The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-04


The old plan of teaching infants with alb
stractions represented by arbitrary signs and
recurring only, methodical memorizing has
been abandoned and in the modern primary
schools the child lives In a concrete world,
surrounded by things of interest which ne
may nandle, arrange and construct according
to his own newly developed ideas.
The primary schools of today are provided
with an array OF apparatus and aids TO teach
Ing, rather confusing to- one whose recollec-
lions OF his own first school appliances m
ciuded only the spelling book and the blrch
switch; but all these modern aids and ap-
pl1ances are utilized in a. way to cultivate the
child activities without REFRESHING MS moral
or physical nature.
The fact is the schools of 1.-THE good old
days. for which we occasionally hear deep
drawn sigh, bear no favorable comparison
with the schools of today.
HIGH SCHOOLS.
The high school has come to be regarded as
the GROWING feature of the American school
system, and no city that expects to keep us
place In the march of modern progress can
anord to be lax or Indifferent to the support
of its nigh school
The free high school is in perfect accord
with the genius and spirit of our most cners
lsned institutions, and it has at last optai4eu
such hold on the hearts of the people that
no amount of opposition from the wealthy
Few who do not wish to be taxed TO educate
the masses can uproot or destroy It,
me stimulating influence when nows , rom u
the high school to all other departments IS
alone worth Its cost; but it has still more ma
! portant functions. 1t furnishes most of the
teachers for the lower grades OF the pubic
| schools. The high school offers to the amDl-
tious boy or girl the best preparation ior
college or university; but its chief function
is IN providing for the great majority OF us
| pupils a general education for life. BY lar
the greater number of it's graduates go out
| into life to take up the various calllngs OF the
I business world, and it will be found that the
| high schools of this country have turned out
well trained, broad minded, capable lead,
| ers in intellectual, political, social and
business affairs. 1t usually bears part In
every upward movement, and IN the smaller
cities and towns especially, the influence
| of the high school is felt in eleVatng and
refining the tone of the community. -
| All public spirited and patriotic citizens Will
| support the 'people's colleges --.-.e
MANUAL TRAINING.
| Although at this stage of the worlds educa-
| tional progress manual training advocacy may
| seem to be superfuous; yet in view OF preJu-
| dices that still prevail L am constrained 10
set forth, briefly, the principal reasons lot us
incorporation an integral part OF the school
| curriculum.
While there has been for some time wide
| spread conviction that the education OF the
schools was one-sided and incomplete, ana
| that the schools were not dealing enough WITH
| the concrete and the present yet the remedy
for these obvious defects had not peen pro
| posed until this new adaptation or the pfln-
| ciple set forth by Friedrich froebel, came
to be understood and put into practice. With
| the rapid growth of cities; with the lmpIoVSu
| cation of inventions with the displacement OF
the old forms of labor by machinery, and with
all these outgrowths1of modern civilization 1T Is
evident that the education furnished by DOCKS
alone is inadequate.
The demands of the age are more than ever
practical and industrial in multiplied ana va
rIcus forms. Not only the mind, but the
hand and eye more. than ever now need ecu
eating. Not only to know something put 10
do something should be included In the tram
ing of this generation. The legitimate emu OF
knowing is doing.
Manual training teaches boy to think and
trains him how to do. 1t enables him 70 IN
derstand his own powers; 1t touches me at
many points; it deals with realities and not
with theories
American boys usually leave school before
they are fourteen years old. They ma the
utilities lacking in the schools, and they are
tempted to leave them as soon as they are
able to understand the dominant conditions
of society Less than 20 per cent OF Amer
lean boys enter high schools, and less IMAM
half of those who enter complete the course:
| Experience in those cities where manual
training has been introduced LEADS 10 tne
reasonable conclusion that by the 1ncorpora-
ton of manual training in the pupnc schools
our boys will remain longer in school at that
critical time when the character OF the SUB
sequent life is largely determined
Experience has also shown the beneht OF
this new factor in education as regards the
healthfulness and wholesomeness OF the
training The growth OF the boy under the new
conditions is harmonious. He acquires strength
of body along with strength of mind, ana
subject to the discipline Of a harmonious
training boys develop moral power that car
ries them over the temptations which loo
often overcome the school at this age.
In the first place, manual training develops
respect for the industrial pursuits, the oig-
nifty and worth Of manual labor, ana heips
to eradicate the vicious notion from the
minds Of young people that the mechanlc Is
being of lower rank they ma tnat t iltng
NAV be the intellectual peers of those who
are supposed to be brain workers. ~, ~
In the second place, it develops habits OF
accuracy and eXactneSs when are caffleu' III
other lines of work.
Thirdly while it is not the purpose of the
manual training school to teach handlcraIt
or trade but only to familiariZe the pupils
with the nature and use OF hand TOOLS, yet II
is a preliminary training which ntS MIN LOT
industrial pursuits and usually enables MIN 10
earn his living at once, and gives him an lnae-
pendence which is valuable for his future
welfare.
| If idleness and shiftlessness and paupersm
are immoral in their tendency, II not IN their
nature, then it is a valuable part OF schooi
training to teach how to earn an honest ny
ing and to enable pupils to enter upon HE
work for which they are adapted wlthout loss
of time and with less error in the choice OF
occupation. ,.4 hor
ing on the great social questions OF tne gay
such as the relation Of the needy to other
classes, the relation of labor TO capital OF
EMPLOYER to employe. The great danger OF
the present age is the a!lenauon Oh laDoI anu
anarchy and then despotism. We should seek
to remove all class prejudice.
In no department of school work can this
be so effectually done as in the manual TRAN n
ing work. Here rlcn anu poor sCdnu S'ue
by side. , 4,;e &C , COO
In nv Judgment, manual training as rae,
+or in education cannot be dispensed with, ana
the time will come when it will have us place
in all school courses from the kindergarten
to university.
with the charge sometimes made that
the three RS and other essentials were
being neglected to make way for the
classics and pointed out that all these
We're being taught better than ever be-
fore in the we'll rounded system or
modern education. Reading, especially,
was being given a wider scope through
it's identification with the best liter
ature, a study which was promoted
to a great extent by the advantages Oh
public libraries which earlier students
had not had.
I Closing, Prof Curtis referred to
training in patriotism, which, he said,
was not only impressed in the daily
work of the schools, but through the
adiuncts of the flag day exercises, and
the participation of the public school
children in public exercises of pa
triotic nature.
Inspector Yoerg introduced resolu-
ton to pay the janitors and engineers
the money which was cut Off their
wages last summer when they receiV-
ed but half pay for two of the vacation
months. He said it was unfair to as
Sc SIS these men and then devote the
money to the purchase of supplies for
the board, but the resolution was lost,
his being the only Affirmative vote. -.
Secretary Healy presented his an