The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-12-18
THE MANUAL TRAINING SCHOOLS
Plea for the Acceptance of the Walker
Gift by a Former Portland Citizen.
Perry, Ga, Dec. Ii, 1897. a
20 the Editor Of the Press:

Reading in your paper of the 18th inst.
of the offer made to the city by the trus.
tees of the Walker Fund, and also the let
ter of Mr.. Noyes thereupon, and in the
paper of the Sth the proceedings of the
Aldermen and Councilman, L infer that
there is an opposition to the acceptance
of the gift because of the expense In
which the city may be involed for the
maintenance of the school, to which, as l
understand. the city stands pledged, if,
the proposed Manual Training School is
accepted by the city.
1t seems to me that there are reasons
or its acceptance and also for its liberia
management which merit consideration,
and as the Getty by the Sea- was the
homo of my boyhood. and is still my
home, and as love it better than any
other and am more interested in its pro-
gress, trust I shall be pardoned for what
l shall say regarding this matter.
To understand why at this time in our
history public education in the mechanic
arts is specially necessary it is only re-
quired that we compare the industrial
conditions of today with those, we will
say, of forty or fifty years ago. Then every
master carpenter. blacksmith, machinist
or cabinet maker had large number OF
boys apprentioed to him for term OF
years to learn the trade. Their compen-
sation was a small money payment and
instruction in the use of the tools and the
methods of their. trade. Fifty years ago
this apprenticeship was in many trades
for term of three years; one hundred
years ago, for term of seven years. At
the end Of the term Of apprenticeship the
became O journeyman, and
was expected to travel about pursuing
his occupation in various places, that he
might learn the different ways of doing
things which prevailed in different parts
of the country, and in different shops.
Since the organization of Labor Unions
in the different trades the taking of ap-
prentices by masters has been discour-
aged. The small wages paid to appren-
tices brought their cheap labor into com
petition with the labor of the journeymen
who formed the Unions. This did not
result at first in serious interference with
the education of craftsmen to supply the
loss from the ranks of competent work
men, because at first the right of master
to take apprentices was not questioned;
but he was restricted to certain num-
Der, proportional to the number of jour
neymen he employed, as for instance a
machinist who employed twelve journey
men might have two apprentices; Ii he
twenty men he could have three
apprentices. AT later date this proper
tion was reduced, and this reduction has
gone On until at the present time it is s.
very rare thing in any place where Labor
Unions exist to find master taking ap-
prentices to teach them his trade. How,
then, are the ranks of skilled labor to be
kept filled, and how arc boysto learn
manual deyterity in the use Of tools Of
the various trades. For the boy, the ina
bility to learn trade may enforce q dis
astrous, and possibly q dangerous idle
ness, and many boy who would as an
apprentice be fitting himself to become
skilled workman and a valuable citi-
zen, and prolific producer, is RELOCATED
to the ranks of idleness The only source
OF wealth is labor, and the greater the
skill the larger the product. Another
cogent reason is found in the different re-
quirements in the quality Of the work of
today and of the earlier time. Fifty
years ago there We're not to be found in
this country mechanics in the different
trades who could have built the "Jetfer-
son." The advances in the arts which
we have made require more knowledge,
and this enables better work. TO be a
successful artisan today requires tech
meal knowledge as well as q manual dex-
terity that in the earlier time was seldom
found. Manual skill was then attained
by specially gifted apprentices, but few
masters then knew, what every pupil in
training school now must learn, the tech
meal foundation for the manual fnct.
This especially recommends the COM
hined technical and manual teaching OF
the training school that while learning
to do a thing the pupil must at the same
time learn the theory Of the thing he
does. He not only knows the how, but he
also knows the why. An intelligent
and educated mechanic Is much better
mechanic than an automatic mechanic.
Another reason which should be con-
sidered is this: The teacher of training
school will learn the aptitudes and abili-
ties Of his pupils, and may be of great
help to parent in choosing vacation for
a boy in which he may hope to excel
Some boys have no Mechanical ability.
they cannot learn to do the simplest
thing. L remember one who at the end
of an apprenticeship Of three years was
utterly valueless, seemed to know less.
possible, than at first He really could
not learn. 1t is worth a great deal to
know boys capabilities. The BOY who
has no mechanical ability may have a real
~ brilliant genius in another direction.
No one enjoys what [ have heard called
"a round peg in square hole
The maintenance of good manual
training school in Portland may be ex-
pected to result in the development of d
corps OF qualified mechanics to take the
place of those now active in ali mechani-
cal pursuits in our city, but who must
drop out, one by one, as Old Father Time
gets his clutches on them.
1t may, and should be, great help in
putting the boys in places for which they
are lifted by nature, where they may lead
happy and USEFUL lives.
Our mechanical work will be- better
done because it will be Understandings
done, and I have no doubt the diploma
of the Portland Manual Training School.
or the Walker Manual Training School
which it may be) will help it's holder to
when those not SO guaran-
teed remain unemployed. [ hope the
made by thu trustees of the
Walker Fund may be accepted, for l can