New-York tribune., 1896-05-31
TRAINING BOYS HANDS.
APPLIED KNOWLEDGE IN THE COLLEGE
OF THE CITY OF NEw-YORK.

THE SUCCESSIVE STEPS BY WHICH STUDENTS
ACQUIRE AN EDUCATION WHICH BOOKS
ALONE COULD NEVER GIvE-RE-
SUITS THAT TELL.
The department OF technical education In the
College Of the City OF New-York is not, as some
enormously suppose a school for the teaching o,
trades Its purpose is the training of pupils In nc
intelligent application OF scientific knowledge to the
practical uses OF life and the impart.ng by expert
ence of such sklu control OF their phys al forces
as will enable them either do well themselves or
effectively direct others in doips work OF any
special character that may be required. They do
not acquire skill in woodworking in order that they
may be graduated carpenters or become COM
petent metaworkers that they may win diplomas
as journeymen blacksmiths machinists. Tech
nical education here understood and conducted.
Is simply part OF a harmonious system for the
simultaneous development of mind and body. train
ing the physical forces to such aerness, accuracy
and effectiveness OF service as required OF the
mental. Hence notwithstanding the surprising pro-
hciency demonstrated by OF the pupils, the
tutors speak modestly OF all the workshop course
az merely rudmentary." And rudlmentary 1t is.
In the that 1t 8 simply foundation for thor
ough knowledge OF the technique OF any particular
craft. but broad is this foundation and so gooi
that any superstructure OF special knowledge may
be readily and most perfectly erected upon 1t.
ical" courses as sub-freshmen spend five hours Of
each week OF the first college year in the workshop
Each lesson Is nominally Of an hours Duration but.
deducting the time spent In getting ready for work
and cleaning up the actual length Of the instruction
is only about fifty minutes This should be borne in
mind, II will aid appreciation of the excellent
progress tho lads make in their first course. con-
siderable percentage of the class drops out in the
first two terms. The boys whose fingers all
nd " hrai n
more serviceabe than their hands. disappear. The
boys whose parents supposed they were going TO
learn trades here are taken away Some who have
utterly failed in other branches OF study and
manifestly unready for college expelled. few
who develop dislike for the workshop. but show
ability otherwise. permitted to change their
course of study. Thus in the year now ending
there were at the beginning 80 sub-freshmen in the
workshop; by the end OF the first term there were
only 1913. and now that number has been reduced TO
s.. There are also 20 of the freshmen class. Al
sophomores. IS Juniors and seniors.
GENERAL WEBB'S IDEA
President Webb is not altogether satisfied with
the present system. He says: III had altogether
my own way about II ! should allow to go
into that dn the workshop until he had
been one year in the college and shown himself a
scholarly young man. Mt take this to-
gether with full collegiate one. Then It would
in as aid and also would give the young
man the feeling-as in all his studlesthat ntelli-
gencc Is just applicable there as In learning
from textbook. and thus would dignity handi-
work would break down. soon possible.
the erroneous impression that teaching
trades. Technical education is applied mathematics.
1t takes its place along with descriptive geometry.
shade shadows. perspective. drawing. laboratory
work practical botany natural history. dissections
In fact all the applied knowledge which belongs
TO many departments of college. II makes
class OF directors In the mechanical arts. and II
any set OF bright fellows should he called artist
artisans these should be. IL they properly
taught.
INSTRUCTION In manual labor alone does not be-
long TO us. but that which does Is such instruction
I'm manual labor as Will enable a man Of brains 10
teach another direct und rstandingly another
in what he wants done II should be for the man
who would take II up as voluntary work In the
afternoons as a would take up gymnastics.
Too many who UNIT for Il. who cannot keep
mp in their other studies even without It. are now
allowed TO enter Il as sub-freshmen and II would
be better II It open only to those who have
proved their capacity BY passing into the fresh
man class"
II IS also Just possible. nevertheless, that the
workship is OF no mean service In elimination OF the
weak and dull from the sub-freshman class The
tutors IN that department find that. az rule the
boys who distinguish themselves here-not only by
quick comprehension and good retention OF the In
struction conveyed In technical lectures but by
manual dcxterity and taste-are those who stand
well in other studies particularly in mathematics
The boy whose hands are siovenly and awkward
has generally "A brain OF the same style.
BOXMAKING TO START WITH.
The sub-freshman's year is devoted entirely 10
woodworking and the method pursued is one that
confines instruction almost entirely to the class
room. there being little home study to interfere
~.
to strike properly with a hammer and TO drive
nail Then the use OF cross-cut saw IL practically
taught, IN the cutting UP OF rough boards from
which boxes made. The boxes arc next pulled
apart, their parts dressed down TO uniform thin
ner gauge by jackplane and smoothing plane. and
the finished pieces are away In the students
lockers for seasoning In the six or seven weeks
this requires the boys taught 10 use the chisel
and the gouge In making various kinds OF joints
When the seasoning Is completed. dovetaied boxes
made from the pieces and this completes the
manual work OF the first term. Many OF these
boxes are strongly and smoothly made and as
handsomely finished as II turned out by skful
carpenter.
While all is going the tutors, Robert F. Smith
and Arthur Bruckner doth graduates OF this col
ege) deliver daily lectures comprehensively and
haustively far the present requirements OF
the class extend. the varieties OF woods the
botanical characters and differences OF trees, the
life Of trees. their habits OF growth. their enemies
the qualities and distinguishing characteristics OF
various sorts Of wood. with illustrations (by testing
machines) OF their strength and hardness The stu
dents are also told where and under what conditions
grow the principal woods brought to market how
they cut transported and prepared for their
various uses. what those uses are. and why certain
woods better adapted than others for particular
services in building. cabinetmaking decoration
etc. with copious illustrations 10 fix remembrance
OF the facts impaired
MORE ABOUT COMMON WOODS.
In the second term these lectures mainly given
to exhaustive consideration OF the twelve or fifteen
kinds OF woods used most In this nelghborhood.
their various characteristics and the purposes for
which they best adapted. All the while the
students are making working drawings and sketches
and working from them. learning by experience
the Importance of accuracy In adhering to exact
measurements. and training both sight and hands in