The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-09-25
DRAWING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS



many practical ways. tenlnSasss. in the
Grst place, habits Of accurate observation (
Hcultivates sense Of order andsYumetrl
cal arrangement Of facts reduced TO lines
IL 8 training Of muscular skill In hand
and arm, teaching the muscles to obey the
dictates Of the intellect
Drawing also gives the child power Of
expressing thoughts on paper
A child in a primary school can tell
more truthruliy and inseiligently how It's
ehooIroom appears to It. in lines on
slate. than il can in the written hnguage
Of older minds and later deSelopemeuE
The uncultured savage has always searn-
ed a mode Of coayeying thought and his
torical facts by meansO Of picture language
How we search the hierOgiyphHs and
monuments OF cultured Egypt for the nose
of Rameses III, tits notify written wOrds
alone. thst we recognize his actual exist
ence in history; but BY the repeated lines
Of rortraiture, found In urany dIrerenf
memorials
How eagerly vas the supposed mummy
af Rameses examined and compared with
the pictorial history Of the man When
the closely drawn skin OF the aged man
was seen to reveal bone. shaped rs ne
ancient Egyptian artist had pictured Il. the
peculiar shape Of the skull iudentined- the
world accepted the assertion that the
mummy was thyt Of Rameses- The tesff-
mouy of pictorial art, rather thsn that OF
inscription was accepted
Shall the inborn capabilities OF the
present generslioa be conceded To De ie's'
ar 10 be of no use, because We have
higher mode os expression. which with It's
superiori,y, supersedes the most primitive
and easily attained methodist Or, shall
we while using and teaching the express
ion Of thought by means Of words, at the
same time give the young the exquisite
Measure Of expression Of incident and fAes
in the simple langusge Of tUrm- without
the lengthy and lzbnrious processes OF
grammatical lansuage-
In order TO cultivate and teAeh this sim
pie language Of form, We need only give the
undeveloped child esoslieso .i0ok- ana
then TO show US what be has seen VIM
very little guidance they see things truly
and make true lines 70 show the result OF
their observation
The child needs to be allowed ID srre
his power play as he feels t. 1hrouss
the desire TO show It's thoughts in rough
lines being scorned. the impulse dlss- A
resurrection Of that healthy desire to Draw
in the rough, is akin 10 a miracle aises II
has been crushei 10y the scorn and tndrrrer-
enee of elders. who tell him the lIue =
poor. He thought not OF the nnhsh Of the
line, but Of th- >inry 20 tell
Ne should cLerrsh all impulses % e1-
preston of thought By theeultiYailon Of
our natural powers in all digeohOos. the
better are our powers Of expression
Drawing from the objects around us. -
the only true mode OF acquiring the power
of representing what we see and teel- both
in nature and in the productions Of art
II this power Of expression By means Of
lines be Mt cultivated in youth. time Is
lost the muscles are unaceustomed to aet,
and the mature person believes he has "0s-
and never has had. a power to draw
Drawing is like reading and writing Il
no; attained in early youth. the difficulties
Of attainment multiply, and the want OF
that power is realized snd especially re-
regretted by those in whom the impulse to
draw IS strong.
Faithfulaess Is an important lesson
taught by drawing. We viii not accept
untruihs in pictorial art. Our adherence
of a lie in liaes Is intense. The distorted
advertisement and falsely called comic
valentine are an outrage 70 our feeling.
We call for truth in drawing. Shall We
not then give the children Of the common
schools additional means Of telling the
truth,
How often we zee q child turn with
disgust from an effort at representation
of a man, saying. II can't draw, wish
couldg- Would il not be means Of edu-
cation to that child, and would il not act
upon a suggestion which would help il 10
satisfy its longing to show truthfully what
il attempts To shows Ruskin says ideas
Of beauty are among the noblest which can
be presented to the human nind. inTaria-
bly, exAlting and purifying. ideas OF
beauty, ,sbe it remembered are subjects Ot
moral, but not Of intellectual perceptioo.'
The call for good designs, based upon
the forms Of beauty and strength which
abound in nature. is now recognized By
introducing original designing from natu-
raj forms in schools, among children OF all
classes, higher ideals Of appropriate forms
forcommou articles are set before the pub
lie. Immediate progress in architecture
and home adornment Is felt
Foundations for correct criticism are
deeply laid BY drawing in public schOols'
-EducatiOnal Mouthly.
STOCE SALES