The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1898-03-04
MANUAL TRAINING.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE SYS-
TEN WHICH rs UNDER FIRE.
The Work Defended as Practical
Not an Independent Study, but
Correlated With the Rest of
the Public School Course.

Inc course OF study in manual train
ing in the public schools, which has
recently been the subject of animated
controversy-anim on Mr. Van
Wych's side, at least between the
Board of Education and the Mayor, is
a part of the regular school work about
which less seems to be generally known
than about any Of the other branches
OF the curriculum. Yet the manual
training system has now been in OPP
GRAFTON for ten years, and cannot
therefore, be considered a new idea in
the schools. 1t has grown slowly, but
steadily, from the small beginning
which it made in 1883. and it is prob
ably because of this gradual and in
conspicuous development that it has
attracted comparatively little atten-
ton.
When it was first started the manual
training was. introduced into those
SCHOOLS which possessed the greatest
amount OF spare room and the best
1acilltles for carrying on the work.
This plan was continued as the months
and years went by, and as new schools
We're built provision was always made
for the necessary workshops and appa-
ratus. Many of the old buildings were
SO crowded and ill-arranged that the
introduction Of any department requir-
ing extra space was impossible, and
those schools We're until last June
forced to omit manual training from
their course. At that time the Board
OF Education decided that the subject
should be taught in some form in all
the schools, thereby being incorporated
into the prescribed course of study
For those schools which, owing to their
lack Of workshops, could not avail
themselves of the training in it's usual
form, alternative courses, adapted to
school without special workrooms, were
arranged. Much of this latter work has
not yet been put into actual operation,
but the subject is receiving careful
attention, and will probably be devel-
oped to a considerable degree this
year.
New York was the first city in the
United States TO introduce manual
training into its public schools, and
especial credit is due to the City Su-
perintendent, John Jasper, and to the
Committee on instruction of the pres
ress which the system has made. Every
grade in the schools, from the lowest
to the highest, takes the manual work,
and the time schedule provides that
four hours a week be spent upon it,
Until last week, the pupils of the three
upper grades had four and a half hours
but it was decided at a meeting of the
Board Of Education on Monday to re-
duce this to four hours, making the
time uniform throughout all grades.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SYS-
TEN
The present Supervisor Of Manual
Training, DR.. James P. Haney, has
been connected with the work during
almost the entire period since it was
started, although it is only within the
last two years that the office of Su-
pervisor Of the course, which he now
holds, was created. DR.. Haney has
studied manual training in all it's de-
tails and relations, and was the one
who chiefly arranged the present man
ual which sets forth the course of
study TO be pursued. In talking Of the
work the other day, he laid particular
emphasis upon the plan which the de-
partment has constantly in view Of
combining the manual training with the
teaching OF the ordinary studies.
Objections have occasionally been
made to the manual training" said he,
on the ground that it was not practf-
cal, unrelated to the other work of the
school, and that it occupied time which
the children might employ more profit
ably in studying the ordinary branches.
But as we teach 1t, the manual train
ing is part of these other studies. 1t
is not dead. cut -and-dried department
by itself, teaching the pupils few me-
chanical points, but leaving them ig-
norant as to how these may be ap-
piled. Quite the contrary. 1t gives
the child a knowledge of form and
technical skill, which he may use to
illustrate his work in the various other
departments. The drawing, modelling
and constructive work in paper aid
wood are of great service in the history.
geography and elementary science
classes. Take the case of history, for
instance, and suppose the lesson to be
about the discovery of a new land or
famous voyage of exploration. How
much more vivid it is if the child is
able to draw maps Of the country and
to outline the route which the explorer
followed. In other lessons his knowl-
edge of drawing enables him to depict
historic monuments and anything Pc
culiar or characteristic In the homes,
dress and weapons of the Different ma
lions about whom he is studying IL
geography, of course, the opportuni-
Mid fo, do III,
jects just mentioned. which are con-
nected as We'll with geography as with
history. there are all the features of
physical geography which may be IL
Illustrated. In this particular branch
the modelling is of great value In sup
plementing the drawing Mountains.
valleys. the courses of rivers and other
characteristics of any locality may be
represented in the clay as we'll as with
the pencil. In connection with the
study of elementary science the yari-
Gus forms of crystals and parts OF
plants or animals are either drawn or
modelled. and simple machines and ex-
periments are illustrated by sketches.
These are only few suggestions of
what may be done on these lines. There
is the greatest opportunity for indi-
vidual work. Every pupil is encour-
aged TO express his ideas freely Gen.
eral principles and suggestions as to
forms are given, and the pupils are
then asked to originate designs based
upon these principles.
FEATURES OF THE SHOP WORK.
Thus. in the shop work the boys
learn first the proper use Of the tools
and the manner of cutting. carving