Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1889-09-25
BOTH BODY AND MIND.
Their EQUAL DEVELOPMENT BY
MANUAL TRAINING METHODS.

ing symmetrical development Of human
powers has, through their agency, ceased to
be problem and become an accomplished
fact, there are still to be found mainly among
the advocates of old systems, those who doubt
or at any rate deny the efficacy of the new
one These hostile influences have been
powerful enough to retard the progress Of
the new idea. Although manual training
schools have become recognized and indis-
pensable part of any perfect system Of educa.
ZION, its merits are not realized as fully and
| dnreservedly as they must and will be in the
not distant future Its advocates are now
compelled TO defend it against the assaults of
the old school instructors and, in their turn.
to attack the old forms and usages which
have fallen short Of the best possible results.
Among the ablest OF these advocates is Pro
fessor q. NJ. Woodward, director of the man
ual training school Of Washington univer-
sity, st. Louis, famous seat Of the new
learning. paper read by him before the
meeting of the superintendent department
Of the National Educational association at
| Washington, d. g., has been issued by the
! United States bureau OF education. In it
Professor woodward makes an argument liz
support Of the manual training system, both
on theoretical and practical lines His dis.
Il1niti u Aut tfutcttJn Wflo nbl lIltlQEU
be exhaustive, but for that reason, perhaps.
it emhodies the most striking and salient fea-
lures Of the question ia a way to command q
more general reading and to arouse a greater
interest than could possibly be- hoped for from
a longer and more detailed effort
This candid admission ia the early part Of
the work win strike the unprejudiced reader
with favor.
"In speaking of the relation of manual
training to the mind and body we are oil
forced to make comparisons. If the now sys-
tenn has no fruit which the old does not yield,
II it fails in valuable results where the other
succeeds, or If the new product does not on
the whole outweigh the old, then the new has
no sufficient excuse for boing.n
Professor Woodward indicates the wide
field of effort and usefulness open to advo.
Gates Of the new education when he says:
The proper education Of today is a prepar-
alton for the duties and responsibilities of
| life Our students must therefore come out
of school with the clements Of high charac.
ter, with vigorous, healthy body and mind,
able to put both hand and brain to work to
enter readily into sympathetic corporation
| with the institutions Of their country and
time Practical accomplishments are essen
tial to a good education, though they are not
the whole Of it, While training to the full
faculties Of the individual, including his me-
chanical powers and fitting him 70 act his
| part as O citizen a home builder and Il bread
winner we must not fail to set high value on
the finest products Of the human mind and "a
give fair introduction to the great fields OF
art and philosophy.
Reference is then made to a class Of people
whose opposition to manual training methods
/ of education arise from a nlisconception OF
its objects and purpose The professor is
| particularly severe on that class Of objectors
who confound manual training schools with
| trades colleges and agricultural institutions.
| He eonfesses 10 a loss Of patience with people
who remain under such a misspprehension as
10 the real nature and character Of the work
Of manual training schools when the truth il
SO easily attainable Although Professor
Woodward makes no reference to the fact
and is, perhaps, not aware Of it, it is never
theless true that the very general misinfor.
nation in this respect d year or two ago led
some Of the leading trades unions Of the coun-
try to an Investigation as to tile probable ef
feet on the value Of skilled labor, Of an in
crease in tine labor supply from the ranks Of
the graduates Of these schools. OF course tbs
| investigation proved that there was nothing
1 HMaAtNEi " tNtAA AA~i4At AAitAN Nti4i &c
Professor Woodward briefly states the OBJ
ject Of manual training when he says:
In a manual training school, properly S,
called, no attempt is made 10 cultivate dex
teritv at the expense OF thought 10 mer
sleigEt Of hand is aimed at, nor is rnuscula
exercise OF itself held to DO Of eduoationa
value. An exercise, whether with tools O
with books, is valuable only in proportion 3
the demand it makes upon the mind for in
telligeut, thoughtful work. IN the sahoo
shop the stage Of mechanical habit is neve
reached The only habit actually acquire
Is that Of thinking. No blow Is struck, n
Inc drawn, no motion regulated, from mus
cular habit The quality Of every act spring
from the conscious win accompanied by
definite act Of Judgment. At the same tim
| plainly see that the trade tendency Is 70 b
,ruapded against There is plenty of bad I'D
vice, foolish schemes and indiscreet haste fU
putting manual training where it does nc
belong, and where no adequate preparation
are made for it. But IN this respect we al
not singular; every good cause has much t
fear aud much TO suffer from its friends.
beg Of YOU not to hold manual training n
sponsible for all that is said aud done III i
tame.
And again;
There comes a time in the life of every be
when he Graves with an irresistible appetii
what may be called food for his physical III
ture; when the senses are most acute; whe
, he IS exauisitely conscious Of his CROWN
strength, bis increasing power over the e.
} ternal world; when bis budding mRnhoc
5 opens the door into the great workshop
Z nature, and be Is satisfied with nothing le
than actual contact with concrete forms an
tangible forces.
At this period the records Of the past ha'
I little interest FOR healthy boy Hemust fe
and act for himself, he must turn the ki
with his own hands, and himself unbar L
I gates He has no natural appetite 70 destro
T he DESTROYS because be cannot create. (
I can destroy without being taught how; b
bow to build, how 70 construct, how to crea
s he doas not know; there be requires
I s,r7lction, training, system, and they vie
i the leeaer pleasure.
The boy demands reasons, and arbitrar
uumeaning rules are extremely distastefl
/ Until he has basis Of personal physical G
q perience with which be may digest the exE
y rience Of others, books have little meani
s md are OF little value.
Then Is the time 70 give him manual trni
l. inr. Give him his saw, plane and CHS
J. ! give him his lathe, his forge and anvil; q
J. him his blow pipe and his crucible, his ma
r. net and his engine, and teach him their los
and their mower. His mind will absorb th'
al with infinite relish. In their forms
Z, uses be will read the thoughts Of men
y many generations.
II DO not be anxious lest he have no opp
If tunity 70 develop Literary taste. lhere = !