Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-09-28

The crowded condition of the school rooms in grades l and II, and the frequent transfer on this account of pupils back and forth, make the statistics of these grades very ur- certain and they have teen omitted.
 Qualifications oi teachers; good supervision of schools the comparative value Of different studies; merits and defects of the graded system irregularity Of attendance; free teAt books ;limproved methods of teaching; vocal music Improvement Of our evening schools i; increased compensation of teachers; com- parison of statistics of school attendance and the value of the educational census are all very important subjects. though not dis cussed in this report.
 REPORT OF THE TEACHER OF SEWING
 During the past year nearly 7OO girls have had instruction in sewing.
 All enjoy the work, and the little ones arc eager for the sowing hour, which comes only once n week to each class.
 The interest is increasing, and the girls are making great Improvement in the quality of their work.
 FOmn, Grade.
 The girls first learn a variety of stitches on cards. then % measure and cut their work, baste and overcast.
 The stitches which they have learned on the 
 Correct measuring, cutting, tasting, over casting and sewing the plain seams with the different kinds of stitches. turning hems, bastiug and hemming, making dolls pillow cases, draftIng and cutting dolls Gibbs, are the work Of the first year.
 Towels may be brought from home 10 hem, also dolls bedquilts 10 piece.
 FVlh Grade.
 h tlc hftl grade or second year ID ore difi- cult work Is taken up.
 Drafting and cutting cnildren's blbb@, gath ering, putting on bands, sewing on buttons patching and felling.
 DLrninG may be begun, also some of the fancy sit hes, and the button-hole stitch.
 PllIow-cascs, aprons, and dolls clothing may be brought from home 10 make.
 Sirth Grade.
 Iu the third year pupils learn to mako but ton. holes. and the loop stitch, complete the stocking alarming, patch, and darn tear with sewing silk. cut and join bias binds, begin tucKInE. make rufiIug, and make skirts or other garments.
 Girls are now advised 10 trS to make gar me1ts for themselves or for other members of the family, and If mothers would eneour- age them to do 50. it would be gre It help to the school.
 Serenh Grade,
 This is the fourth and last year for sewing, and the pupils are expected 10 complete gar ments, make samples of their work for exhi- bition. put on facings aud stays, put in gus sets, mak- tucSing, folds and pipIngs, make and put ou rulings with the plain band Ur full heading, make the spanish hounce, learn D the slip stitch, ,and darn a tear with ravelings. They may cut such garments AS the s'z, ot the desks will allow.
 A sewing room is very much needed for this grade. where large cutting table and charts can be used, and a higher grade work be given.
 The materials neeI led for the four years are one half yard oi hall bleached cotton cloth, ono spool of red thread No. 50 and one spool Of white tnre Id No. S0. Tee tools are needles. pins, scissors and thImble. Little else IS needed.
 In al O! the classes plper is use to iutro- duce and illustrate new lessons. SeNinE has cost the district almost nothing co pared with the cost Of drawing models. The comfort of the whole family depends more or less upon the needle whether used bY one of the family or some one else, and for families not able to hire all oI the sewing done, school needle work must prove to be of great practical value. There ought 10 be an appropriation of at least fifty dollars for So wing materials. Gar mtuts could then ba made and put on exhi- bition, and after while sold for nearly enough 10 pay the cost.
 MANUAL TRAINING AND DRAWING. 1 Hr M. <. Crosby, Superintendent of SctooLs:
 Dear Slr:-l hereby submit to you my re- port ,n The work of manual training and drawing.
 1 In the report of the board of education for i tue school year IS90- 9l tho educational value of manual training was recognized and fully discussed. The teacher devotes hts time during the forenoon only to the work Of the manual training school, as In the afternoon ] 1t is devoted 10 supervising the drawing. During the present year the forenoon has been divided into two periods of an hour ] and one-haf each, and boys from the first two years in the High school and from the eighth grammar grade. being divided into sections, go to the training school an hour and one-haif each week.
 The course as laid out requires accurate observation and correct expression both by "maEing" and by language. It teaches the scholar the principles of accurate measure ment. involving the reasons for the different 1 methods Of laying out work; the proper use and care of tools; and correct principles of construction.
 These results are secured by suitable and , progressive exercises which bring out the different principles separately and by a nat ural sequence, the later exercises embodying the correct use of principles learned in pre- vious exercises. At present. facilities pre- vide for only bench-work exercises in wood working.
 After learning the principles Of use Of tht several tools, the scholar Is given progressive exercises teaching the principles of ioinery These exercises are laid out from "blue print' drawings, whi oh make the scholar familiar with working" drawing and cull. vate the imagination. and the power O forming mental image of tht object. By these the scholar puts in practice the principles of "constructive" drawing which he has already learned in hls drawing classes.
 Manual training, perhaps better than an, other subject, illustrates the educational cir cle observation, thought, imagination, crea tion. The name manual training is unfor tunate in that 1t touches but one side of th subject and gives the false impression tha the hands alone are trained. The nam might just us aptly be applied to penmanshi or drawing. Not only the hand but tn whole child is trained. His hand Is given better training than iu the old education but no better than his nlind.
 In view of both the recent recommends tons by the board of education for neI High school building, and the numerous con fiicts between hours for manual training an, recitation because Of the present crowde, | condition of the High school and distance q