St. Paul daily globe., 1886-06-14
TRAINING THE HAND.

Prof. Phelps Ideas ON Manual
g'raininE in schools.
"My idea of manual work in the schools
is that it should be in its most elementary
stages made a part Of the regular public
school work and go along with the So
called literary work. said Prof Phelps to a
GLOBE reporter yesterday afternoon.
Prof. Phelps had been speaking of the eX-
hibit OF modelling done by the lower grades
in the schools that was open to public IN
spection Oh Saturday at the high scnool,
and the bearing that the work already un-
der Way might have on manual labor III the
public school system. After saying that
the chamber Of commerce committee, to
which had been referred the subject and
Which had inspected the work at the hlgh
school Saturday, would hardly have re-
port ready by this morning, Prof. Phelps
spoke at considerable length on this
branch of education. outlining
his experience in the Winona public schools
and giving his ideas as to what would be
the prouer course to follow in st. Paul.
This .feature should not be made" said
he. Ito take the place of literary or book
work, but should be used as help to it.
BY the manual part Of its work child
naturally gets clearer conceptions and more
lasting impressions than by the use of
words alone. many of which perhaps it
does not understand and which are at best
arbitrary SYMBOLS. If a child be given the
raw material and allowed to let its own in
stinct to make something, work, 1t Will not
only gain a practical understanding OF
those ideas that center about the thing
made. but it win require skill with its
hands and its
CREATIVE FACULTIES
viii be stimulated. OF course with the
smaller children the work will be crude. but
in time. when it shall become sufficiently
trained to follow drawings, it viii be such
as few would believe possible.
Let the children work at home
if they care to. but in the public school
buildings have place where. with COM
petent Instructor and a few simple tools,
regular work can be done. 1t will, besides
giving the pupil more actual knowledge,
than copying words and figures orrepeating
sentences that it does not know the mean-
ing Of bring out the peculiar bent of his
mind and show himself and his friends
what he is best fitted for. If he has it in
him to make an artist or q sculptor, this
will be brought out. If he is of an invent
i've turn turn of mind. his talent in this line
will display itself in the devices he will
construct, and by the degree of aptitude he
shows for the work in general, one may
Judge whether he is fitted for professional
man. Probably lot of poor lawyers
would be spoiled, but an equal number Of
good mechanics would be gained. AS the
work progresses in the public schools. the
manual training school will be the natural
result. Its work will be to the work 1
speak of. what the high school
work is to the public school. and what the
college and university are to the high
school,
Prof. Philips said that in Winona he
had tried. while superintendent of schools
there. plan similar to the one outlined.
Children were given little cubes. bits of
card board, paste, paper, and other like
things. and in a month the results had been
astonishing. The children not only were
absorbed with the work. but in many cases
made articles that were of real merit. In
four months collection had been made
and placed on exhibition that had attracted
SIX THOUSAND VISITORS
in three days and proved revelation to
all. Not only this but he had found that
some pupils who had been thought incorrig-
ible before had fallen in love with this me-
chanical work, and insterd of truants, were
the most interested of any. He believed
the moral effect of this attractive kind of
work would of itself be a paying result.
II have already suggested lie con-
tinued, THAT the work done by the public
schools be preserved and collected. In two
years 1 am confident that an interesting col
lection would be had, and i'll five enough to
make the nucleus Tor permanent mechani-
cal exhibit to be kept i'll building devoted
to the purpose. Such an exhibit Of school
1 |. l.
tor in itself"
1t has been suggested that the exhibit of
modelling done by pupils in the high school
that was open to the public on Saturday
last at the high school, be continued two Or
three days this week, that parents and all
friends of the schools may be allowed to i'll
Spect it.