New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-11-11
ART IN MANUAL TRAINING.

Others who spoke on "1Fsthetics in Clvfcs" were
Mrs. Philip Carpenter. Miss Anna Maxwell Jones.
Mrs. Edward Addison Greeley. Mrs. Frederick
Clark Mrs. J. de la NJ. Lozier and Sophia A.
Walker Mrs Walker chose for her subject "A1s-
thetc Through Art-Manua Training" and spoke
as follows:
Whenever the soul wishes to walk in the open
air Of the world intellect Ike grand usher. must
throw open the door OF sense
That's "a poets way of saying that know
the beauty all about us only through our senses;
who would know beauty must see 1t with his eyes
touch II with his fingers hear it with his ears
The Psychologists way of saying the same thing
is that the brain cells corresponding to the quail
ties OF beauty q. e., fitness, balance symmetry,
proportion, etc) are built up through sense i'm
6' hy go fsSfT aSd say that she
use of these Impressions are functions of the
ments made in response to sense Impressions. Does
not that sound like the old Biblical saying lie
cans have good taste or "eesthetcs," in civics
in anything else. unless we know what good taste
not built up as children the organism Of beauty
through sense impressions and exercises directed
toward the qualities OF beauty. symmetry. pro-
portion. etc. In repeated muscular movements
And the building up OF the child through the
and the muscular movements brings us TO manual
There Is samor for manual trainipg in the air
bic work for small hands to do. excepting on the
farms. The schooling founded on the three RS
was balanced in It's useful period. by plenty OF
bodily work for boys and girls out Of school. but:
as Florence Nightingale has said. the three KS
without handwork lead to fourth "R'-that OF
rascaldom $50
Now since handwork s coming into our public
schools-and II inevitably is-let II be along the
lines Of self-activity initiated by the blessed
kindergarten, and. in defining manual training
as training the hand TO obey the eye and the
mind let us inquire Whose mind?' Let the
obedience be rendered TO the childs own inventive
instinct and not 10 the mind OF another as frozen
and stereotyped In a beautifully graded system OF
drawing books in sOyd when the order OF the
useful articles" useful in Sweden perhaps) Is
prescribed and everything else is prescribed.
These are good. but the best manual training cam
not be secured In any such way. for the hand be
comes a thousa I'D times more active and conse-
ouently more dextrous in working out its own
conception than in doing the bidding OF another.
There is no way 10 train the senses and the motor
activities 10 get much out OF them as by let
ting them work together in the direction OF In
ventive intent.
Psychologists tell that the art impulse Is "A
play impulse common to all little children. dying or
sta nped out In most adults. An art manual train
ing takes advantage If that early play impulse.
does not let IL die develops Il and builds up
through It's inventive activity the greatest possible
dexterity OF the hands. ii calls into action az
many senses rs possible. not only the eye sense,
hui The muscular and tactic senses through wood
carving and clay modelling and at the same time.
seeking facility before accuracy. II builds up in
the mind the free repetition Of classic forms right
ideals OF the qualities or beauty