The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-01-22

descriptive of the more complex situations
and experiences of life.
"rhe teaching Of language in the older
classes has been conducted With notless
faithfulness and intelligence but this work
in the primary department. merits speciAl
notice by its novelty and promise Of good
results.
In speaking of the department of in
dustrial training, h report says
This department of our work has con-
tinued to receive the close attention
which, as was stated in the last report
of the school, it deserves in the scheme of
education. especially for the deaf.
"At the date of that report the wood
working department had been under the
charge OF a graduate of a technical
school for only a few months and a COM
parison of the results attained With what
could be done when the department. was
treated simply as a shop to train appren-
tees in carpentry. could hardly be made
with fairness. Another year of expert
ment has shown that our pupils. both boys
and girls, are capable, not only of ac-
curing manual skill by this means, but
of receiving training valuable in other
directions. 1t is not necessary to go into
details on this subject, as manual tram
ing and its advantages are now the sub
ject of a great lea of eulogy7some OF 1T,
perhaps, not very discriminating, but the
effect which has impressed me most, not
in a priori reasoning about IT, put IN
watching the mental changes which took
place in the young people whom | nave
had under my eye. was the increased
power to conceive an object, In Que pro-
portion and with all its parts. The pow
err to carry out this conception in the
proper material, which is the principal
result of training on the strict crafts-
ans level, follows naturally from this
higher power, and, while II IS OF dlrecE
and economical value, is, / think, not en-
titled to rank with the first named power
as a means and evidence of mental
growth.
THE printing and sewing departments
continue to justify the high opinion OF
their usefulness which l have expressed
in previous reports.
.sShoemaking, which is also one of the
occupations taught in our industrial de-
partment. is not as well adapted to treat
ment on the educational side as are those
already mentioned. However, like all
accuracy, and when, as is the case here,
every operation is performed by hand,
there is enough variety to impart skill N
the interest of change from one task 10
another unlike the first. 1t is also, per-.
haps, the handicraft which furnishes EN-
ployment most readily to one who UNDER
stands It, and which can be practleed
either in a factory or in the home.
The branch which could be added next
with most prospect of usefulness would,
perhaps, be cooking. 1t offers much the
same opportunity for interest and inn
provement that woodworking does, al
and its practical Usefulness IS beyond all
doubt.
IF the means of the school would all
low, it would be desirable to have en-
craving in some of its forms, or some
similar adaptation of art to industry,
taught in the school. i am led to this
opinion by noticing the number of cases
in bic deaf nutes have made a success
of such work. and while it is only a
small proportion of the whole who have
a strong bent in such a direction. there
are always some pupils in a school who
would make, under training, highly
skilled, artistic artisans.
Last year. as stated in the report the
policy of making regular purchases OF
books to form a suitable library was en-,
tered on. This course has been continued
during the past year, and about three
hundred dollars have been thus expended.
1t is purposed to provide, at first, chiefly
books suitable for the reading of the chill
dren and works of reference as well as
books bearing on the business of teach
ing; - eo.as :, 40
churches of different creeds in our vlcia-
ity. who have in the past interested them
selves in the spiritual welfare of those of
our pupils who belonged to their fespeq
tive faiths, have continued their labors in
this direction. The sudden death OF Mrs.
Add Bice was a loss to the school,, al
though she held no official relations to
it. Having a child of her own as a pupil
here, she took a deep interest in what
ever concerned the deaf and gave her time
and labor freely to work for them on
church lines. She interested in this work
other ladies of her church. and made the
deaf children who, at their parents wish,
attend the Hamilton avenue Methodist
Church, an active, interested, happy part
of its membership"