebra;
lOr that ilt will acquire Il fautlc5S English
styic just BECAUSE We lay unusual stress upon
English composition and literature The purpose
OF the school is develop To educate. :1s well as
tu trnin.-r0 bring Dut into ccurreief those very
:tptii,ltlcs which ought to control tho destiny or
tic boy What complain uf III ordnary
schools Is that Trey are onc-sldcd,-th they
draw drive h,slty from mechanical pursuits
without regard tp fitness. Many uf nur pupils
will 70 forward through the higher COURSE in
letters or in engineering. M cheek IL TO bt
phccd upon them. Al, increasing number Will
eytuu question be druwn to mechanical pur-
suits. II every makes Il wise choice shnll
fe satisfied; ! anxious only for them to
chotsc right If the school (which aitns lmp1r-
TALLY to be mentAl and moral. ana fn'ln-
11al training -schooll should serve no other end
but thut OF enubling Il parent 10 decide what he
should do with his it would still be worth all
it has cost. .-.
-, i-,,,,,r how oftar 1if. is failure from