The morning news., 1894-10-21
IT HAS A MODEL SCHOOL.
A New and Important Feature Added to
the Industrial College

lho lHuuSllldl OUlltgb,
1t Is Designed to Train Teachers and to
Relieve the Strain on the County
School Board by Providing for All the
oolored Youths in the Vicinity of the
Co1eRe-Meeting Of the Commission
Here Xesterday-The College Likely
to Get an Appropriation From the
Slater Fund.
The commission of the Georgia State
Industrial College for the education of
colored youths held a session here yester-
day. The commission is accustomed to
meet at the opening and close of each col
lege session, and in accordance with that
custom four members of the commission
were here. They were Maj P. W. Meldrim,
chairman, Judge w. r. Hammond of At
lanta, Mr.. P. ]. Cline of Milledgeville and
Mr.. George T. Murrell of Athens. Maj.
J. F. Brooks, the secretary of the commits
sion, was also present at the meeting.
In the morning the commission went
out to the school and made a thorough
inspection Of the farm and the improve
ments that have been in progress for
sometime, after which the school dOrmi-
tories, workshops and residences were in
spected, and a report was heard from each
of the teachers and instructors. Every
thing at the grounds was found in a good
and satisfactory condition.
The commission then adjourned to meet
in the afternoon at the residence of Maj.
P w. Meldrm, and to take such action
as might be deemed proper. The manual
training school of the Institution is in the
hands of w. w. Cook, formerly of Claflin
University, who has been made superin-
tendent of the industrial department. The
purpose of the industrial department is
intended to be two-fold. First, it affords
manual training, and after the scholar
attatns a certain degree of proficiency in
that line, he is permitted TO adopt such a
trade as 1t may be determined he would
best succeed in.
There has been established at the col
lege this term a model school, which re-
Heves the pressure upon the county school
board to a considerable extent in the way
Of affording accommodations for the
proper educational equipment of negroes
in the vicinity of the colleges.
The commission has set aside two
rooms in the college, equipped
nicely with modern school furni-
ture, and everything is supplied by
the commission except a teacher. The
board of education pays a salary to a
competent teacher. and this is probably
the only model school in the state. The
older students engage in teaching, using
the most modern and approved methods
and in this way the students of the college
become practical teachers.
The model school is intended to be a
school where the most approved methods
of teaching are adopted, and where the
student in advanced classes under the in
struction of a teacher. takes the control
Of schoolroom, conducts the teaching
himself, and thus acquires the art of
teaching, the purpose being to afford a
remedy for the widespread evil that exists
throughout the state of incompetency on
the part of teachers. In this way the
scholars are better taught and the teacher
himself becomes proficient in discipline
and in teaching.
The only difficulty that has presented
itself with regard to the model school, is
that the number of scholars is larger than
is desired. 1t was not intended that the
model school should consist of more than
about forty to fifty, but the commission
| is desirous of doing everything in its
power to advance education and the model
| school is being sustained with great earn
| estness. 1t may be necessary for the COM
mission to apply to the board of education
| for another teacher The commission does
not desire to do this and yet it is disin-
| clined to turn away scholars who seek at
| least elementary education. No charge of
any kind is made, the commission supply
ing the school room, furniture and fuel,
and as the schoolroom is in the college
| building, the whole is controlled and dis
! ciplined by the faculty. The number at
present in the model school is S. and it is
! thought it will be increased to 100 before
| the end of the school term.
| The number enrolled now at the indus
| trial school is 156. an increase of fifty-six
| over the number last year, and it is likely
! that the enrolment will reach 250 before
| the close of the school year. The commits
| sion has authorized the admission into
| the school Of colored boys who desire to
| learn trade. and who do not desire to
| take the full course of studies.
| The school has been brought up to the
| requirements demanded by the trustees
| of the Slater fund who visited it last
| spring. These requirements We're sub
! stantally that the manual training fea-
| ture should be made the leading one.
! The work under the manual training sys-
! tenn is done from drawing. From these
! drawings various models are made, the
| models being so selected as to involve all
! the work necessary to be done in practi-
! cal mechanics. 1t is expected that the
| Slater fund trustees will make the de-
| sired appropriation to this school which
| will enable it to more thoroughly equip
! its shops and library.