Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-12-29

inward experience, Thus he is at the
same time shaping his own character and
tendency of mind is created from which will
eventually result the purest and loftiest moral
ity.''
Magnificent as theory but a bit too highly
ideal and visionary. do not think the records
of actual experience will quite justify the incor
poratlon into the public school system of
manual training or industrial training, with
the hope of any such results. The best products
OF the best polytechnic schools do not apparently
differ in this respect from the products OF the
best colleges and universities and even if they
did, and this highly ideal view were fully es-
tablished, it would belong in the region OF the
higher education far above the level of the
public schools.
When, two years ago. l visited the Baltimore
Training School, found the pupils engaged in
making useful things. Among the rest they
were building a steam engine for use in their
machine shop. the one then in use having
proved inadequate. When | went from there
to the Philadelphia Manual Training School,
Professor MtcAllister pronounced the methods
of the Baltimore school all wrong; claiming
that the purpose of this training is not to teach
the pupils 10 make useful things. but to teach
principles, and that all such training is worse
lhsn useless except for its general educating
effect.
AS was said at the beginning, let there by all
means be established schools-special schools
which those who wish may attend, if they are
OF the proper age TO enter upon such work and
have acquired a sufficient knowledge of the
branches taught in the public schools to pass
the necessary examination. But do not attempt,
upon so slight showing as has thus far
been made, practically or theoretically, to en-
graft upon the already crowded work of the
public schools the expensive and doubtful eX-
pertinent OF this manual training, with all the
necessary and expensive adjuncts and para
Phernalia. In a report By n committee OF the
Boston Board of Education, it is stated that this
training school should be for boys of Il years OF
age and upward. This woulG reach less than 10
FER cent. of the pupils of our schools.
If such training were Incorporated in the pub
lie school system, is there any guaranty, or even
a probability, that the teaching of it would be
any better than the teaching of the branches
already in the schools, of which our manual
training friends so much complain? Or that
the teaching in these branches would be any
better by reason OF the addition
As for teaching trades or the rudiments OF
trades II is too apparent that the mere smatter-
ers are already plentiful enough it is at the top
that there is plenty of room and il is only by
the persistent intelligent prosecution of a trade
or calling in the actual shop where the real
thing is being done, that our young men after
all can ever hope 10 attain that knowle ige and
skill which Will entitle them TO take their place
IN the highest rank. II 1t be objected that the
opportunities for learning trade are omen To
| but few boys, it would not help the matter that
they have had bit Of use of the hammer, the
saw and the jack-plane such use as could be
given in the public schools. Indeed much OF
what they had learned would have to be un-
learned in the actual work of the shop, the
mill or The factory.
Because the kindergarten, with its songs aud
plays, and interesting and beautiful devices
has proven for little children so good pre-
paralion for the primary school, 1t does
not follow that the addition of shop-work
the use of tools, or, in other words, the
incorporation of manual training into the
primary and grammar schools, would be desir-
able, even il it were practicable The great
mass of the pupils in our public schoo S as has
been said have but a short time to 90 to school,
large numbers of them ave all the rest of their
lives to be " hewers of wood and drawers OF
water; are to earn their living in the sweat OF
| their brOws in some sort of physical labor OF
handlcratt, and II is crime to Geiraud them oil
any portion of the only time they can give 10
purely intellectual work and training it is cruel
TO obtrude into these few days and hours the
money getting element. If there is in manual
! labor the high physical intellectual and moral
training which is claimed Tor il, as in the pas
sages which have read, God knows they will
most of them GIT enough of IT, if they live long
enough, TO finally die sages in intellect saints
IN morals, and pollos or Hercuieses physically.
