The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1891-03-17
position in the curriculum of educa-
tional institutions.

GlOnal INSTITUTIONS.
There was, and still is, misconceptlon
regarding the graphic art, which was.
and In some quarters yet Is, looked
upon as the special belonging OF pecu-
liarly endowed class, and quite as re-
mote from the grasp of average ntel1-
genceas poetry or musical composition!
The fact is, however, that a greater
excellence and exactness can be at
tanned in drawing than Is ordinarily
acquired in the composition and rhet-
oric of any language, modern,or an
cient. including English; or, Id other
words, an average person can betaught
to express formal conceptions in the
language of form better, and more
easily than he can be taught the art of
expressing general ideas in the Lam
guage of words, Properly. taught,
-eraphies1 will not Weld to anyko6her.
branch of education in influencing a
high rational development, apart from
the practical results attained TOde-
velOp the reasoning faculties, however,
graphics must be taught withrefarence
to those faculties that lie behind the
eye-formaI memory, comparison, as
ISOLATION and relation; a group OF facud-
ties only passivelY developed In the too
frequently careless and Irrational
method of graphical instruction.
To look IN every object for those
features that give the type; to grasp
the type in its entirety SO as to realize
it as an individual; to select by an
educated habit of judgment only those
features that are essential; to acquire.
the restraint necessary to omit non
essentials-these are prominently the
qualities demanded In good freehand
drawing, and developed by its training
if properly taught, and these also are
qualities of great value in all original
investigation, all luminous discourse.
Above all, the training of the formal
faculties should begin with the child,
and their development should be en-
cOuraged with the growth of speech and
in as natural a manner. Put a black
board in every nursery, and it will re-
quire no demonstration to convince
parents how much more natural is
drawing than writing, and what an
unfailing source of amusement it is,
besides being the means of constant in
struction. A little good sense in man
Tagement will interest the child in every
variety of exercise of the visual powers
as readily as in any form of play and
if the parent will give thought to the
expounding of these growing powers of
the child, results will be attained be
yond the reach of any kindergarten.
The illustrations accompanying this
paper are from drawings by the cadets
of the United States Military Academy
and serve to exemplify some of the re
suits attainable by systematic instruc-
ton where the subjectsar in an unusual
degree lacking in artistic bias or%natural
talent for graphical work. The cadets,
drawn from all classes of society and
from all parts of the United States
and Territories, have frequently had
wretched elementary instruction, and
very many of them come from remote
towns and villages where contact
with anything of the nature of art is
totally lacking. Whatever merit re-
sides in their work, results only in very
rare instances from a special talent,
but is due almost ~entirely,to conscien-
tious work, systematically applied
Col. ChGS. w. LGrned, Professor y. s..
Military Academy, IN The COSmOpOH-
tan, of NeW York, for February.