The Portland daily press., 1893-05-09
SCHOOL COMMITTEE.
Special Meeting Called to Hear the Re-
port of the Committee on Manual Train
ing-what They Saw in Boston.

A special meeting of the school COM
mittee was held lastevening, Mayor Bax-
ter presiding, to listen to the report of
the special committee sent to Boston to
examine the manual training schools. In
the absence of Mr.. Blake, who was chair
man, Mr.. Brownson, who with Mr.. Lord,
completed the committee, made the re-
port He said that last week the COM
mittee visited two schools in Brookline,
one in Waltham and the Henry L. Pierce
school in Boston. In the last named
school they found the model which they
would recommend for Portland. In the
basement of this school were thirty
small benches, made after the models of
those used by carpenters. Each bench
is furnished with full supply of tools.
Every boy in the first and second classes
in the Boston Grammar schools, spends
two hours week in the manual training
room, the classes of the different schools
taking turns. The idea is not to make
carpenters of the boys, but to call into
exercise their reasoning powers as ap-
piled to work with the hands and with
tools. The teachers tell the boys what
results they wish to bring about, and
then leave the boys to work them out
The results are astonishingly perfect.
All the teachers connected wish the Bos-
ton schools are enthusiastic advocates of
the system, and the Portland committee
searched in vain for critics.
In view of this the committee recon-
mended most earnestly that the system
be adopted in Portland. The following
plan is proposed: That two rooms be
fitted up, one in the eastern and the 9TH
er in the western portion of the city.
There is room in the fourth story of
the North school and another in the
basement of the Butler school. The
benches, with the schools, will cost about
| 500 each. 1t is estimated that the two
rooms can be fitted up with 25 benches
in the North school room. and 35 in the
Butler school room, for sum estimated
at from $1,000 to $500. Each boy in the
first and second classes of the grammar
schools would be required to spend two
hours week in this work, the Centre
and Smaller schools going to the NORTH
school. and the Jackson and Wesi
schools to the Butler school.
One teacher can be secured who will
| spend two days in the North school and
three days in the Butler school, the lat
ter school having the more time on &C.
count of the greater number of pupils
The subject of the right kind of MAI
for teacher was discussed, and the com
mittee gave it as an opinion that a young
man of special technical training and
skill as an instructor in this kind of g
school, should be engaged.
Mr.. Mcdonald moved that the secur
ing Of teacher be left to the same com
mittee, and it was so voted.
On motion of Mr.. Brownson, it wa
voted that the city government be asked
to appropriate $1,000 in addition to the
$500 pledged by Mayor Baxter.
| With this slight appropriation the sys
tenn can be instituted and run for tn
first year.
The High School.
The subject of High School renovation
was discussed Informally, and Mayo
Baxter said that Mr.. Fassett's estimat
showed that the building could be reno
waited for 5000, according to the plan
already described.