The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-08-02
MANUAL TRAINING
Sunday 'oall' Discusses It's
Development Next Year
in eWa Schools.
DIVISION OF THE COURSE
Boys Gymnasium of High
School May Be Devot-
ed To It.

OF Newark, says the Sunday Sait,
| should see Important advances made in
the manual training department With
| September the third year of this course
will be begun. 1t is now taught in the
| Fifth. Sixth, Seventh and Eighth grades
and in the First year classes at the
| High School. So far none of the girls
have had manual training. and the adj
vances planned for this coming year are
principally with a view of giving them the
benefits of it,.
1t is proposed to introduce manual train
ing to the Fifth grade girls. The boys
have had it for a year, and both boys and
| girls in each class of that grade may
hereafter take it at the same time. In
| this and the Sixth grade manual training
is taught by means Of so-called desk
| benches. In the Fifth grade the manual
| training work is largely drawing and the
work on wood is done with a penknife all
most exclusively. The girls can. there
| fore, do this work with as much facility
as the boys, and they will receive more
benefit, it is felt. than they would from
| sewing, which is taught with greater sue
cess in the Sixth, Seventh and Eighth
grades. Hereafter, therefore. instead of
| assembly, two classes of girls in one room
for sewing and two classes of boys in the
next for manual training, each Fifth year
| class will receive it's manual training les
SON, boys and girls together. The girls
in this grade will be the first in Newark
to have manual training, but not the last,
by any means. 1t is argued that the
Sixth grade is soon enough to begin in
struction in sewing. and that the instruc-
/ finn f1 fnrrn and I'm fba a1ar.nn+e - $780,
teal drawing which the girls win get by
taking manual training in the Fifth grade
is far more valuable to them than any
knowledge they may acquire in that year
of sewing.
No change is to be made in the manual
training course for boys in the grammar
grades. The courses in those grades are
now well mapped out and are running
smoothly. Possibly Supervisor Plckwick
may make a few alterations or modifi-
cations in the problems which are given
the pupils to work out, so as to make
the course more harmonious and to cor
relate them more closely, but this will
be only detail work which will not affect
the courses themselves materially. I'M
portant changes are to be made in the
High School, however. if everything is
1 carried out as Planned.
Manual training was not introduced
into the new High School until the new
building was opened last February. 1t
had been expected that the new building
would be open last September. or some
time in the fall. at the latest, and it was
intended to introduce the new course at
the time. But the building was not open
ed, and when its doors were finally and
formally ajar the school year was half
spent. Nevertheless manual training was
begun, but the school was in such a state
of confusion for the first three months,
over. thermostats and things. that little
of sound value was accomplished in man.
ual training, and for the last six weeks
or so the hustle Incident to the closing of
the year made concentrated work on the
new theme a matter of considerable diff
Guilty. 1t is proposed, however, to begin
this year where the pupils left off last
spring, end to adjust matters as rapidly
as possible, so that the first years work
will comprehend the first year, the second
years work the second year, and so on.
AS 1t is now, less than half of the first
wears work was done last year, but this
year all pupils who make sufficiently
rapid progress will be permitted to begin
the second years work as soon as they
are ready. Then a class in second year
work will be formed. This class will
scarcely do all the second years work
this year. but in the two years remaining
OF its course in the school it should make
IN all that remains to give it the COM
plete four-year course. Such is the idea
of the superintendent and of the super
visor at the present time and there is
little doubt but what the course will be
fully Strengthened out in two or three
years.
Last year it was possible to give man
uai training to but a limited number OF
those who applied because of lack OF
room and the failure of the school man
agement to systematize the work through
out the institution. Only first year pu-
nils. those who had the study one or
more years in the grammar schools, were
admitted, and only the boys at that. The
girls besieged the supervisor in large
numbers to be allowed to take the course.
but they had to be refused. There was
not a little indignation over the failure
to get the manual training course in
smooth running order, although the fault
was certainly not that of the instructors,
who began work the instant the could get
in the building. This fall, however, the
girls will be given manual training, If the
plan of the Superintendent and Super
visor. as recommended by them to the
Normal Training and High School Com
mittee, are adopted. 1t is proposed in
this plan to make use of two or three
rooms In the High School building for the
study. 1t is proposed to convert the long
room at the south end of the basement,