Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-03-25
THE MANUAL TRAINING AND
HIGH SCHOOL PROBLEMS.


servationS.
That Wheeling should have High
School is. TO my mind, beyond all cavil.
Wheeling ought to have High School,
not as an architectural ornament alone,
not solely for the pride Of the city, nor
simply 10 follow the precedent OF a
thousand and one cities, much smaller
in size, but because its very absence
tends 10 a suppression Of faculties that
when fully awakened are Of incalcula-
BILE value TO the community.
The character of the industries in
Wheeling and the prevalence OF skilled
labor renders the intellectual status
above the average and for this reason
the children more easily susceptible 10
higher course of study.
In our American system the public
scool is an immense factor. More and
more IL is depended upon for what
neither the church nor the home is able
to supply. 1t is under constant criti-
cism, constant recttication OF method,
and it can only succeed in moderately
meeting what is expected Of II when IL
is managed al its best. While its work
is done within definite limits, and with
definite ends in view, il is subject 70
continual modification in text books,
in methods Of instruction, and In
it's details OF operation. This Is neceS-
sary if the schools are to be in close
touch with the constant changes in our
social and industrial life. Who would
wish TO have any part OF American edu-
cation at Standstill? When men cease
TO grow they cease TO be of service. It
is primarily necessary 10 keep the
schools in an awakened condition, that
OF moral and mental alertness.
A high school should not be looked
upon as a useless, gilt-edged, fashion
able institution OF learning. II is pr2c-
ticsl in its scope for those for whom de-
signed, and it is designed for any boy or
girl who desires 10 90 beyond the prov
ince of the grammar school.
OF course, il is not to be denied that
the grammar department affords a good
common school education, perhaps, all
that is necessary in many walks Of life.
Yet this is but q nucleus around which
many others wish TO bnld There is a
certain per ceutage OF grammar school
graduates who desire to attend a high
school. and such an institution never
lacks pupils. In fact, here In Maine
and Massachusetts, they more often
overflow
And they are not alone the pupils Of
rich families, or even those OF comve-
tenCy; they are children whose fathers
work in the mill, often times both
father and mother. and there are in
stances where children also toll n or
der that third child
can attend the High School.
The parents are anxious that their chill
dren shall be given the opportunity Of
which they, themselves, were deprived,
and which in many instances, the chill
dren return one hundred fold. Many
remuneratiYe positions have been Sc
cured IN the professional and scientific
field by Just this High School training.
1t is argued by some that the rich
people send their children away TO
school, and what's the use OF a high
school? Is the great middle class TO be
deprived of educational advantages,
simply because someone else can afford
still greater facilities? 1t should be
borne In mind that while the rich man
sends his children away TO school, be also
pays his proportonate part Of the school
tax, and for a benefit which he does not
! directly enjoy. And the poor people
who remain at home cannot but appre-
Clate the fact, that with a High School
in their midst, they can obtain an al
most equivalent education for mere
fraction of what 10 costs to attend
school out of town. The board dill
alone is large, and would deter hun
dreds OF families who would otherwise
be glad TO give their children the ad-
vantages.
And for those desiring a still further
continuance of studies there are the col
leges. A course a free High School
enables the entrance examination 10 be
talen much more readily, and obylates
the large expense OF a preparatory
school; as replete is the curriculum 10
many OF the high schools of New En-
gland, and so efficient the system Of
instruction that the mere diploma is
carte blanc to several Of the leading
colleges
The very existence Of high school
in community eleyates and enlarges
the scope Of the people as whole
And when combined with manual
training the high school becomes still
more valuable TO the community. Ii is
a logical and almost necessary compile
ment OF the present educational system.
1t has long been argued that the great
fault Of the public school is that IL sup
presses original force. The school can
advance but little faster than the poorest
scholar can go, and IL Is here that the
most serious questions arise as 10 school
management. II il is true, as frequently
stated, that European children learn
more, and in quicker time, than ours
do. we ought 10 find out the defects. IL
is a fact, however. that many Of the re-
sDonsible heads in the scientific depart
ments Of the United States government
are graduates OF the polytechnic schools
OF France and particularly Germany.
American education has not yet reached
the European standard.
With the Introduction OF manual !
training in the High School, theory and |
practice 90 hand Ia hand. What is |
acquired theoretically from books is APP |
piled practically - tools and machines, !
in the plain. everyday hum OF indus |
try. A manual training scholar 10 the |
High School really gains five or six |
years over the average college student, |
for after the latter concludes his four |
years Of college study, he must tben at
tend some specific school for a year or
two to develop his trade or professional |
inclination, provided he has discovered |
it, whereas the graduate OF the manual /
training school steps out into the world |
Appended from the start. One Dur- !
pose of manual training Is to d scOver /
the trend OF the mind early In life.
The writer is a thorough believer Ia |
the utfIftv and beautv OF classical schof- |