Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-09-13
MANUAL TRAINING SCHOOLS.
Prefsssor weodwsrd's Paper Read Be fore the
Economic Science Section

Prers'sor weodwsrd's Paper Read efors ths
Economic Science Section
Professor G. W. Woodward, Pb.D, OF 81.
Louie, director OF the st. Louis Manual
Training School, yesterday read before the
section statistics on economic science and a
paper on "Tbe AIMS and Methods OF
Manual Training Schools" Professor
woodward has a school Of 200 boys. which
has teccme famous ell over the world, aud
which was the model being followed by
baltimore. Chicago, Boston, Cleveland, and
other cities.
lie gave brief account OF the origin OF
The school. The engineering students had
been formally taught the use OF tools and
me chnnical processes since 1872. On the
strength Of his success with older students
ie organized a school for boys OF fourteen
to eighteen years, and Il has had four years
OF successful trial. The school has always
been full. Al present II Is crowded.
Tie plan OF the school Is briefly this
The course covers three years. BOYS I'm
lsbing the grammar schools are ready to
enter. Five days per week and forty weeks
per year. the usual term. The hours are
from a. n. till $40 z. NJ. The daily pro-
gIamme for every boy includes three reci-
tations on language, mathematics, and
3: ience Qhe, lessons must be studied at
home). one hour OF drawing. mechanical
end ifee-hand, and two hours OF systematic
shop-work with the beet OF tools and teach
ers. Professor Woodward exhibited a
printed daily programme showing just how
The exercises are intercbanged. There are
ten teachers, one to about twenty boys.
LITTLE PRACTICAL EDUCATION.
In tie past, education has touched prao-
tlcal life at too few points. Nearly all the
M r>hinery OF education has been in the
nalIds cf persons who have had very little
sf. do with tbc acquisition OF wealth, but
WHO are alive 10 It's advantages. We
have taught how TO live, not how TO make
q living: how TO use wealth, not how 10
get il. Manual education Is an attempt to
stem the tide Of popular education and To
direct il in part into new channels. 1t has
| been running in a bed tCo narrow, with
banks too high.
To the question, What do we aim to make
Of our boys! he answered: "We aim to
make men OF them. Whether they will
| become mechanics, or architects, or law
! yers, or doctors, or scientists, or journal
| lists. or artists, or teachers, | cannot tell. |
doubt not they will he found in all honora-
| bic professions and occupations. We strive
| TO open every door; 10 pull down every
| barrier; 10 shield them from the baneful
effects OF silly prejudice and false gen.
ulity: TO teach that in every occupation
! there il q demand for brains and room FOR
| study and culture and intellectual life. We
! know that in the past ii has been the fashion
| TO assume that men who have cultivated
/ their brains have had little occasion TO
know how 10 use their hands, and that to
| be a mechanic and to make ones living by
manual labor is primd ytdcie evidence OF a
! lack of culture. or lack OF brains. We
swing 10 neither extreme; we combine
mental with manual training. We would
/ at one and the same time lay the foundation
/ for good scholarship and for good artisan
! ship. Our motto Is: THE cultured mind,
tie skiliul hand.'"
| METHODS OF EXPRESSION.
Every child is entitled to be taught three
! methods OF expression: |. By the written
or printed or spoken word. 2. BY draw
ing with pen, pencil, or brush. 3. In the
| concrete, through the instrumentalitY o
tools and materials. After explaining how
shop instruction is given Professor Wood
ward said: "All the shep.work i disct
| plinsry. Tie tools used are the parent
ones. and the processes are a' typical a'
possible. Special trades are not taught
| ncr Gre articles made for sale. The scope Of
a single trade is too narrow for educationa
purposes. Manual education should be ai
broad as intellectual. a shop which manu-
features for the market is snecessarIlycontneC
10 sslsble' work, and a systematic and pro
| prCssiye series Of exercises Is practically
impossible II the object Of shop is edu
cation, a student should discontinue any
task or process the moment he has Learned
TO do il well. In a factory boy Is kept OF
what he can do best; intellectual life anC
growth are not aimed at; everything l
for the benefit OF the business. In man
ual training school everything is Ter tn
! bcng6t Of the boys bc - the most lmpvr
rant thing in the shop; he is the only ar
ticle to be put upon the market"
As to the trades FOR which the drawin.
aud shop exercises are preparatory, tn
SPEAKER said that the woodwork, forging
and machine-,hop work was required OF al
student. alike. and was equally preparation.
10 scores Of trades. Every occupation in
voving the use OF hard and soft woods; o
framing, dovetallng, gluing, pattern
making: OF forging iron, steel, and brass
Of tempering, brazing, and soldering; o
chipping, fling. drilling, tapping, screw
cutting, polishing, and fitting, may folloV
with greet advantage, provided the bo
develops the requisite taste and ability
Not eyeIy boy is fit to be mechanic.
LENGTH OF EXERCISES.
The exercises should always he short
moi longer than the duration OF lively In
terc-t and a close attention. When atten
ton flag. progress stops. For boys OF six
teen two hours at time is long enough 10
healthy intellectual growth. The boy
greatly enjoy their work, and the yariet
siTordtd is very stimulating. The gradu
ale. have strong appetitcs for study, an
like TO 90 into shops. Employers testlf
that thev find the boys far more skiliu
than was expected ond very apt and intell
Gent. OF the two hundred boys In tn
school about one third are on Tree or pai
tally free scholarships. The others pay a
annual tuition fee OF $50.
The outfit OF manual training school
more costly than OF \ common hlsh sehoo
Professor Woodward closed ne follows:
"In conclusion, let me predict that som
form Of manual training Is destined to D
fully incorporated into American puDll
education. Too long have we tolerated
one-sided system; too long have books an
Utersly culture mOnOpOlized the machlner
OF Tie schools. and shut ont other kinds
culture q, useful, a, noble, A. humane, {
intellectual as that OF letters. We are learnin
tbat one must be useful before he can
ornamental; that the mechanical must pr
cede the fine arts: that in this age, whic
, have yentured TO call the dynamic az
there are other forces to be studied an
utilized than those OF authority and trad
. ton: that there ar. many ways OF studyin
human progress a great variety OF oppo
tunities for making much OF ourselves, an
the world better for our having lived
it,"