II is not true. as is so often charged, that the
pupils in our public schools, as such, look with
contempt upon manual labor; il is not true that
such is the tendency or inference OF our public
schools; and manual training or shop-work need
not be advocated as an adjunct on any such pre-
text. If the effect of our public school training
is TO stimulate the ambition OF our boys and our
young men to rise auoye the humble life OF
poverty and obscurity in which they may have
been born; to lead them 10 strive for better
| things than life of ignorance and drudgery,
then, say, God bless our public schools as they
are. 1t is the right and privilege OF every Amer
lean boy to aspire TO the highest position in the
| land; to command the respect and admiration
of his fellows by. reason of wealth, honor and
| fame: and with the education which
| our public schools afford, with energy
| pluck, and the persistent following
| OF high aim and a noble aspiration TIE way
/ lies open lnV1tlngly before him-anG this is the
| glory and the pride of free America But i
this is as it should be, the effect of our present
| system OF public education, l repeat that the
| tendency is not toinduce contempt for manual
lilo maj ~fNff
| inviting avenues to the greatest success in life
| Let Irving NJ. Scott, of San Francisco, or the
railroad company here in Sacramento, adver
| tlse that they Will take twenty boys from IA tc
IL or is years OF age into their machine shops as
| apprentices, and II the hour appointed for ap
| plication is school hour, the class-rooms %
your public schools will at that time be almos
deserted of such boys. But there is no chance fol
| trying the experiment Neither Mr. Scott MOI
| the IA lroad people can do such a thing. They
are firmly held, as by the throat, by the labor
| guilds aud trades unions, and they re power
| less. And to these guilds and I'm ons belong in
many cases the fathers of these very boys
| What We want, what we need more tn IN any.
thing else in this direction, is good apprentice
| law, ana the breaking of the power OF any and
| all unions or combinations OF men, native OF
| toselgn born, to prevent boys from learning d
| trade. NO play shop, no manual training annex
| to our public schools can supply the lack OF such
a reform
1t is no argument for the incorporation
| OF manual training that the boys like it
i
| argument there could be introduced into
| the ound4y-school q Punch and Judy snow
| II is something of a Doys nature aturzlly not
Always 10 want 10 co the thing he ought to do
\ aad tormany a boy as for many man, the hard.
i est kind of work that can be required of him
| is mental work-to think-to study. Why
many boy would just as soou go to a circus OF
TO baseball match as to go to school, even with
| a manual training adjunct just rs many man
would quite as heve go to prize fight ct the
San francisco Athletic Club, with the admission
| fee OF $50, as to 20 10 church where II would
only cast him tie quarter of a dollar put int
| the plate.
It's part of the training given boys in the
public schools that they must GO useful things
| when they don't feel like, ss well as when they
| do. And If the habit can be formed it viii
come mighty handy and be highly valuable il
| after life.
| AS an Their argument in favor OF ''incorpora
| ton it is claimed that, so far from being any
hindrance to advancement in other studies
| manual training, as part of our public school
| course, would really induce to greater appliea
| ton, insure better work, more earnest applica
ton to study, and in short, result in more rapid
| advancement in the regular and ordinary
| branches now taught. This sounds well. and in
theory is perhaps all right, though just Bit
| paradOxicai, maybe. But even as to this, uIr
| fortunately, the testimony is not all on one
side. Listen to this from the Principal of the
North EaSton High School. In letter replying
TO inquiries on This subject, he SAYS: 1--WE have
caTpenterlug, cooking ana sewing The pupils
lost their inter est in their regular studies and
were constantly begging for extra lali-days IN
the shops" This would perhaps be considered a
point in favor of shop-work But the chances
are that it is not Boys don't usually try TO get
hold OF the heaviest end OF the Load My first
Latin class went to pieces. The class in French
went TO pieces much in the same way. AS for
doing good work it was impossible. The classes
in physics suffered the most" Further on he
says: Il am sue there Can be but one result
Learning 10 think through the fingers simply
means not 10 be able TO think without some
thing in the fingers. The tendency TO material.
ize everything, will sooner or later produce its
natural result
And now a word in regard to the favorite
formula of the advocates of incorporation
viz: That it is necessary for the development
of the whole child physically mentally aud
est meaning does include all that. Who
that ever lived on this earth has been educated
in This VIDE sense? he public choois are pr
manly Tor intellectual Training. and, incident.
ally, Tor physic al and moral training. But it i
no more necessary tor the incidental physical
training that the hammer ard saw and
forge should be Introduces than that. Tor moral
training, the catechism should be introduced
II is no more necessary than IT would be in the
sunday school 10 biz nd with the religious and
moral training of the child, language and malh-
ematics, or the carving and modelling of Script
ural designs, because the whole boy mus be
be developed uniformly in all his powers, moral
intellectual aud physical.
The intellectual training of our schools and
colleges as Trey are has developed reasonably
1 good type Of american citizenship; and the
fame OF American mechanics, inventors, scien-
isis, scholars. authors, philanthropists moral
Isis, teachers lutsts. statesmen Patriots and sol
o1efs lumin the brightes pages of the history OF