The Portland daily press., 1895-07-10

TO au unsuspecteQ defect OF nearing, Dy
when 5he pupil has missed part and
misunderstood another part Of the teach
er's statement of the problem or her ex-
planatlon OF the rules and principles in
volved: In the third case, the same de-
gree OF failure may be due, III spite or
good intentions and of unimpaired organs
OF sense, to mental LESSONS, distortions
and perversions, such as L have family
characterized In regard to such differ
ences of scholarly result, / believe that,
in the vast proportion of instances, even
good and faithful teachers fail entirely to
get peioW the simple fact OF certain Gle.
gree OF failure in the performance OF
school work, from which ever one OF
these three sets of causes resulting. A boy
who only half ''gets" history lesson or
grammar lesson, by reason of physical
or mental defects, will, in the great ma
jorlty, OF cases, be put down as either
stupid or neglectful or wilful.
Now, If in addition to the traditional
studies OF the school, we add manual
training, we have not only an additional
test OF application and capacity-a thing
in itself of great importance, inasmuch
as, by bringing in a new kind OF test, we
may largely correct the errors of the test
afforded by text book studies merely
but we have test peculiarly suited to
bring out the cause of any degree OF fall
ure In the performance of work. In the
first place the results of good or bad work
with tools and upon materials can be
measured and gauged and "sized-up''
with an accuracy which is not attainable
in estimating the character OF the work
done in most of the traditional studies OF
the school room. The teacher can see ex
actly in what degree the child has failed,
and the child can see it for himself, which
is far from being always the case with
recitations and examinations. Not only
hI1t tha toanhnr aS T h6liQVp finds
out much more closely the cause of any
degree of failure in such work. Ii there
is any tendency to misunderstood lnStruc-
tions and directions; If there are any de-
fects in the child S organs of sense or any
broken wires in his mind, penetrating
teacher ought to be able, by repeated ex-
periments, to ascertain the fact The OBJ
jective character of the work. the close
ness with which the results can be meas
ured and gauged and criticised. and eS-
pecially the aid derived by the teacher
from the fact that the pupil is almost in
variably desirous, and desirous in a high
degree, of doing his shop work perfectly,
all these combine, lit appears to me, to
make certain that a child will not pass
through any very long course of study, in
a school where such exercises are system
atically conducted, without the discovery
Of any physical or mental defect which
may exist. | do not mean to say that in
all cases, or even in the majority of cases,
the seat of the trouble will be precisely
hit upon; but at least enough will be
learned to give the pupil fair warning
that he does suffer from some disability
which he must make special effort to
overcome; at least enough will be learned
to put pupil and teacher in a better rela-
tion of mutual understanding and mutual
respect.
Should the manual training exercises
dicclnCp dafantC nf rnpntnl - cti tint
and organization, / believe that these
same exercises may be used by the teach
er most directly and benefcially in the
treatment of ssuch defects Even though
the teacher should not be so gifted as to
be able to make the pupils work discover
the cause OF total or partial failure, or of
special weaknesses or infrmities, / still
believe that the mere practice of the me-
chanlc arts is the best possible regimen
and gymnaStic to which mind in any
degree falling off from the normal or suff-
ering from any perversions or deformities
can be subject. What orthopedic surgery
is to the body, such, I believe, manual
care comparatively little for it's infu-
ence upon eye or hand. Its chief work
in my view is educational; andiin that
educational work place foremost it's
power OF rectifying the mind itself of
Strengthening the crooked limb-so to
speak-of strengthening the weak joint,
Of healing the lesion which, if not cured,
will proceed to deep and irreparable in
jury Not one of lis but has seen SEEM
lngly hopeless cases of deformity and
weakness in childhood completely cured
by the splintS, the massage, the fomenta-
tions, and the heroic surgery of the or
thoped1st. AS I write l recall the images
of schoolmates and playmates doomed ap-
parently to hopeless suffering and weak
no who tndaU hu of cuoh
treatment, straight, vigorous and comely
beyond the standard of. their race. A
benefit similar at least in kind can, be-
lieve, be wrought, in the case of many
children who enter our schools suffering
from inherited and acquired defects Of
mental constitution and organization, by
the judicious and Intelligent use of the
mechanic arts as educational instruments.
l am not here and now speaking for the
more gifted and fortunate of our pupils,
though entertaining the strong convic-
tion that manual training, properly ap-
piled in schools, freed from the crudities
and errors incidental to the introduction
of any new system, will prove of great
educational benefit to the brightest and
best of our scholars. | am speaking for
great body of children who, but for
this new instrument of education in the
hands of intelligent and skillful teachers,
may go into life with serious mental de-
feCtS unCOrfoCUeQ ana even unSuSpeCted;
defects which will grow more serious and
more hopeless with the progress of time
and with experience of life.
THE QUESTION OF FATIGUE.
The next subject was referred to by
Pres. Stetson as one of particular interest
to teachers at this time. He introduced
Henry S. Baker, Phi. D., principal of the
Jefferson School, st. Paul, Mimi, whose
paper was entitled 'The Relation of
Fatigue to Educational and Social Pro-
gress."
DR.. Baker said that he had narrow
escape from being born in Maine, because
he was born in Vermont. His paper be-
gan with physiological statement of the
direct effect of fatigue upon the brain.
If there is more waste of the bodily tissue
than can be properly eliminated this
waste, which is of course poisonous, exerts
it's baleful influence upon the blood and
thus upon the brain.
In regard to diet it was declared that
the American people eat too many pota-
toes. They are Of little nutritious value