Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-02-27


al power capable of doing this
Industrial Education.
Mr.. farrar, who for generation or
more has been advocating the halliday
school system, appears again, to-day, in
our columns, after a long absence from
them. He has little that is new to say
but his convictions are rs strong as ever,
and will undoubtedly die with him,
that all study on all work is not the best
thing for the growing mind or the grow
ing body; and that system which al
lows half "A day to books and blackboard.
and half "A day to manual labor. in learn
ing and practicng some useful mechan-
ical trade or calling, each day is much
better system than one which gives the
boy or girl steady schooling for aterm Of
years, and then steady work as an ap-
prentice or worker, in the trade or call
ing which most must select. There is, as
we have often maintained. ii basis Of sound
sense in this idea and so far as we know,
it has justified itself, wherever fairly put
in practice.
The chief obstacle ia the way of the sys-
tenn, is the difficulty of securing practic-
able arrangements for combining mental
and industrial instruction. To provide Il
room and seats in which scholars can
study and recitc, from books, and il teach
cr to teach them. is commonly simple
matter 1t is Il much more complicated
difficult matter to proyidethe much great
er amount Of room, machinery and facili-
ties needed for instruction and practice Of
..ft l.. Il. Il
inG provided, i'll some cases but as Il gen
eral thing it i not an easy matter to add
Il public work shop to the public school.
Neither has it proved easy to change the
existing customs, 50 that children and
youth can have their three hours in school
in the forenoon. and in the afternoon he
scattered among the work shops and fac
tories, established by private enterprise
and capital Employers expect full
day work of their apprentices and hands,
and would come slowly to any halliday
arrangement.
Mr.. Farrar, we suppose, would begin 10y
/ limiting all the schools to half IL day, and
trust to time and the common SENSE of the
people, to provide arrangements for the
useful employment of their children in
the other half Of the day. Whether 80
great Il change as that in the existing
system, can be successfully instituted ON Il
general scale. Is Il question. The
experiment would probably be wort II
trying; but we are not likely to see
it tried speedily or extensively in New
England. This much, however, is clear,
The importance of industrial education is
more widely recognized, and the need OF
some wise general scheme for providing it
is more deeply felt, year 10y year Such
instruction would do away with the neces-
sity Of serving an apprenticeship, after the
pupil has pursued course of industrial
training, and is looking about for his
place in the great army of the world S
workers. Under such a system little val
liable time would be lost between the prep
aration for life's duty and the duty it
self, for the young person who expects to
earn his or her bread by strictly manual
labor. And for the pupil whose advantages
permit higher start in life, the learning
of trade would be the providing of re-
source against possible reverses of for
tune in the future, besides gaining a
training of the mind and hand to practi
cal skill, sure to be of use and profit in
whatever sphere its possessor may move
A system of instruction which is to
fully meet the needs of the people, must
we are convinced, comprise something
more than merely the education of the
mental faculties. These must be educated
but not to the exclusion of the training OF
the eye and the hand. What is wanted
is the combination of mental and physical
training which will fit our youth to occu
py in the most intelligent and effective
manner the sphere of life selected by OF
allotted to them. such training ii is Ger
tainly possible for II system Of public edu
cation to provide; and only when it shall
have done so, can ii claim to have realized
ii, highest usefulness.