The San Francisco call., 1896-04-13
Clever Showing Made by the
Youthful WielderS of the
Pencil.
DRAWING IN CITY SCHOOLS
Exhibits of the Art Department Of the
Public Schools at the New
City Hall.

The first of series of creditable exhib-
its of drawing by the pupils of the City
schools was made in the Office of Superin-
tendent NJ adison Babcock last week.
The pupils of the Mission Grammar
School showed 600 drawings. 450 of which
were arranged on the walls in such a man.
ner as to show the natural sequence of the
work while the Longfellow primary school
made an exhibit of elementary color work.
The grades represented in the drawing
in the Mission Grammar are the fifth, sixth,
seventh, eighth and ninth, and the work
includes the pictorial representations of
geometric solids and such common objects
based upon them as boxes, books, baskets
and jars; the drawing of foliage in outline
and light and shade; in pencil and IN pen
and ink; the making OF constructive pat
terms for geometric solids and the making of
the objects themselves; this constituting
the manual drawing side of the course of
instruction in use; the making of working
drawings both freehand and with rule and
compass.
In studying the exhibit, it will be seen
that the work progresses from the simple
to the complex, from the lower to the
higher grades; that it is all done directly
from the object; that the method OF draw
ing is that OF using the bold, direct stroke.
with full arm movement, aiming to ex-
press only the essentials, with the simplest
rendering.
The mechanic and artisan may see with
interest examples OF simple constructive
drawing, which must be of value educa-
tionally TO every pupil. if not Of more prac
tical value; while the student of art may
find examples of pen and ink drawing that
might be credit to artists of considerable
training. In an adjoining room. the Inilli
ner, dressmaker, furnlsher and decorator
may see how systematically color and its
applications to ornament are taught, this
being the work of the Longfellow Primary
School.
The system of drawing which has been
in use in the public schools of this City
since June, 1894, is known by the name of
its promoter, Louis Prang.
Miss Katherine Ball, the superintendent
OF this department, is an enthusiast on
the subject. 1T is the only system OF
drawing. The other alleged systems are
mere notifications of it. 1t recognizes
that there are three type forms reproduced
in nature and art, the cube, sphere and
cylinder. Therefore it lays stress upon
familiarity with those fundamental forms
and requires the closest study of them.
You will observe that the work is char
u /
aims at bold representation of outlines
without too close attention to detail.
Those are, perhaps, the most marked
features OF the system. You see there is
little evidence of laborious work here
The aim is that it be speedy and done with
a full, free movement OF the arm. Per-
haps its forte is education in the indus
trial line, although the pictorial side is
not lacking.
''The citizens of London discovered that
the English fell far below the other COM
peting powers in mechanics, as shown at
the exposition of 1851. They recognized
the need of systematic training in an in
dustrial line, and the result was the es-
tablishment of the South kensington
school, The history OF that movement
was repeated and paralleled in this coun-
try by the Centennial Exposition at Phila-
delphia and the resultant founding of the
Boston Art Normal School. Teachers
were sent out from this school to give an
impetus to industrial drawing in the pub
lie schools. Professor Walter Smith came
to this country about the same time, and
introduced his method, which, excellent
though it was, proved not entirely adapted
to American needs. Louis Prang, who is
millionaire lithographist who made his
fortune during the war, bought Professor
Smiths right, and has since been improv-
ing upon it. The common opinion that it
is a mercantile enterprise is wrong. 1t Is
a hobby of his"
The exhibit shows the steps fro m the
outline drawings in pencil of the type
forms from models in the fifth grade, to
the geometric problems, the pattern and
working drawings, and foliage work done
in all the upper grades, the development
in the quality of the line showing in the
various stages. Doubtless artisans would
be most pleased with the sets showing
on one sheet the pattern cf an object, the
geometrical form itself fashioned from
that pattern, the working drawing made
from that object and the perspective view.
An artist would linger most over the foli-
age work in pen and ink, all of which is
from the object. There is showing of
training in perspective which would at
tract the admiring attention of all who
realize how rare is a mastery of that diff
cult phase of art study.
The exhibits will be given by various
schools from time to time.