The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1902-05-09

may be said of much of the work there
Yet, have confidence in most of oul
teachers, that they can handlethe sub
ject well enough, if careful thought and
well defined purpose are called to theil
aid, to save to our boys and girls powers
that will ever tend toward nobler and
purer living. Surely if this subject
were properly presented to-day some Of
us would return to our work resolved to
study and toswork out few means to
effectually arouse some of the latent
emotions and ability of our boys and
girls.
My time will not permit the discus
sion Of the moral influence Of art as
would like to do, but briefly quote from
DR.. Dewey THAT the end of art is to de
velop a perfectly harmonious soul, to
create and know that in which the human
soul may find itself perfectly reflect
ed" From this statement we conclude
that this careful student of psychology
believes that art study has more to do
with intellect and heart than with ex-
ternal things. The external material
is used to awaken the soul but real
beauty is within. If what is presented
satisfies, if it conforms to the ideal of
the individual, pleasure and growth
result.
Art study may be said to be then
study of ideals; the ideals of many peo-
pie are vague, indefinite and wrong.
They have never been tested by real
standards. The true, the higher self is
not known. The revealing of this high
er self must be the chief mission vof
drawing as an art 1t is this. The art
side of drawing that we have neglected
should be the subject of paper at
some of our associations.
AS a high school teacher asks frequent
ly for sketches of physical machines,
botonic specimens, physiological subjects
etc, only to look down into Mortified
faces of young gentlemen and ladies
whose faces should reflect, rather than
agony, spirit of cheerfulness ID
In much of my work l would find
great. help in the ability of the pupils to
sketch even fairly well and rapidly.
AS it is they have it too, but they go
gradually to their task as a rule, and
from lack of skill are required to spend
more time at it than should be needful.
Much work throughout the course re-
quires the close study necessary for il
lustration as is often shown by the diff
Guilty in securing many important de-
tails in sketches.
The constructive imagination is often
deficient, or in other words the ability
to arrange in the mind accurately and
in relation the many details of mathe-
NAUTICAL or philosophical magnitude,
historical unit or literary gem. Hall
says it is necessary all through the
study of arithmetic to image magnitude,
and the only way to image magnitude is
to image agnitude-create in the
mental vision clearly the image of the
subject at hand, so that its reality is as
evident as if the real object were pres
ent. Drawing is of great assistance in
developing this power. In this capacity
it is an art, purely, and as such must be
established by repetition. The mental
sketch must be so often called up that
the mind image will spring into exist
ance without conscious effort upon
occasion, vision clear and definite as
the dream visions. Any one who can
''see things at night" can see things just
as clearly in the day light with proper
training in concentration of thought
and imaging power
Is it not possible, teachers, for us to
build up in the child the ability to con-
troll and use that vivid imagination that
has 'peopled dreamland so beautifully
and horribly, to the end that it may
many times multiply the child's power
to live in, understand better, and enjoy
more the studies of school life and also
life beyond the school? Or shall ask,
probably more correctly, shall we not
preserve to the little child its beautiful
image creating power, that makes the
walking stick its prancing steed, the
hoop its bicycle, the doll "The prettiest
baby in the world, with cheeks so white
and so red, and hair so prettyH" That
bright visionary but real, free and
delightful life creating imagination that
makes the home so bright and the child
so interesting the priceless possession
of childhood, shall we not preserve it?
Shall we go on as iconclasts, breaking
their images, smothering the rich beauty
of their fancy, or shall we permit them
to give it expression, nourish it, prune
it, and train it to a symmetrical and
beautiful growth.
The sense of sight is the first point of
intellectual Importance, through it we
gain the first knowledge of external OBJ
jects, and with hearing it shares the
distinction of being an artistic sense,
for they have to do with the fine arts
from which it follows that in training
the sight we have to do with intellectu-