Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-08-11
OBJECT OF MANUAL TRAINING,
Some Practical Ideas from Prof EVIL
Z. Sparks, of Martins Ferry.

- SP1AhcJ Va AAA-
The following communication defines
the field and obsct of an Industrial
School. 1t is from the pen of Prot. Edwin
E. Sparks, Superintendent of Schools in
Martins Ferry. Prof. Sparks has had
practical experience as we'll as theoretical
knowledge of these schools. He has lnstl-
tuted manual training on necessarily
small scale in Martins Ferry, and the
success Of his experiment has been phe-
nominal:
To The Editor oftae Sunday Register:
Few educational movements have sprung
full-srmed from the head of any master, bat
they are decidedly evolutionary in their
formation. In school matters as well as
other affairs we are inclined to swing from
one extreme to the other. From the
vast classical and ornamental kno wledge
marking the schools Of preceding ages,
we are tossed by the great awakening
of mechanical inventions to as radical
a position upon the side CT pure dexteri-
ty. By.and- By we shall discover that an
education is neither parrottizing ancient
languages, parsing complex sentences,
teaching trades nor pounding iron, but
only development of those innate powers
of reasoning for consequent and then q
muscular ability to carry out the tenden-
cies toward these consequents. Already
the mistake has been made of bringing the
pnblic eye to look upon this manual train
ing as o thing foreign to all existing sys-
TENS of education, rs n sort Of
deus machine. which was to suddenly
appear, and by showing that the present
system was of no value was then to carry
the pupil forthwith to peTfection in trade
or handicrsft which bis parent had toiled
long to acquire 10 truth, the principle is
as old as tne pro ucts of any Yankee boys
penknife or the doll dresses and equip
ments OF any playhouse; it does not dis
place the present system-it only supple
ments it. Formerly the schoolmaster
built a cask of the dimensions given him
by his master according to the
rules of Arithmetic, the declen-
siors of Grammar and the
definitions of geography and then, placing
each boy in the same kind OF a cssk,
poured in the msterial and expected the
boy to accommodate himself to his quar-
ters but suddenly some one discovered
that all boys were not cut out on the same
pattern, and that by studying the boy at
play wheo, if ever, his natural faculties
would be displayed, one could fiud certain
lines of development which had no place
Tor growth in the school room bat must
y ait the learning of trade"
During the present summer q man re-
marked that his coachman had decorat I'd
the carriage house with some drawings
from his own hand. A surprise followed
an investigation. The man undoubtedly
had some talent, his rude sketches show
ing a bOldness In execution quite marvel
lous. Upon Inquiry it was learned that
the man had attended school short time
but had confined his attention to drawing
pictures upon his slate, o practice which
respad him "msny tannin', :" as he ex
pressed it. Had he been n school which
takes account of the natural aptitude of a
boy, how different his life might have
been.
It is needless TO multiply cases to show
the necessity of such a change in cur
schools nor yet to show that training is
possible even in young minds 1t is only
necessary TO see what the children can do
wi!hout such training to imagine what
they can do with it. But there are re-
suits to be thought of aside from the i'm.
mediate products,
Not the least alarming feature of our
social condition is the astonishing increase
OF llliteracy. When one views the in
creasing number of school houses and the
growing amount of money expended for
educational purposes, he cannot
conceive that the percent of
illiterate people should be increas-
ing 90 enormously. am not
prepared to say that the general establish
ment of manual training schools would
stop illiterscy, hut 1 do believe that il
would materially check its growth. We
must concede that the popular system has
little in it to appeal TO the tastes of parents
who are ignorant of the language with
which the system deals an toto. But with
the addenda of Manual Training, palpsble
fruits OF the work would furnish an arsu-
ment in favor of the schools which few
parents could withstand. We must have
more children in school. I have not at
hand the statistics for Wheeling, but do
not suppose the per cent of attendance
is much superior TO Martins Ferry
where there are 800 children of school
age and the highest number in the schools
only 1,09S Farther, the new movement
would remove ground for the most serious
objection TO compulsory education-tbat
the schools do not fl children for early
earning competence.
Those people-snd every schoolmaster
knows they ATE legion-who complain OF the
Injurious effects of children sitting at a
desk FIVE or six hours each day have
many valid arguments against the system
which compels such continuous attitude
If bones are to form the ground work for
an upright body, they must not be bent
too long over desk while in the forma-
tive state; il muscles are to grow by exer.
else, they must not remain too long inert;
If young faces are TO retain their natural
freshuess, they must not become sicklied
DER with the pale cast of thought These
objections would be removed By the sys-
tenn which contemplates few hours at the
desk and few at the workbench or cut.
ting table; few hours sitting and few
hours of constant movement; few hours
of acquisition By pure mental effort and
few hours brain reasoning relieved By con-
stquent muscular exertions.
The chief difficulty that Ispprehend in
successful termination of the praiseworthy
course the REGISTER has undertaken, is
persuading the public that the thing is
practicable. Indeed many school men
must yet be brought to that point. In
recent letter well-known educator
says: "Whilst admire the end aimed at,
l can no more cOncede that the work of
training craftsmen and housekeepers be-