The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-09-16
MANUAL TRAINING.
WHAT AN INTELLIGENT EASTERN
MAN THINKS Is A GREAT NEED
IN THE SOUTH.

Yesterday Fit. Wort Gazette man fell
j / convention with cultured gentleman
from Toledo, Ohio, who is travelling over
the south for his owr> pleasure aud to try
to get an accurate lisa from personal OBJ
servation and contact with the people of
what the real condition of the country is,
particularly from social, educational
and moral standpoint. He confessed that
a much higher plane had been reached
than he expected. "There is one direc.
ton, however," he said, lin which l would
delight to see your great state, Texas, take
some progressive steps. l refer to the
system of manual training in the pub
lie schools. There is no doubt but that
the education which is most valuable
looks to the training
OF THE HAND
as we'll as the head. That is the coming
system which will eventually displace a
system that deals with books alone.
Through the liberal bequest of Jessup
w. Scott, Toledo philanthrophist, a
splendidly endowed manual training
school was lately opened in Toledo. which
mechanical education in the country The
course of instruction covers three years.
The pupils must be at least fourteen
years of age, and the school is about
equally divided between mental and man
ual exercises. One hour per day is given
to drawing, two hours to shop work and
three to study and recitation. Thus you
see the education of the mind goes on
pari passu with that of the hand. Neither
suffers, but both are benefited"
"What advantages do you claim for this
system over the present."
swell, they are many. As at present
conducted, the public-school system of
the Union is producing one of two results
upon the children Of the masses of the
people They either abandon their studies
at an early age and seek work III I'M
skilled channels, or they go through the
prescribed course and become book
keepers, clerks, lawyers or doctors. For
want of practical goal set before these
youths, one that they can see is directly
related to their probable future in life,
large majority abandon, at an early age,
the opportunities of education, while the
small minority who remain, seek occupa-
tions
ALREADY FULL TO REPLErIoN.
Here is not only great individual loss,
but a serious loss to the community in the
misdirection of so much valuable energy,
which rightly directed would be the source
of so much prosperity and general well
fare.
"The foremost educators of the country
have long considered how to adapt educa-
ton so that it will exalt an ddignify labor
and fit one to learn an honorable liveli-
hood. Under this growing pressure many
have established scientific courses of study
and several have opened special studies in
various departments of modern science.
But until put in operation in this new
manual training school of Toledo the
masses of the people, for who the pub
lie school system is maintained. have re-
ceived but little benefit in this direction.
The educational interests of the state of
Ohio, and especially number of the lead
ing citizens of Toledo, have felt for some
years that the emergencies of society were
not fully met by the public system, and
much of the criticism touching the com
mon schools of the state arose from con-
seriousness that the best interests of the
youths we're not fully conserved by the
IllObIOu VI NhOh hCuiiJ 'O
per cent of the entire enrolment of school
children are found in the primary grades,
and
BuT 2 PER CENT.
of the whole enrolment are found in the
high school, it is evident that something
is wanting in our system of education
and when it is further seen that our high
school destruction has a constant tendency
to lift boys out of the ranks of dignified
labor into the over-crowded ranks of mer-
camille, clerical and professional life, it is
difficult to avoid the conclusion that the
present methods do not fully meet the de-
mands of modern society"
Il predict said the gentleman, in con-
clusion, "that this system will be in
vogue in all the large cities of the country
ere the close of another decade, and l
should be very glad to hear of its adop
ton in your progressive and growing
city"