The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1886-10-28
CHHDRENS HANDIWORK.

In the st. Nicholas for October we
find an article describing an exhibition
which took place in New York last
March, and which has long been one
of great interest to us. 1t speaks
OF an exhibition of children's work
of all classes, rom the artistic drawing
to the ingenioustool, or masterpiece of
carpentry, needlework, or cooking.
There is grave error into which
many teachers fall, perhaps unconsci-
ously and one which greatly affects
the progress of scholars, male and fe
male This is making lessons irksome;
something to be despised and shirked
whenever the opportunity presents it
self
Perhaps you will ask: How is this
to be avoided?" In reply, let us state
that the way to make children under
stand and love their lessons is to have
them work them out for themselves.
If they are studying the rudiments of
geography, it is but little trouble or
expense to provide plenty of sand and
water, from which the scholar can
form miniature islands, capes, promon-
tories, etc, and the relative positions
of countries. seas, rivers, etc, will be
better learned and far better remem-
bered if the little student has caused
them to grow under his or her fingers.
Again, many useful employments
can be learned while the study in the
books goes on regularly, and the rules
of measurement will be impressed up
on the mind if applied to the forma-
ton of some real thing, and the boys
and girls will learn to be accurate IN
what they do.
Some time ago we heard a GENTLE
man speaking of this kind of thing in
connection with agricultural fairs, and
we thought what good thing it would
be if, during the coming winter and
spring, our young people could be
learning to make useful articles of
various kinds, either artistic or other
wise, and then when the fairs took
place next fall, every town or county
could have young peoples exhibit,
consisting entirely of work of their
own manufacture. 1t would certainly
be most interesting and attractive,
and would tend to develop many
talents which would never be brought
to the surface by hard work or study
unseasoned by judicious use of OBJ
ject lessons.
There are many things which boys
from eight to Is years could make,
and which they, as well as their
parents, would feel a laudable pride
in. Boys can make tables, stools,
chairs, step ladders, book shelves, and
models of all sort of things, and will
doubtless be surprised to find so many
directions in which their ingenuity
will lead them. The girls need not
be behind with their specimens
of industry. There are many orna-
mental things, as well as numerous
useful ones, which even little girls can
do.
The writer once saw a class of girls,
varying in age from eight to Is years :;
each girl had one yard of white cotton
cloth, or fine shifting from which the
dressing had been washed. On this
piece of cloth nearly every kind Of
sewing had been tried. One end was
neatly hemmed, and the other end
was hemstitched. Button holes, eye
lets, darns, tucks, fells, etc, etc, were
tried on this same square of cloth, and
finally every scholar worked her own
name in cross stitch, with scarlet
marking cotton Some Of the squares
bore evidence Of very young fingers,
while others displayed a great deal of
skill, but all were interesting
The method of teaching children to
form all kinds of cubes, prisms, pyra-
mids, and even little pots and pans,
by cutting the various parts out Of
paper and FASTING them together, was
well exemplifed in the New York ex-
hibition, and showed how much plea
sure may be combined with work in
teaching.
Let us then introduce into our
schools these various methods of
practical instructions, so that our
children may see with their own
eyes, and prove with their own
| hands, that bad work is not square, is
not true, and that unless every piece
is perfectly formed, they will not fit
together, and the work will be vain.
This will teach them thoroughness III
everything they undertake.
We cannot recommend too strongly
the encouragement of home efforts.
during the coming winter, SO that
every state fair next fall we may have
a children's exhibition.