The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-11-27
MANUAL INSTRUCTION.
What Has Been Done for It's Promotion
in the United States.

in the mechanic arts in the United
States was probably present in the
minds of the Senators and Representa-
tiyes when the Land Grant act of 1862
was passed. A clause in this act reads
as follows: 1.-The leading object shall
be, without excluding scientific and
classical studies, and including military
tactics, to teach such branches of learn
ing as are related to agriculture and
the mechanic arts in such manner as
the States may respectively prescribe,
in order to promote the liberal and
practical education of the industrial
classes in the several pursuits and
professions of life" The report OF
the Secretary of the Interior on In
dustrial Education, 1882, gives list OF
forty-two different schools and colleges
in various parts of the Union which
owe their existence to this land grant.
Most of these are agricultural and en-
gineering colleges. The words in the
act in regard to teaching such branches
OF learning as are related to the
mechanic arts being usually interpreted
to mean instruction in the use of car
penterS' and machinists' tools. OF
these land grant schools, the best known
are the Massachusetts, Institute of
Technology in Boston and the
Hampton Institute at Hampton,
Virginia. Each of these illustrates
an interesting experiment in in
f,.;o fEb, 80
Institute of Technology might properly
be called a school for foremen, as its
graduates can be found experimenting
industrial establishments all over the
United States. The pupil in weaving,
for instance, is required to design or
copy pattern, and then work it out
on the loom. In molding he makes a
drawing, models the wooden pattern
from it, and casts the pattern in the
metal. The course of instruction is
four years mathematics, chemistry,
history and the modern languages
forming q part of the educational
scheme. Hampton Institute was
founded by General S. G. Armstrong
as normal school for colored teachers.
General Armstrong, while serving as a
Sbdu-OLlc6I IG FOII mOlIOC, QuIlIl1 INC
war, WAS brought in contact with the
fugitive slaves who took refuge at the
fort. When slavery was abolished,
and four millions of men, women and
children became the wards of the Ma
ton, General Arm strong conceived the
idea that tn " could best be educated
and civilized by the aid of their own
people. 1t WAS as necessary to teach
this vast multitude who had never been
beyond the sound of masters voice
how to work for themselves, and how
to care for themselves, as it was to
teach them to read and write. Manual
instruction was therefore q necessity at
the Hampton Inst tute. The male grad
yates were 20 be leaders on the farm OF
in the workshop, as well as teachers.
The female graduates were to be
capable of cooking, sewing or caring
for the sick. How thoroughly AMI
successfully this scheme has been car
ried out need not be stated here. An
other type of the industrial school is to
be found in the Worcester (Mass.)
Free Institute. At this institution
three and half years of general edu-
cation is comb ned with instruction in
mechanical engineering, in carpenter
ing and in machinists' work. This
school more nearly approaches the
trade school. as many of its graduates
are returned as 'journeymen mechan-
les =" The Worcester school was
founded by private liberality. With
out such aid, it may be added ne ther
the Massachusetts Institute of Technol-
7 In5t;f,ttn pO,,1I boy-o
reached its present usefulness. In the
European technical schools provision
is made for instructing young men al
ready in the trades by a course special
" adapted to their wants. In this
country this important branch of in
dustrial education has received but lit
tie att ,ntion. The Carriage Makers
Association in this city maintain
school in designing and construction
for the young men in their trade. The
Master Plumb RS of Philadelphia, Bal
timore and Chicago have plumbing
schools for th.ir "helpers." The Cam
bria Iron Works in Pennsylvania. and
several private firms like Z. Hoe Il Co
of this city, give scient fic instruction to
their lads, while two railroads, the
I0iluSllNdilld duu bilC DdllllHOIc " ollO,
have shown not only what it is possible
to do, but how much can be done at
trifiing cost for the young men in the
employ of great corporations. Beyond
this short list. little has been done to
supplement shop-work with systematic
instruct on. In the Baltimore q Ohio
Railroad Company's shops at Baltimore
five hundred young men are employed.
They are placed in charge of gradu-
ate of the Stevens Institute, whose duty
it is to see that they are not employed
too long at one kind of work. He can
change their work rs often as it mty
seem desirable for their future interests.
He can also take parties of them from
their work at any time to explain to
them the machinery they may be en-
gagged upon or may see around them.
"A neat building has been erected for
their use. which contains library and
class-rooms tor instruction in m chanics
and drawing The lads are required
to wear a uniform. which, besides Civ
ing them jaunty appearance, tends to
habits of personal neatness What is
done b. the Ba timore & Ohio Railroad
Company could be done in any manu-.
featuring town by the union of few
large EMPLOYERS.