The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1889-02-08
Friday, Feb. 8, 1889.
Manual Training in the Public
Schools.

On last Saturday the Teachers
Association which holds its meet
ings in the commodious public
school room in Port Deposit, had
this question up for special consider
alton, and Prof. Newell had been in
vited and was present to deliver a
lecture on the subject. The lecture
or discourse of the Professor, gave
his audience much light on the sub
ject which they generally admitted
they had before very imperfctly un-
derstood. The Professor, before
commencing his discourse hung a
chart on the wall, on which the SUBJ
ject was divided into several branch
es under the appropriate head to
which each belonged.
The question for inquiry was what
branches Of manual training could
be introduced into our common
schools, and when the naked ques-
ton was put to the Professor he
ventured to name but two; drawing
and, seaoing. Mr.. Tamany advocated
drawing but Mr., Squier was decided.
ly opposed to introducing any more
branches into our common schools.
and although he did not say so in so
many words, intimated that he would
favor taking some of the branches
out which are only numbering the
tree of knowledge as cultivated in
the public schools. In this opinion
we are decidedly with Mr.. Sqnier.
Our public school system has been
run wild by professional school men,
who appear not to be able to com.
prehend the difference between
public school and public education.
There is world of difference, how
ever The State does not owe
public education to any youth. more
than it owes him or her fortune;
but for the benefit Of society and the
preservation Of the State, the latter
is bound to place it within the power
of any child to obtain an education
or to acquire a fortune. The Child
when it has attained the age of ma
turity must possess natural qualiica.
tions to secure these desirable OBJ
jects, or all the learning that the
schools can cram him with will be
lost. "A finished scholastic education
to some minds is of no more use
than finest upholstered furniture is
to lumber garrett.
The State will have performed its
whole duty to the public in supply.
ing general education for all the
children, when it has provided that
portion of an education which is
brought into daily use by the COR
mon mass in their struggle to obtain
daily bread. Let us rope in, in I'M
agination at random, one hundred |
or five hundred persons, engaged in
the various industries of farming,
carpentering, blacksmithing, digging
bitches, store keeping, trading, and
in short pursuing the hundred and
one employments which engage the
public head and hand. How many
of this multitude use their school
requirements beyond reading the
newspapers, writing a business note
or letter, and employing the five
simple rules of arithmetic? Is there
more than one in each one hundred
that calls into use more than these.
elementary branches, in the business
oflife? Those who desire higher
education and have the natural abil-
ity to acquire and use it, are placed
in a condition to readily reach those
higher walks in learning. The State
has done it's duty when it has taxed
all the property Of its citizens equal
ly to give all their children an equal
share of education, and which they
can use to advantage in every walk
of life.
The great defect in the public
school system is that it attempts so
much that nothing can be thoroughly
done. If less were attempted more