St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-03-11
AN EDUCATIONAL CRAZE.
Sewing Rather a Farce as Taught in the
Public Schools.
TEACHERS sEAMsTREsSEs,
And Are Required to Attend to Every
thing But Put Children to
Bed.

of education decided that sewing SHOULD
be taught in the city schools. Accord
ingly it became necessary to appoint a
special teacher for that department,
and Miss Susie Serwell was elected, at
a salary of $500 year. Materials fol-
sewing are classed as school supplies
and furnished bp the board of educa-
ton. Each child has needles. thinble,
one spool of white and one of black
thread. square of calico, three pairs OF
scissors for the room. After the child
has been taught to fold the hem, basic,
hem, overcast, run, etc, 1t is then gwen
a piece of variegated calico, out OF
which the child is expected to make a
bag in which the neeile-boOk, thimble,
thread, ETC., are to be kept.
The order of lesson given in sewing
is as follows: Fist, pass material; sec
ond, unfold it; third. pin needle on
dress: fourth, take the spool of thread
for basting in your left hand between
your thumb and first finger and with the
right hand unfasten the thread. Now
gradually remove your left hand from
you, thus the thread is unWOund and If
it is of sufficient length you can hold the
spool at arms length and measure the
length of the inside seam of your sleeve,
break and knot the end which was just
broken.
Now, by the aid the blackboard Illus
trations, the mind of the brilliant
younE American can easily COM
prehend the most complicated les
son in sewing-at once they grasp the
thought that they must sew, and then
how to do it follows.
You ask, do the boys sew? Oh. no;
poor boys, they are only allowed the
privilege Of gazing lntently upon the
scene, the adoleScent masculine mind
not being sufficiently developed TO COM
prehend anything so difficult.
Poor boy his education is being sadly
neglected. He never needs buttons to
be sewed on his clothes. or any mend
ing dOne-fOrtunate being.
DO BOYS WISH TO SEW?
Yes, the most of them are eager TO try
it. But no; they are expected to EN-
plOy their time in another way.
Either teacher is considered as be-
ing endowed with supernatural power
or as being made OF wrOughtiroD. See
what she is required to dO-schoOl is in
session and the classes are hard at
work solving their problems when the
sewing teacher arrives; all work is laid
aside and preparations made to receive
her instructions.
Fifty pupils in the rOon-of whom
twenty-five are girls-immediately are
arranged so as to be seated Oh one side
of the room, while the boys with noble
tread march to the opposite side of the
room. Now our poor little teacher is
expected to give her attention to the
special teacher SO she may know what
work is to be completed before the next
special lessons, and aid all she can: see
that the twenty-five boys are kept busy
all to be accomplished in twenty min
utes. Sewing is not in
THE TEACHERS LINE OF BUSINESS,
and it is an imposition to ask it of her.
In schools where they have manual
training the principals and teachers
are not required to teach that, but a
special teacher for It is employed: then,
why should our lady teachers be re-
0uired to teach sewing?
The teachers are probably more than
willing to develop all the faculties Of
the chilcren and aid them to have a
>practicai education, but where are the
mothers of these children? Shall it be
said they do not wish to be burdened
with the training of their children, but
rather leave il to the teacher?
AS it now is, the teachers use their in
fiuence in regard 10 cleanliness. polite
ness, neatness, storing the mind with
choice memory gems. teaching both
physical and moral development. and
also endeavor to induce the children to
read-not light literature, but to instili
a desire for beneficial reading.
In some cities pupils have not only
>the mental training, but the little girls
are taught to sweep and dust, set the
table and sew. Now, pray, what is left
in the way of training the children for
their dear mothers to do? Does the
public realize that they pay $50 a month
to the sewing instructor, whose duty it
is to plan the work, give lesson once
in two weeks, and leave the rest of the
work for the regular teacher.
One thought comforts the teacher in
whose grade this work is required, and
that is-it is only an educational
craze" and after time will pass away :
so until that time she will continue to
instruct the youth TO thread the needle
and not to needle the thread.