Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-02-18
GIRL CARPENTERS.
YOUNG WOMAN STUDENTS LEARN
HOW TO DRIVE NAILS.

Tho slojd Class, in which Girls Are
Taught How to Handle Saws. Knives
and ,Jacl, PLANES. iu the Normal College |
ir H;cw York Ciiy--Good Traiuing.
In the Normal college the latest addi- |
ton 10 the curriculum-the Sloid class
IL pronouuced Il great success by the girls
who avail themselves of the opportunity
10 Learn how TO deltly handle saw knife
and pi'"r and other tools. 1t is n care
fully GRADED "ystem Of manual training
educational curpentering" one might call
H. ~ it pupils are taught how to use their
hands slllilully and usefullv and how to
make measurements hY the eye. lncidcn-
tally. too, it iucjlcatcs thoruughncss, care,
industry and perseverance, by means OF
which only can the highest success be
achieved.
The Soid idea was conceived in Sweden,
and has proved wonderfully successful
there. In fact, SO enthusiastic are the
Swedns as to the benefits to he derived
from "A course in Sloid that a wealthy gen
tlcman named Abrahamsou has devoted
his own charming villa and estate at Mas,
near Gothenbur;, to he used rs Il Sloid
academy
l,aou,r, from points rs far separated as
Holland Iceland, Chill and the United
.-rqtrs here meet during the summer
months to learn Tor themselves the merits
of the system. Among the first to so from
this city in 1857, and at her own expense
was DR.. Emily Ida Conant, professor Of
pedagogy at the Normal college. After
course of six weeks, during which she
worked for six hours every day at the
bench and listened to lectures on the the
ory. She returned to America thoroughly
imbued with the merits Of the Slojd Sys-
tenn as an educational factor in the dcvel-
opment of children.
Another trip to Sweden confirmed the
first impression, and after several confer
euces with committee from the board Of
education it was decided to establish
such a class in the Normal college for such
of the graduates as could secure scholar
snip.
Twelve young women have attained the
proud distinction, and now the Misses
Baum, Beattie Bole, Durlinson, Gilbert,
Kornman, Levine, Meehan, Moore,
Rhodes, Silberburg and Wittkovski are
fitting themselves to teach manual train
ing when the long coveted trade schools
shall he established us a part of the public
school system.
IN THE woRKRooM.
spent a delightful morning with these
young women recently, and found them
very proficient in doyetailing, doweling
and all the other ordinary operations Of
carpentering.
Each girl wore "a large ginyham apron
and began operations by arranging the
tools on the framework i'll front OF her
neatly hanging the cross, rip and back
saws to the left and the jack and smooth
planes to the right, while the divider, file.
l,,;f ,fal,-
stored in the lower rack. The place of
honor was given to the drawing board.
upon which was safely secured the draw
ing of the model under consideration
These drawings are made in pen and ink
from the object itself by accurate measure
mcut and serve as working diagrams,
One-half the class was completing the han
die of a knife sharpener of soft, white wood.
the other had started upon n hydrometcr,
which is designed to measure he hydraulic
pressure of liquids, both desi ;ns being en-
trely utilitnrian in character, all articles
OF luxury beng excluded from the course.
Passing from one bench TO another no.
ticcd with pleasure the rare grace ami real
deXterity displayed in the manipulation OF
the tools. | wouldn't be so rash as To say
that the girls worked more effectively than
the boys would have done. but | am very
sure that they worked much more prettily.
There vas no clumsiness displayed any
where No girl cut her finger, or scrapad
the skin off, OF hit her thumb with ham
mer instead OF nail and used naughty
words to relieve her feelings, o" did any OF
the awkward things that boys would hay,
done under similar circumstances. And
neatness and tidiness prevailed everywhere
1t was evident that the girls took gcnuin.
delight in the work and what DtODlp l.. B.,