The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-04-19
WOMEN CARPENTERS
AS They Appear at the Cambridge
Training College for Teachers.

Training College for Teachers.
The training college at Cambridge, Eng
land, is the youngest of the women's educa-
tional institutions. 1t exists for the training
of teachers who are already technically quail
flied for the work of teaching. No student
is admitted who has not graduated in some
university, or passed some equivalent exam
ination and in addition to lectures by pro-
fessors at the colleges on the various sub
jects taught practice is permitted, under SUI
perintendence, in four schools in Cambridge
of three different classes. Being young and
not rich. the college is still located in tempo
rary buildlngs-cottages adapted for resi-
dence and study, with the recent addition of
an annex as lecture hall. The accomm oda-
ton available does not afford special build
ing for the carpentry, but as the work is
done on only one afternoon in the week. and
an optional practice on the following morn
ing, the lecture hall answers for the purpose.
On Friday afternoon, when the students go
for luncheon, they leave alecture hall, and
return to find 1t transformed into a carpen-
ter's shop, with the carpet rolled back, and
benches and tables substituted for the ordi-
nary furniture. As the hand of the clock
points to LAO, the principal of the college and
her assistants enter the hall, and work be-
gins. These ladies devoted their last sum.
mer vacation to working in Slojd school,
acquiring the necessary skill 10 be after
wards adapted to the founding of an Eng
lish school of carpentry, suited to the pecul-
lar work of the training college, and in har-
m0ny with other details of the system there
pursued.
To teach trade is not the object aimed at
but the development of manual dexterity
The scientific tools used by modern carpen-
tiers are ignored for the student who can turn
ntIf 6ni Ill. n 81
always avail herself afterwards, If carpen-
try is to be pursued to its workshop, OF sci
entiic facilities In glass-doored cupboard
at the head of the room all the wooden mod.
els are slowed away. They are regarded by
the community very just y with pride, for,
from the least to the grea test. the miscella-
neous articles are the work of the principal,
made by her own hands. Think only of a
first class in moral science trip0s, and a
second class in history tripos, making
rulers and brackets, carving out faultless
wooden spoons, and dovetailing the corners
of a wooden box.
A young lady distributes the models to the
students, and in few minutes every one is
at work-cutting, shaving, saving, boring,
joining-with an energy that would enrap;-
by time. Here it is seen, as it will be with
future pupils that individuality asserts itself.
A bachelor of science from London UniVer-
sity appears to have special advantages over
less advanced students, for as she shapes her
keyboard, and tests her work by rule and
square, it is seen that she guaged correctly
instinctively. A bachelor of art yields
spokeshave, with which a round ruler is
coming into life and becoming symmetrical.
The saw is doing deadly execution at several
benches, and it is to be noted that skill is ac-
qured equally with the right and left hand.
The planes used are neat and well suited to
the hands that use them, as to the wood for
children's toy bricks and other things is Civ
en- an even and fine surface. Several differ
ent woods are used, according to the object
to be produced, but chiefly deal, red pine or
pitch pine.
The first course is divided into eight class
es, in each of which two objects must be fin
ished perfectly before student passes on to
the next stage. One Of these things is arbi-
trary; for the other choice is permitted be-
tween two or three of the models. Flights of
soaring mbition are not by any means pos
sible from the earlier to the later stages, but
there is ample scope for genius of the class
which has been defined as IAN infinite capac-
ity for taking palms."
In the first section, for the production of a
pointer, a fiower-stick and shaped pen-hOld-
er, no tool but the Swedish knife is permitted
In the second in which the wood for the knife
is prepared with the plane, square ruler
must be finished, and either howerstick
class brings in boring, keyboard, with hooks
for hanging up keys, being arbitrary, fol-
lowed by flat ruler, netting mesh. or letter
opener. Glass four introduces the spoke
shave, in addition to the knife and plane, in
shaping round ruler, with h0op-stick,
rolling.pin or round towel-holder The bow
saw, which comes into the work of the fifth
class, opens up great possibilities in orna-
mental work in CONJUNCTION with the knife
and plane. paper-knife, with a tape wind
er, washing peg or menu holder entitle the
student to higher privileges. The sixth class
includes flower cross and picture frames,
with the first experience of the wood saw.
Hammer handles are required in the seventh
class, with skipping-rope handles or knife
handles. The seventh class, which concludes
one course, is giving up to joining, the dove
failing of pieces of wood, such as the box
with the well-fitted corners, the triumph OF
the principals first experiments, which is
kept carefully In the gass-case as worthy
example.
In every 4. ticlc made, no matter how sim
pie, there is no guess-work, no hoping, in
spite of inaccuracy, that the thing will turn
out well in the end, and varying of length,
breadth or finish. Every stage of piece of
work is rigidly tested by rule and square,
and perfection absolutely demanded. This
in itself is discipline of the highest class
training of the faculties as well as of the fin
gers. The first proposal to introduce scien-
tific carpentry to the college elicted cries of
dsmay from the students, who asserted that
not an hour in the week could be spared from
the multiplicity of subjects which training
teachers demanded.
After the experiment of giving up Friday
afternoon to carpentry had been fairly tried
the ladies had themselves become enthusi-
asts. The Relation enjoyed in such an en-
tire change of occupation was found to be of
immense advantage, physically and mentally
Far from being contented with the Friday
instruction gwen, every pupil tries to snatch
portion of Saturday to practise her work
before the lecture hall is cleared of the
benches and restored to its orderly condition
for the academic work of the following week,