Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1891-01-07

carefully and reflect on the thoughts
presented.
1.-THE principal address Of the
evening was that Of Prof. G. NJ.
Woodward, of St. Louis, upon the
subject Of "Manual training" The
speaker desired to treat OF secondary
and higher schools. The curriculum
of these schools had been handed
down for ages, and the schools that
came to America from England were
traditional. Independent and orgi-
nal as the Americans are the coun-
try has departed little from the old
style. High schools of learning have
been one-sided and it is only with
in recent years that it al considered
that there were functions necessary
to be made more complete. The
speaker then quoted from a dozen
or more leading educators of the
country upon the usefulness of man
ual training. There is no connec
ton between schools and work shops
in the present day continued the
speaker. Mechanical appliances are
unknown these days III the school
room. We insist on studying some
thing that is not down on the cur
riculum. Cannon Farrar, a diStin-
guished ~thcolJgian, has said"1 must
avow my positive conviction that
classical education as given now is a
deplorable failure. Classical educa-
ton negleets the mind in some cases.
Children Of l3 and 14years of age
study Latin aud Greek, poems and
prose with but little science. Such
a course was mine once. When |
glance upon the industries Of the
country it comes to me with grea,
force that the education of the age
is for an ideal existence. Classical
institutions have severed their con
nection from the manual training
schools. The remedy is not to do
away with classic culture but to fur
nish a knowledge of that depart.
mcnt but not with the exclusion of
the rest. A manual training school
receives both sexes at the age of Is.
Their studies are mathematics,
science, literary work containing
modern history combined with rhe-
toric, and two years of Latin, with
French and German. Every day a
pupil has exercises in drawing, a
course which he pursues from the
elementary study to the highest
branches. The study Of tool work
is made m important feature in
order to allow the pupil to acquire
a complete mastery of the subject.
The theory of iron forging is then
taken up and the students learn all
the processes. Two hours u day is
given TO shop work.
The first manual training school
was organized in St. Louis in 1879
and opened in 1850, and from that
time the school has become a sub
jeet o. discussion. The first one to
follow was the n in Chicago, a
private institution. Philadelphia
has one Of thirteen teachers and $50
students. Then came Toledo, Cleve-
land, Springfield, Mass, st. Paul,
Cincinnati, San Francisco and in
fifty towns and cities of moderate
size. Nothing has spred like the
manual training school. It is a
rapid transformation that is going
on. The fruits of the school are the
evidence of success. The value of
manual training is shown in various
ways. 1t bears fruit in that it keeps
boys longer at school, and shows in
creas in attendance. "More boys
graduate" has been the usual re.
Spouse to the inquiry of the fruits.
Fifty per cent OF the boys graduate
in manual training, and no boy re-
mains unless the boy wants to stay.
The number applying for admission
are greater than the supply. The
boys like the work and stay because
they like it, therefore they graduate.
Now. il you mean to make your
high schools effective, attach n man.
unl training department. The at
tendance becomes greater and ab-
senteeism vanishes into the misty
past. 1t. keeps boys out of mischief,
and that is important TO every
Out of school it is also a
success, the interests attached, the
faculties of the child are
bound in the direction ofh:s studies.
1t gives boys with strong mechani.
'al ideas, but slow Of speech, an
'qual chance with the boy with a
lib tongue. | have seen boys made