Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1892-04-22
AN IMPORTANT ADVANCE.
THE FIRST STEPS IN MANUAL
TRAINING TO BE TAKEN IN THE
STANTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

A few weeks ago, Prof. w. W. Robert
son, the Superintendent Of the Staunton
Public Schools, went to Washington, Bos-
ton and other cities to observe the working
of the manual training system in their
public schools. He was an advocate OF its
adoption before his trip, and he returned
fully convinced that beginning can be
with very small expenditure. On Satur-
day representative Of the VINDICATOR
called on him to get his plans, as far as they
have been developed, with regard to what is
really the most practically important ad-
vance that has yet been made in the schools.
"Taking Boston first, 2" said Prof. Rob-
ertson, II was courteously shown the
whole system and furnished with all their
statistics based on experience. They call
them there Industrial Schools. They are
not, as many think, separated from the pub
lie school system; on the contrary, up to a
certain point, they are taught by the regu-
lar public school teachers and a part of the
work is done in those schools. Their rooms
are furnished with splints, clay and wire to
model the forms. The pupils are taken
successfully through the sphere, cube, and
cylinder and familiar objects approaching
these types, and there are modelled apples,
boxes, melons, houses, boats, spoons, and
all familiar objects. Then there is the
Giles, angles and lines. All this is done in
the regular schools. 1t is astonishing with
what rapidity it is learned and with what
success. Scholars ten and eleven years old
design the most beautiful patterns for wall
paper and oil cloth. saw pear modelled
in clay by five-year- little girl III the
kindergarten which was perfect"
"What grades are these things taught
in?'
SEWING.
'They are taught in all the primary
grades. In the Grammar grades they teach
sewing for the girls and carpentering for
the boys. Half the girls in the Grammar
grades take sewing-that is to say our first
grammar grades A and B and our second
grammar grades A and B here correspond
with the girls that are given that instruc-
ton there. Each school room has two
hours week for instruction Of the girls
one hour in sewing and one hour in cook
ing. The girls do not leave the school
room for sewing. They do it there. At
first while being taught, they use the mate
rails furnished them by the teacher, but
they soon learn and then bring work from
home. They make their own dresses at
school and do darning and such work.
lis thefurnishlng the material to learn
on costly?
II was told that the whole cost of the
material furnished to the scholars of the
whole city, was not over 5000.
THE COOKING.
1.-THE cooking is not done in the school
room but in separate room. It is furn-
ished with range, gas stoves and tables.
Each girl has her apron and cap in the build
ing and puts them on when she goes to take
her lesson, They are taught thoroughly
there. They are first taught how to make
a fire, and how to wash dishes-the best
way Of doing both. The instructress gives
out the lesson of the day-that IS, what
dishes are to be cooked and how-and fur
nishes the material. 1 was present at the
cooking ard it was very nicely DONE They
were cookingmeat and oysters that day."
''What do they do with the food after it
is cooked 20
'They eat it. 1t is not costly. I was
told at the schools in Washington city that
the cost Of furnishing the material for one
cooking school Of 23O girls was only $3.50
a year, and the cost for another school of
1872 girls was only $92.71."
CARPENTERING.
The scholars have two hours week at
carpentering. 1t is curious to see the be-
ginning point at which the pupil takes car
penterlng. That part is done in the regu-
lar schools and the instructor goes around
and is assisted by the teacher in charge. A
good board is given the pupil who is furn-
ished with piece of soft wood, knife, and
rule. With these they soon under instruc-
ton, learn to make picture frames, joints
and many other things. The instructor
visits room after room. Leaving this mi
tial point they go to special room where
there are benches and tools and where they
work two hours a week. Two systems are
used, the Sloyd work where all the wood used
is worked up into something useful; the
other is the AmericaniZed Sloyd in which
the wood is used to learn on without re-
gard to making it into anything particular.
Here the pupil draws the object from life
and then makes the object from his draw
ing. They make boxes, tool racks, fancy
work boxes, book cases and so FORTH Both
boys and girls take carpentering, and some
Of the best carpenters work was that done
by young girls. If a girl takes carpenter
ing, she gives up an hour at either sewing
OIL cooking. Some of the carpenters work
ton was beautiful"
THE PROGRAMME FOR sTAUNTON.
How do YOU propose to introduce the In
dustrial School system here?
''Well we will do it by beginning in a
small and cheap way. [ will add the clay
modelling, paper cutting and folding, and
coloring to the free hand drawing which we
do now. An instructor in Boston tells
me from actual experience that it will not
cost $100.
Then will have twenty boards made for
the boys to begin the first steps to carpen-
tering. These boys will be taken from the
I'd and Sd grammar grades. The cost of the
material, outfit, and everything for the first
year will not exceed $40.
Then Will take girls from the I'd and Sd
grammar grades to learn sewing. The cost
of the material for the girls to work on, will