, 1892-03-26
MANUAL TRAINING.
A FEATURE OF THE PUBLIC
SCHOOLS OF OLYMPIA.

Drills in Physical Culture and
Vocal HImsIc TWO Exercises
which should be Invariably
Adopted.
The Washington school entertainment
Of last evening contained two features
which especially merit the consideration
and approval Of the patrons Of our public
schools. We refer to the drills in vocal
music and physical culture. The best ed
ucation, the true education, is that which
educates the ewhole boy, the whole girl
Educators are coming to recognize the fact
that so inseperably connected and inter
woven and mutually dependent are the
physical and mental in the human being,
no system of education is complete which
ignores either the one or the other. The
sIugger and the bookworm illustrates the
two extremes. In the past education has
been directed, too exclusively to the de-
velopment of the mental The question of
how to secure a full, roundabout, har-
lnonious development of all the powers Of
mind and body, is, today, the great topic
of discussion and thought among our best
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needed development mostly in the direc-
ton of the giving the will control not only
Of the mental faculties but what has been
much neglected-control of the body, the
muscular and motor system. He is best
fitted to strive in the active competition Of
life, who has the best, most complete con-
troll of his entire being and thus is enabled
to use it at all times instantly and system
atically to carry out the decisions of his
reason. The drills abOye referred to are o1
particular interest to our readers as show
ing what is already being done in our city
schools in these directions and indicating
what may be done in the future if the et-
forts of those now in charge of our school
are properly seconded along this line by
those most interested in the results-the
taxpayers and parents. The precision with
which six and seven-year-old children
sounded the different notes of the scale as
the numbers were called by the teachers
and the grace and system the pupils intht
caHsthenic drills must have been a reVela
ton to many who had noUalready acquaint
ed themselves with the work beng done in
the schools on these lines. The effect o1
these exercises ON the health and symmet
rical physical and mental development O.
our children cannot be valued too highly
The following taken from the last annua
report of Supt. Brintnall should be read BY
every parent, and it is to be hoped that oul
board of education will be able in the neal
future to add to our corps of teachers thu
special instructors in these lines needed tx
secure the highest and best results.
MANUAL TRAINING.
Manual training in the public schools o
America has now been on trial seyera
years and is steadily gaining ground. i
seems to have nearly passed the expert
mental stage. The object Of this work il
not to make mechanics, but to train eye
hand and mind to work together Why
should not the child's mind be given tina
power over eye and hand which will en-
able him to bit nail on the head insteaC
OF his thumb; to draw ia straight line; tx
saw board otf square; TO bore a yertica
hole? This is a developing of the power
Of both mind and body, and enablinl
themto work together. 1t certainly i
education, an education which ever,
youth should possess, 1t goes farther thai
the ability to perform the simple act
taught, but makes the individual resource
full, independent, more master of himself
While we are educating a part, why no
educate the whole
DRAWING. AND VOCAL MUSIC.
The work in drawing was generally intro
duced in all the grades after the new year
although it had been attempted in desul
tory way in some of the departments pre-
viously.
The manual used, while answering fairly
well to bridge over the few months remain
ing of the year and the period of reorgani
zation consequent upon the moving intt
new buildings, was not generally satisfac
tory, being lacking III system and conse
quently in the best results.
systematic, graded course in drawing
is in preparation, and will be included il
the printed course.
Considerable work was done in many o
the grades in vocal music during tine latte
portion of the year.
The experience Of other cities has beel
that the best results in drawing and voca
music are accomplished where specia
ing of these branches is so important tina
would urge the consideration of the EN-
ployment of special teachers in vocal musi
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