The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-12-19
INDUSTRIAL INSTRUCTION
The Commissioner of Quotations Views
Concerning Manual Training Schools.
Per Cent. Of Graduates Who Afterward Fol-
lowed Mechanical Pursuits-Cost Of Intro
ducing and Maintaining a Proper Plant.
Special to the 1ndianapol,. journal

WAShlNGION, Leu. To- no
report of the COMMISSIONS of Education
will contain some interesting matter
relative to manual and industrial training
in the United States and European coun-
tries, with elaborate tables of statistics.
Among other things the COMMISSIONS says:
ION of the most important purposes de-
sired by the partisans of industrial train
ing, and by those of manual training also,
is the incubation of ideas about labor
that will remove the contempt In which
it is now said to be held. If
the public school pupil can be fa-
miliarized with tool work before
this unreasonable prejudice can be
formed the idea that manual labor is de-
grading will not be an obstacle to pursu-
ing some form of it; the pleasant nature of
the manual training not producing the re-
pugnance toward labor that is felt toward
books and study by those who have pur-
sued the usual literary course of the public
school. But here the two great parties to
the propaganda part company. The indus
t~rialists, however. are not unanimous as to
the philosophy of their object. Some, OBJ
serving the beneficial results of manual la
Dor in reformatory or protective institu-
tions on those ambiguously called Juvenile
delinquents.' appear to view the whole
schO0lable body. or a large part or 1t, as
wearing the menacing attitude of the jul
venile delinquents,' and the public school
as a sort of reformatory or protective 1nstl-
tuition. Others. seeing how ~unequal!y the
wealth of the world is distributed. think 1t
but right that the moneyed class, for sew
eral reasons, should make some compensa,
ton to the less fortunate Finally. a third
section, and this appears to be not only by
far the largest, but also OF native American
growth, would nave the schools used as ap-
prentice shops.
I'm giving the characteristics of the
course of Misunderstanding instruction at
Paris, we have refraIned from giving a
feature that is remarkable to Americans, at
least as a feature of the public-school sys-
TEN. Not only are Misunderstanding shops
added to the equipment of the schools. but
a kitchen and dining-room have been an
nexed. In which meals are served Tor the
children. Those who can, pay the small
fee asked; those too poor are given, IN a
way that the recipients need not be known,
the tickle that permits them to obtain the
meal. If the parent is too poor to properly
clothe the child, the director gives the
child an order on the clothing contractor.
1t is interesting to see at wnat little ex-
pense this advantageous institution. says
United States Consul Schpnhof. IN his re-
port on industrial education in France.
can be introduced into a school, and | give
herein an illustration of one OF the schools.
This school has about 500 pupils. From
Oct. 1 to Dec. 1 they distributed $500 por-
| tions, of which 4.116 were sold. The whole
cost to the institution was $40 francs 30
centimes (abOut $14); the receipts We're 2Oo
francs so confines. leaving a deficit OF l62
francs 5 confines tabOut 500. -
"In the Chicago Manual T~raining-schOol
| nineteen of the forty-nine graduates of the
first class, that of 1886, are attending higher
| chronological schools. principally the
| Massachusetts Institution of Technology,
G;h1au Nollona EnrnalI InlVprSltV and
Purdue University at Lafayette, Ind OF
the tifty-five Students who have withdrawn
from the Baltimore school. all but SIX are
following. mechanical pursuits. AT the
gone to colleges, 10 per cent. have returned
to pursue special courses, and about ~ per
cent. have engaged IN some business IN
which mechanical skill anddrawlnga are the
essential requirements.
"With these figures before us we cannot
| resist the conclusion that the graduates Of
those schools are apt to follow q mechanical,
occupation, and the question arises whether
| this tendency is due to the chronological,
| training received in these schools. 5 We,
| rave given. on page so. the analysis of the,
statistics of the Erie, Pa, High-school fol,
the twenty years past, in which the print
charge that the public schools are edpcatT
ing their pupils to dislike working With
their hands; and we will now give the
statistics as to the vocations followed by
I1o UNI ~ I'LL IL thO ma -
school from 1S43 to 1876, attempting to,
classify them under two heads: tnaL "a
with Observation-Disclosures, 2; deitists
1; druggist, 9; engraver, II; baker, 2; black
smith. 13; bOok-binder, 10: b~ricklayeT, IL;
brick-maker and stone-cutter, 8; carpenfer,
ETC., SO; cooper, 2; cOrd-wlnder, %; cprrler,
IL; cutler. 1; farmer. 20; glider; glaes-cnt-
ter. 2; halter, 2; iron-founder. 2; m~achinist,
%; mariners. 10; painters, 8; plasterers. 2;
plough-maker. i; plumber. L; printer, 30;
saddler, s; sail-maker, 2; tailor, 3, tinman,
3; tobacconist. 3, matchmaker, 4; weaver,
4. Others-Cadet. 2: clerk. 40; stores, 169;
~onveyancer, IL; engineer, 10; grocer. 4; Jew
eler. 8; lawyer. 4; manufacturer, B; physi-
clan. 2; teacher, 80; unascertalned, ~: dead,
L. Total, $50.
1T will be observed that the clerks. that
much-abused class, compose about 80 per
cent. of the whole number as far as ascer-
tanned. 1t will also be noted that about
One-half of the whole school labor with
their hands,. To such. chronological train
ing of the manual training-scho0i would
have been of more OF less value. The total
number of graduates from the several
schools has been $50, of whom 275 graduated
In June. 1883. We find that the number of
pupils enrolled is. of males. 3.246; of fe-
An interesting statistical table is given in
the report concerning the finances and pro-
perty value of the manual training schools
of the country. The total property yalues
are as follows: Apparatus, S1Sl. 957; real eS-
tate, $685. or; receipts. from state or city,
S67. 800; from tuition. S37. 300; interest, S12l.-
4f6; other sources. S14, 145. Expenditures
for buildings and improvements, S21. 766; for
salaries. 500. 7S5; tools and machinery. S14,-
314; materials used, SS,49S. Says the report:
THE Toledo, Chicago. st. Louis and Cleve-
land schools have the most powerful motive
power, as far as this is indicated by the ca
pacity of the engine. At the Baltimore
schools there are three engines"
Some interesting figures are given con-
corning the cost of introducing and main
tanning manual training, as follows: Cost of
plant, $751; 27; teachers salaries, S22.373, ma
t~erials. S6.179; new tools and repairs. S3.15
incidentals, S1,526. Says the report: "One
of the great objections to introducing man.
nal training in the schools is the cost. This
is perfectly valid as AZ piled to the shop adj
junct in which woodworking is given, but
it will not hold against construction work
which has lately taken a definite shape"