New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-06
MANUAL TRAINING.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE SYSTEM WHICH
is UNDER FIRE FROM TAMMANf.
TIE WORK DEFENDED AS PRAcTIcM-Nor a"
INDEPENDENT STUDY. BUT CORRELATED
WITH THE REST or THE PUB-
Lie SCHOOL COURSE


Van Wyck's side at lcast-between the Board
Of Education and the Mayor. is a part OF the
regular school work about which less seems 10
be generally known than about any OF the
other branches OF the curriculum. Yet the
manual training system has now been in opera
ZION for ten years, and cannot. therefore, be
considered new idea In the schools IL mas
grown slowly but steadily, from the small De
ginning which it made in 1883, and 1t Is proba-
BY because of this gradual and inconspicuous
development that it has attracted comparatively
little attention.
when it was first started the manual training
was introduced into those schools which pos
sessed the greatest amount of spare room ana
the best facilities for carrying on the WORK
This plan was continued as the months and
years went by and as hew schools were quit
provision was always made for the necessary
workshops and apparatus Many OF the Ola
buildings were so crowded and ill-arranged that
the introduction Of any new department requir-
ing extra space was impossible and those
schools were 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 its usual
form. alternative courses, adapted 10 schools
without special workrooms, were arranged
Much of this latter work has not yet been put
into actual operation, but the subject s re-
ceiving careful attention, and will probably be
developed to a considerable degree this year
New-York was the first city in the United
States to introduce manual training into its PUB
lie schools. and especial credit Is due to the
City Superintendent, John Jasper. and TO ;he
Committee on instruction Of the present Board
OF Education for the progress 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
week be spent upon It, Until last week, The
pupils of the three upper grades had four and
q half hours but II decided at meeting of
the Board Of Education on Monday to reduce
this to four hours. making the time uniform
throughout all grades.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SYSTEM.
tn. present Supervisor OF Manual Training, Or.
James =. Haney. has been connected with the
work during almost the entire period since Il
was started although it is only within the last
two years that the Office OF Supervisor Of the
iourse, which he holds. created. DR..
fancy has studied manual training in all its
} tails and relations, and was the one who
lnehy arranged the present manual which sets
forth the course Of study TO be pursued. In
talking Of the work the other day, he laid par
ticu.ar emphasis upon the plan which the de-
partment had 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, ION the ground
that it was not practical, unrelated to the other
work OF the school, and that it occupied time
which the children might employ profita-
bly, in studying the ordinary branches. But as
we teach it the manual training is part Of
these other studies. 1t is not a dead cut-and-
dried department by itself. teaching the pupils
few mechanical points, but leaving them ig-
norant as to how these may be applied. 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 depart
ments. The drawing, modelling and construc-
tive work in paper and wood are OF great ser
vice In the history geography and elementary
science class IS Take the case OF history for in
stance and suppose the lesson to be about the
discovery of land or a famous voyage OF
exploration. How much more vivid II 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 knowledge Of drawing en-
ables him to depict historic monuments and
anything peculiar or characteristic in the homes
dress and weapons of the different nations about
whom he is studying In geography OF course
the opportunities are still wider for besides the
objects just mentioned which are connected as
well with geography as with history there are
all the features Of physical geography which