St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-03-24
PRACTICAL TRAINING.
An Innovation in School-Teaehing Now
Being Tried in New York.

An Innovation in School-Tea ching Now
Being Tried in New York.
A novel system of manual training.
the adoption of which earnest men
have agitated for several years, and
which is expected to reyolutionize
public school education, went into
operation on an experimental scale in
several city schools recently.
The new system must not be con-.
founded with that of industrial work,
which is also being agitated. In the
lower grades it consists of few
simple helps to the children. caus-
ing them to use their hands and eyes
in the ordinary studies hitherto
taught. ea -.
In the study of geography. for in
stance, they will be supplied with flour
and water and taught to make chains
of mountains in paste, with rivers of
real water between them. In arith-
metic and geometry the innovations
consist of the use of clay in forming
curves and triangles, and actual
blocks of wood to prove their geomet-
rical theorems.
The boys will not be made carpen-
tiers or plumbers or iron-workers. nor
the girls taught the complete art OF
dressmaking or cooking, but tool
shops and cooking-rooms will be pro-
vided and much valuable instruction
given in the theory of those arts.
The use of the knife, grindstone and
jackplane will be taught to the boys in
the lowest grade during two hours OF
each week. and the older pupils will in
time be initiated into the mysteries OF
the saw, the vice, the hammer and
nails and the plane. The principles of
doyetailing and making joints will be
explained by special teachers, and in
the highest grades finished boxes will
be constructed, properly sand-papered
and polished.
Two hours per week are setapart for
instruction to the girls in sewing and
hemming, measuring, cutting paper.
patterns and fitting. Two hours weekly
are allotted to the theory of cooking,
especial attention being given to IN.
struction in the wholesomeness and de-
gree of nutrition in the various articles
of food. the care and use Of tin, iron
and copper utensils, the precautions
necessary to prevent yerdIgus, the
principles of economy in purchasing
food. the means of determining the
wholesomeness or embellishments
and the names of the various kinds Of
poultry and the joints OF meat
Ample provision has been made for
the necessary supplies of materials.
Each cooking room will have range
and set of utensils costing $500, and
$3.50 will be appropriated for putting
up and supplying each workshop with
tools.
Calico and muslin, scissors, needles,
patterns, ETC., will be supplied on
reuuisition to the teachers in the dress
making classes.
Our object" said Principal ONeil.
sis not so much to create new studies
AZ to infuse now interest in the teach
ing Of the old studies. Manual train
| ing is to education what the telephone
and telegraph have been in. the ortlin-
| airy business of life.
by building ranges OF mountains
on maps, making geometrically shaped
models in clay and giving practical il
lnstrations of the use of the needle and
the plane we shall be able to give the
pupils more useful knowledge in one
hour than was possible in two hours
| under the old system. IN 7. Esenias
| World.
The great deer range OF the eoun-