Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1902-03-06
MANUAL TRAINING IN
The PUBLIC SCHOOLS
A Working Plan by Superintendent J. A. Wood
10 Introduce It in the Public Schools Of
the City Of Santa fe.
A TEACHERS INSTITUTE WITH AN IN
1ERESTlNG PROGRAM FOR SATURDAY

Many of the children who have been
out OF school on account OF colds and
sore throats are back in school again
working to catch up with their classes.
Most of the teachers and pupils are
doing most excellent work. The pupils
who arc passing through the grammar
school to the high school are much more
thoroughly prepared than pupils have
been heretofore.
The monthly teachers institute will
be held in the high school room on Sat
urday beginning at $3.50 O'Clock IN the
morning Teachers are expected to
bring specimens of their pupils work for
inspection. The following will be the
program:
Greclan Education as Exhibited by
Plato, Miss Johnson; Roma Education
as Illustrated in the Teachings of Qnin-
tiian. Miss Ma sh; Humanistic Educa-
tion, Professor Grant; Description of
Education in the Time of RabelaiS, Miss
Berger: Educational Stories of John
Milton, Mrs. Grace B. Hall; Educational
Scheme of John Locke, Miss Gertrude
Madole; Miscellaneous Business. All
persons interested are invited to attend
the above exercises.
Superintendent j. A. Wood is an ad-
vocate of manual tanning IN the puollc
schools and is of the opinion that manual
training would be of greater value to the
average pupil than much boo4 learning,
although the latter is also very desirable.
He has prepared the following report on
the subject for the board of education:
"For many months | have been con-
sidering the advisablity of introducing
a manual trani, G department into our
public schools. This is a question that
is occupying the minds of the leading
educators all over our country, and as
result manual training department is
being Incorporated into the public
schools of many of our rgest cities as
well as into those of medium size. Wher-
ever such incorporation has been made,
it has met with almost universal ap-
prova. 1t is claimed that those who
take manual training two or three hours
per week actually make better progress
in their studies than those of equal
grade who do not take manual training.
''There is pedagogical and psyche
logical reason for this, but it will make
my report entirely too long to go into
discussion to demonstrate this fact,
therefore / will confine my discussion to
the practical side O; the question.
t.Jhe conditions nf this city are such as
to make marital fg"aining more OF a
necessity than in nf -s8 other places.
The masses of our people here are not
wealthy and nine tenths of our pupils
have to stop school before reaching the
high school in order to help themselves
and their parents to secure the common
necessities of life. The question now
arises, how can they best do this?
"How will their little reading, little
arithmetic, geography, writing and spe l.
ing help them to make livelihood?
''As we look around us, what is there
open to them to give them employment
and the means OF subsistence?
''Some one may answer that they can
cut and haul wood, herd sheep and
goats and attend cattle and also do a
little gardening and farming. Yes
they may do those things but how much
does their little smatterng of education
/ help them in those employments?
uppose they spend one-fourth or one.
fifth of their school time in the manual
training department. By so doing, they
will become handy in the use of the saw,
the plane, the auger, the chisel, the
drawing knife, the hammer, the hatchet,
| the turning lathe, the scroll saw and
many other tools and also learn how to
keep them sharp and in good repair.
| Thus broader field OF usefulness will
open to them with the opportunities OF
useful employment and good remunera-
tion.
1--WE all believe that Santa Fe and
Santa Fe county are just now entering
upon an era of prosperity, great pros
perity. 1t thus behooves the people OF
| this city to give their children an oppor-
tunitv to have at least an even race with
their fellows that they may be prepared
to share the blessings of life. There will
be houses built, bridges constructed
mines opened, saw mills, reduction
mills, and planning mills operated; also
reservoirs and irrigation bitches built
and many other things, too numerous tc
men ion, all of which require the handy
use of tools. And in years to come those
who are ready and equipped for these
useful employments can live busy
happy and independent life.
"Very well, you say, we all see the
necessity of.these things and the goot
results to come from them, but what will
it cost to furnish and put into operation
a manual training department In con
nection with the public schools.
sin the first place, we will need
room the size of an ordinary schoo
room. This can easily be arranged il
the basement of new school building
when one is built. If one should not b
erected soon, there are one or two room
on the reservation which could be ixe
up for a workshop at very little cost, S
there need to be no difficulty about tn
room.
"Now as to the necessary equipment
We wo aid need the following tools: ST.
good knives, four drawing knives, fou
cross cut saws, two rip saws, tw
hatchets. two claw hammers, one set
four planes, one turning lathe, ont
, scroll saw, one set of seven augers, on
brace, one set of six chisels, four squares
three circle saws, eight work bencl
screws, one grind stone, four whe
stones, sand paper, lumber Tor fou
good work benches, one hundred feet
assorted lumber for practice work, nall
and screws, also self directing saw filer
max ng total cost with freight iron
Chicago OF $50.
"Thus equipped, room would do TO
several years with but very little add
, tional expense. Many pupils would pre-
, fer to buy many Of their own tools an
thus add to their school stock SO the
could 60 out and do odd jobs occasion
ally.
''As to the instructor, can direct tn
work myself without any additional eS
pense the first year. Teachers can al
range for those who take manual train