New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-08-07
SLOYD AT CHAUTAUQUA.
OF THE SWEDISH
MANUAL TRAINING.
IT'S POPULARITY AT CHAUTAUQUA-How ITS
METHODS WERE EVOLVED FROM THE sUG
GEsToNs OF ROUSSEAU. Pc
TAIOZZI AND FROEBEL.


Chautauoua Aug. 6 (Specall.-Colone Francis W.
Parker the celebrated Quincy teacher inciudeS IN "H
Normal School ut Chicago "A department OF SOLO, Ut
as II is commonly written. soyd. This WORK has
been taught Chautauqua for two years III con
junction with the dagogical course OF ihstucuo"
Owen by Colonel Parker and staff OF teachers i'o"'
his school Walter J. Kenyon. master OF the sioSd
In the Cook County Normal school after MS gr'uu'-
ton the training class Of that school, LOOK '"o
courses in sloyd at Mas, sweden
The present Chautauqua session of the American
School of slOyd shows remarkable grown o'er '"'
OF last year. Three new instructors nave Deeh "aoeu
TO its staff, and definite organization mas pco'
efscted The soyd students tn year rep csoh' No''
Dakota on the west and British India on tle east
Many pupils are from the southern states
The g-.st parent institution, the Slod seminary OF
Mas Sweden spreading it's spirit over the CIVILIZED
woyld strong sloyd society is already estabiishe'
in England and the teachers in this country are about
to organize American sloyd Fraternity
The director of the school Mr.. Kenyon, says OF the
work:
10 the visitor. our schoolroonls have much the
Appearance of carpenter shops. The tools used are
for the most part such as found in carpenters
kit II is great mistake, however. 10 suppose that
we arc teaching the trade OF carpentry III we fonhd
other material and a different device better aaap'eo
to the educational end we have in view we shouia
change That the tools are carpenters tools is In
cidental. not significant
Both sexes take the work. Some OF my most eager
and most successful pupils have been girls. In the
models OF a sroyd series, fine finish and exquisite
contour are noticeable qualities. Each model Is a
useful article and complete. There are no ABSTRACT
exercises, In the beg inning For instance sald
he, picking up n dainaly proportioned matchstrike,
here ia model No. IN series, embodying an
exercise 50 simple to meet the average enyear-oid
beginner on his own footing. Yet instead of whiting
merely for the sake OF learning to use the knife he
works from his standpoint toward the production OF
useful beautiful household article that Will have
q definite function after his exercise Is finished From
the teachers point Of view, the little workman is mas
tering a new mode of expression. The soul grows
and the character determines itself through two com
Elementary processes, observation and expression
Taken together In their complications. they constitute
the process of life The sloyd worker tells the truth
in concrete forms. His whole habit and tendency
become more and more to make his corners square
The word sloyds 10 most people Is still a mystery
Dr. saloman director at Mas tells of one inquirer,
who asked If he spoke sloyd' sleyd may be under
stood as a mode of manual training.
None but close students Of pedagogy realize the
length of time during which manual training has been
employed as educational factor. Nature herself
made II her chief device In developing the mail
child hong before books and languages and pedagoyues
were known. Early in the history OF pedagogy we
find Martin Luther crying against the Latin cram IN
the schools OF MS gay, anu Suggesting
as partial substitute. 1t may be noted here that
trade teaching and manual training are by means
similar in motive and method Their tendencies IN
the schoolroom may be said 10 be opposite
Manual trsining received the attention, In theory or
practice or both of nearly al the noted educators
after the Reformation Nnally the great FrOeoe
clearly outlined It's philosophy and embodied its prn
ciples In his kindergarten. Real manual training Is
sequel TO the Kindergarten processes. About twenty
wears after Froebels death. Herr Abhamson, resident
OF the fine old estate Of Mas, In western sweden, es
tabshed school there fo the benefit OF the children
Of his peasant employees. This was similar 30 Other
country schools except that besides the ordinary
branches, various kinds OF manual training were
taught. During years OF patient investigation many
kinds of hand-work carefully tested as 10 their
educational possibilities. The young Dr. Otto salo-
man was then in charge OF the Mas school, and under
his dictatorship the institution has during twenty
years grown to its present proportions.
In the early days of Mas there houNshed among
the Scar dlavian peasants an occupation when tAey
called sloyu. Various household utensils, such as
spoons toctstools and baskets, made ard FROM
time 10 time carried TO the town market and sold
The Mas management tried this work. The models
were given truer contour and finer hnlsh ann 50
arranged In series TO advance from the simplest sort
OF tool manipulation 10 the most Intricate exercises
In jolnery. Altogether, eleven manual occupations
were tested. among them basketwork. network.
painting, light irOnwork sOyd urOery and sloyd cor
pentry. This period o: investigation covered num-
Der Of years end it resulted in the selection OF the
wood sloyd the most valuable means OF manual
training for the intermediate school.
Meanwhile the little peasant school was becoming
famous swedish teachers asked for instruction In
this new adaptation Of the sloyd. These demands for
normal instruction increased that another school
provided for the children. and the institution at
Mas became school for the training OF teachers III
sloyd. Teachers from Other countries asked admis-
sion and were received. These principally ton
England. but pupils received from all parts OF
the world. including most OF Europe, japan. Iceland
and both TIE Americas.
SalOman D a close student OF the three great land
marks In history Of pedag0gy-Rous scau. Postal
iozz and FrOehel. Mas Is fountain head of ehuca-
tonal philosophy. II IS Ike magnificent Northern
Chautaudua. with its six miles N lake and wood.
meadow and granite shoulder: it, large thought, s
university spirit and finally. its superb hospitality.
Tho course nj Naa, is reach Of geniG sunshine that
abdcs with the student throughout his later life
The chief misconCpphOn Of manual training. sloyd
or other. Is that II l. similar 10 trade teaching The
fundamental difference is that mammal training con-
Germs the character formation Of the individual, while
trade teaching has It's field Of action In the super
structure. The develops the man. the other APP
pies him. The FIRST is educatlve. the second adapt.
Boston, Philadelphia, Pttsburg Chicago and other
cities 1t being rapidly taken up by normal schools
Throughout the land
GENERAL GRUBB AND MIR. HALFORD TO SPEAK.
Asbury Park, y. j., Aug. (spccaD.-General f.
purd Grrhh ia nd f,rd