The daily state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 188?-1891, 1890-09-21
MANUAL TRAINING SCHOOL.
THE BALTIMORE SYSTEM OF
PUBLIC INSTRUCTION.
A Distinguished North Carolina Edu.
Gator Writes of his Visit to The
Baltimore Schools.

A Distinguished North Carolina Edu.
Gator Writes Of his Visit to The
Baltimore Schools.
Especial Cor. State Chroniclel
BALTIMORE, Nd, Sep. 18th, 1890
Coming to this generous Southern city
for brief annual vacation, of course it
is my greatest delight to visit its insti
tutiops Of learning. They are many,
tasteful and elegant. With strong
financial backing, richly equipped with
professors, presenting in every case
suitable and satisfactory curriculum,
they appeal to the observer in a vivid
language all their own. A morning
spent in the Manual Training School
is an experience not soon to be forgot
ton. Literature and steam engines,
history, English composition, chemistry,
geology and stop cylinders, physical
geography and book keeping constitute
JumbIe and tangle very much to the
confusion of the intellect. And yet if
the clear minded visitor commences
right and goes straight, a very
beautiful system may be evolved from
all this. Here is very capacious arrange
ment of buildings, one Of them perfectly
new, five stories high, costing nearly
thirty thousand dollars, the ground sto-
ry beng devoted to swimming pool
and play ground, magnificent assem-
bly, room being overhead, while all the
other space is appropriated to the liter
ary work of the Institution The old
building, which we visited before, is
taken up with workshops, departments
for wood work and metal, engine and
furnace rooms; and all the varied facili-
ties Of many sided industry. The ma
chlnery is driven by an exquisite steam
engine, built by one OF the senior cias-
ses, and to mechanical soul must be a
joy forever.
1t is refreshing to stand in a place Of
vantage and see four hundred boys
change recitation rooms, with heads up
and precision of military step and
manner. One hour is given to drawing
and the remainder Of the time to liter
ary application. A welldeveloped,
brighteyed boy of seventeen stood by
the furnace, another by the engine, and
each kept his place for three days, max
ing his daily report in writing to the
principal. They were the youngest en-
gineer and fireman | ever saw, but,
like the boy who ''stood on the burning
deck" they seemed to know their busi
ness. | saw class Of youngsters
gathered around professor, who was
lecturing on one of the tools of carpen-
try. It was defective in its making, and
its defects were being pointed out.
Another curious apartment was full q
anvils, and more brilliant little black
smiths were ringing the hammers OF
them than you would see in a months
travel. Another room seemed to be de
voted to miniature timers, and the little
fellows were making tin cups, coffee
pots and every other vessel dedicated to
this metal. Other classes were working
upon house architecture, IN pattern
making, in moulding, in wise work, II
soldering and brazing, in wood turning
wood carving, and in almost everything
else known to mechanical discovery
And it was not needless, superficial
| work either, but carefully studied anC
, skilfully prepared as if the heart O.
> both pupils and teachers were in it.
But the most wonderful problem t.
! me in all this wonderful institution, wa
E how such an advanced and comprehen
=
: go hand in hand with such complica
q ted manual training. And yet there i
y was going with the smoothness and reg
. ularity of clock work. At a given sig
i nal the forges, lathes, sledges and gea
wheels were magically forsaken, ever,
face and pair Of hands were cleansed il
running water, and the recitation room
were filled to overfiowlng with juvenll
e blacksmiths and carpenters. Then cam
v the higher inspiration of brain work
:, Aud what brain work it was. The yer
: lowest form grappled with quadratl
g equations in algebra, and sailed int
,, geometry like it was holiday amuse
:, ment. Then came English composition
:, history, physics and physiology, wit
| sundry primary studies to make up geo
K measure. The second year, after inisl
1t ing geometry, took up tligenometry an
Is mensuration, studied English literatul
q and rhetoric, went deeper into histo1
'r and physics, and required to hes
q lectures and take intelligent and logical
10 arranged notes on steam engineering
le The third year was required to mast'
TO both plain and spherical trigenometr,
10 to produce original compositions,
otuuy OhOlai0'Ay, SOoiOSy oAU ~ W 81
I'd ernment, and to finish off with boo
es keeping as utility by no means to
ne dispised Now one would think, that
st boy would never get down TO co
81 chisel again from such a curriculum
w this. And yet they invariably do
eu The signal to change professors brea
the spell, and the pupil, like an acrob
from the spring board to the sawdus
instantly transfers his intellect to /
fingers.
lte,, The Manual Training School is d
he servedly one Of the favorite institutio
IT, of this city There has been some lit
phi feeling created by the assignment of t
rn former accomplished principal, Lie
ID ID tenant Ford, to other duty. And if '
Ell Iel may be permitted to say SO, just at tt
5 a point is the most threatening peril
ut the path of this noble educational e
ne dowment It's principal should be p'
,ei ad petnity, without the possibility of
ito ito change. The navy should have nothi
5 to do with it, Surely al the engine'
er ing genius of the country does not
| lonn 70 4 Cohnnl