The Savannah morning news., 1901-10-27
A REVIVAL OF HAND WORK.
The Result of Kindergarten Teach
ing in Recent Years.


ing in Recent Years.
There is an awakening interest all
over the country in hand work. There
is a. fresh burst of enthusiasm over
doing" and a revival of arts and
crafts. Everywhere one goes, classes of
bows and girls, men and women, are
bending with delight over the intrica-
cies of wood carving, ~pyrregraphy or
the art of browning designs into wood,
and weaving of all sort and varieties
Clay modelling is in high favor, and
cookery is an art that interests many.
whiting, formerly looked upon as
pastime for small boys, is now taught
as an art. In short, nothing that can
be done with the hands comes amiss.
American men and women are going
to Naac, Sweden, to the home of the
Lloyd work to study it with its old
world nvironment-there is something
inspiring in learning wood work in a
castle, is there not? And North and
South, East and West, arises a cry, Let
us learn to work with our hands" The
ltra-conservative class may call it a
craze or fad if they will, they cannot
deny that it is a fact. Now whenever
an idea takes possession of nearly the
whole world at once, we say it becomes
part of public opinion" and some
very important facts always lie behind
that phrase.
Considered physchologically it means
that the individual Graves a new means
of self-eXpression, that is, a channel by
which to put his own ideas into con-
crete form. Everyone cannot be artists
or mus infc Int hTrf
| one has ideas that they can express by
means of some material.
Considered sociologically, it means
that as people we feel
the need of returning to
simple forms, of using other means of
education than symbols, of giving the
heart and hand a chance to be edu-
Gated, as well as the head. 1t is a
protest against the ultra intellectual
training of colleges, on the one hand,
and on the other against plutocracy
that values everything by the money
that it represents.
These two views of the subject are
full of significance, said Miss Martha
G. Backus yesterday, and if we study
the signs of the times we must take
them into account. The value of the
kindergarten movement in any COM
munity depends largely on it's relation
to this question of handwork, and the
Kate Baldwin Free kindergarten will
show its platform at their exhibit
at the State Fair, which will be an in
teresting sight. AS it will be difficult
for the public to realize the fact, the
management would like to state off,
cially that every article marked chill
dren's work was made entirely by the
children's hands, sometimes from mod
els shown and sometimes according to
their own ideas.
In the training school also the lat
est and best work in manual training
is given, and the interest in the sub
ject is so great that many of the stu
dents have studied basket weaving in
their vacation, not because they were
required to do so, but because they
would not let an opportunity escape
them Owing to providential causes,
the training school. which was filled by
Oct. l, has now one vacancy, so that
any one desiring to enter this year
should apply without delay to Miss
Backus. Glasses are held daily at the
Chatham Academy, so that applicants
may go there. Out-of-town applica-
lions may be sent to Miss M. G. Back
us, 3O4 Huntingdon street, east, until
Nov l.