St. Paul daily globe., 1890-07-12
ALL WORK over.
The Seven Special Depart
ments Complete Their Sew
eral Programmes.
Manual Training Receives the
Warmest and Highest
Praise.
New Lines Laid Down for
Furthering Music in the
Schools.
College Presidents Soar Into
the Realms of Higher
Education,
While Harder Workers Cipher
Out Problems Of Lower
Degree.
General Elections Complete
the LabOrs of the Sections
Seven.

The interest in manual training seems
to extend from confine to confine of the
country. Teachers from nearly all the
states manifest qulckened interest.
The talks. the debates, everything
shows that manual training schools are
springing up in every city where the
board of education has sufficient funds
at their disposal to provide the tools and
apparatus.
Yesterday afternoon the report on no
menclature and classification of manual
training work was resumed by Prof.
Woodward, of Missouri. And there is
no surer indication of the lively interest
felt in the system than the Conflict of
opinions, OF theories and of conclusions
that were expressed by the teachers en-
gagged in the work. 1t was pretty gen
orally agreed that the question of sys-
tenn and method, of use of materials and
manner of work, is largely a problem
that can only be solved by local cOndi-
tlons, although the main principles, it
was thought, can be unified.
AS in that portion of the committees
report that was submitted on the pre-
vious day, relating to the operation of
the lathe and the grindStone and other
1loOillIfOly II WQo IuC COIlCCuSuS Ol Il
majority of the committee that the
blasts for the ferges should be operated
by steam or other motive power, be-
cause the energy required to operate by
hand diStractS the pupils attention
from the object in hand. All the bows
nervous and physical energies should
be concentrated upon the work, whether
it be turning or forging, in order to pro-
duce the best results. Opinions differed
as to the advisability Of putting stu
dents at two lines of shop work simul-
taneously. They were pretty nearly
agreed. however, that about two
hours a day, or third of the
school hours should be devoted to shop
work. The next question taken UP was
when lgeOmetrical drawing had best
come into instrumental drawing. Some
believe that it should not be taken up
until the student shall have been well
up in the study of geometry, but others
believed it should be taught from the
beginning. Is it worth while to teach
lineal perspective until the pupil has
learned, OF is learning, descriptive
geometry? This question followed.
Some members of the committee con-
tended that the pupil cannot do free
hand drawing without an idea of per-
spective, and others argued that it is
useless to undertake perSpectives until
the pupil is old enough to understand
the science of its principles in meas
ure-that it is system of arbitrary
rules, and if the pupil sees no reason
for it tits useless.
Would it not be we'll to instruct all
boys of fourteen years and over, IN
wood work, irrespective of their literary
advancement? In answer to this the
committee said "yes." Many boys are
big enough and strong enough but are
so backward IN their books that they
cannot reach the grade where they can
be admitted under the present system.
Yet it was held that shop work requires
brains; to some pupils it is useless to
teach Latin and Greek-like casting
pearls before swine. 1t was agreed
that girls should be introduced to the
laboratory and taught the principles and
provisions of the kitchen and the sew
ing room. 1t was also the opinion that
they should be taught shop work the
same as the boys of the elect. In draw
ing. however, the girls should pay more
attention to decorative designs than to
construction.
Mr.. Cook, of Jlesberg, took .excep-
tiOn to the recommendations of the re-
pert. He said it was a pretty treatise
on technical training. but it cannot be
applied to the schools in the smaller cit
les. 1t will do for the big high schools.
but not for the smaller, because of the
outlay of money it contemplates. He
also antagonized the position assumed
by others-the fear that they mi. hit pos
slbly teach trade. He believed in
making the school useful and letting the
boy approach as near as he. may to
learning trade.
After protracted discussion the fol-
lowing was adopted, when the depart
ment stood adjourned:
Resolved, That the president be requested
to arrange for a report upon course of
training and the materials to be used in
primary and grammar schools the report to.
be submitted to the meeting to be held in
1891.
This resolution was presented by
Prof. Bennett, of the st. Paul manual
training school.