Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-03-20
ADDRESS ON MANUAL TRAINING,
State Supt L. D. Harvsy Gave a Powerful
and Interesting Lecture Friday NIGHT.


city by the Women's Clubs to speak
on Manual Training and Domestic
Science" His lecture proved to be
one of the best that the people of
Grand Rapids have had an opportunity
to hear. His ideas on this important
subject will carry much weight and
aid in deciding the question whether
department of manual training and
domestic science shall be added to our
school system.
He said that manual training at
present is in operation in about two
hundred cities, giving training to
150,00 children. The number is small,
because manual training has been put
in ''wrong end tirSt;s that is, instead
OF giving all the grades the benefit Of
the training, it has only found its way
| into the high schools where the
number OF pupils are comparatively
small.
Mr.. Harvey then gave brief out
line history of manual training, be-
ginning with the guilds and trade
unions of Europe.
"a broad and general education
will more readily and skillfully fit the
pupil to battle successfully with the
| world. There are two main ideas in
our schools-I skill, (2) training.
Training the intellect, it is said, deve-
lopS character, bat the question comes,
what is the chief end? That end is,
power to do something in the worlds
works.
People may be divided into four
general classes: ~ People who think
but do nothing. ~ People who do
without thinking; t3l People who
neither think or do. AZ People who
\ think and do. 1t is the latter class
that the schools should aim to de-
velop.
''Some of the greatest men have
received their early training in the
rural schools, but they became great
in spite of these schools. 1t was their
environment that laid the foundation
| for their greatness. They arose early
wanted: they mended the broken
wagon and harness: they learned to do
things, and this was the mental train
ing that aided them in the life of the
city. City children today have little
or no power to initiate or do things.
Parents are too ready to do things for
| them, until children forget to do
things for themselves
! $50 much mental work is being done
in our schools that it ceases to be
| mental. Six hours of close study at
school and additional hours of study
| at home tires the child, and under
mines his health. To get the best
| possible training, the eye and hand
| must also be trained, and this will
result in better mental and physical
| development.
| 'Are children in the schools today
| getting what they ought to get?
From observation it seems tn at the
! children are not getting training
which gives them the power to think
and do. Who are to blame-the
| teachers, the school boards, the super
| intendentS? No, the fault lies with
| the organization of the system The
system is hard to change, and the one
| who attempts it is called crank or
| told that he is seeking personal fame
or notOriety.
"About 92 per cent. Of those who
graduate from the eighth grade earn
a living by manual labor; only per
| cent enter the professions. Have we
not been shaping our system rather
for the benefit of the s than the 90?
Give thet92 an opportunity to use their
hands while in school and they will
more readily and skillfully do their
work when called upon to earn their
own living.
| mot only will manual training
teach the youth to do things, but it
will be a stimulus to mental develop
ment. From observation | have found
| that the mental activities of the dull
child has been aroused
| THE objection is raised that the
! school
crowded. Too much is thought of the
adding to the courses, and too little
of the SubStraction from the courses.
a great deal Of Useless matters which
are now taught could be dropped,
and manual training added. Where
this has been tried, it has been found
that the child knew just as much of
the scholastic subjects at the end of
the year, as the child who put one
third more time upon them,
''At present the child is reading
conclusions from books in our schools,
but is left to Starve for want of the
conclusions which underlie the power
of doing things.
THE pupil must be taught to con-
troll his will power without the train
ing of the will, education may be the
greatest evil. There is no kind of
work that exercises and develops the
will power more than the training of
the hand and eye.
1T is the nature Of the child to
desire to do something. The child
seldom asks. 'what can | study" but.
what can / do?" Children cannot be
held at their books more than a few
hours day. Instead of restraint
they should have freedom. Train
mental power through another avenue
give him an hour Of manual training
and he will come back in better
condition to do his other work
1.-The cost TO equip manual train
ing room for twenty-five pupils will
be from $500 to S400. The cost of a
domestic science room will be about
the same. a good teacher in these
branches can be secured for $50 or SO
per month.
domestic science may be defined
as the art of home-making. Very few
of our girls who graduate from the
eighth grades and high schools are
fitted for wifehood. The girl must be
taught to master things for herself
and family, and so we'll understand
the different problems of the home
that he can intelligently give direc-
tiOnS to others.
1T is not so much question of
what to utilize but how That we
are yearly throwing away enough to
feed anOJher nation as large as our
own is mainly due to imperfect train
ing our girls receive. That happiness
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