Waterbury Democrat., 1903-01-20

hands and fingers without giving tfza pupil full knowledge of any particular trade. That, 1t is claimed, can easily be obtained by student whose fingers
 have been educated. Tn the manual school girls were taught sewing and drawing, and the rudiments of practical housekeeping were inculcated. Best of all though, in the advanced hand edu- eating schools they were made to work in wood. A girl learned to carve wood, saw off board and even to drive a nail. Beyond a doubt a woman edu- cated in manual training class will
 be able to hang her own pictures
 tack down her own carpets and to know what Is the matter with her kitchen stovepipe. s... ..., ,~
 The west, always first in adopting improved ideas, began the manual training for girls as well as boys; the east followed Toledo has the credit of
 being the first city to open manual training classes in connection with it's public schools: thence the system spread throughout the country.
 Then came the next step forward.
 That was the full fledged trade
 school for girls Boston has model technical school of this kind-Simmons college. A man-Mr. Simmons-gener-
 ously furnished the money to build and equip it; women did the rest. Sim
 mons college Is notable in respect to one of the essential features of prop
 CT trade education. { It is nobly fitted
 from the hygienic and ethical stand
 point. ~ ..... .-. :"
 What the moral and hygienic consid-
 eration is worth can be judged from
 the environment of the little girl who went into the old time shop or factory
 to learn a trade. If to factory, she was too often under the orders of a
 coarse mouthed foreman, ignorant of all refinement, unpleasantly familiar
 with the girls. She was thrust into an | unclean, unventilated shop destitute of
 proper appliances for washing herself when her work was done. Has a noble
 womanhood any chance for life in such surroundings? "'"
 The Simmons trade college for girls | is clean, airy, perfectly ventilated and provided with washrooms, restroom and library. It is comfortably heated in winter and cooled in summer. Best of all, its teachers are educated, re- l fined men and women, association with | whom is a liberal education for the trade school. girl. Thus the girl herself while she learns her trade becomes a | neat, gentle hammered, refined and pure | minded woman. What this means to the daughters of poor Russian, Polish and Italian Immigrants may be imag- | ined A girl is, taken from the poorest surroundings in which it is possible for | a decent human being to exist and is | trained in the way of the cleanest, most | enlightened : civilization. <, The eager ness with which the daughters of these l poor people grasp for better things, the | real power and ambition they manifest makes it great pity that there is not | room to accommodate half that apply | for admission to the few technical l schools already organized.
 l The girls trade school movement is I only in its infancy. Here is field, 1T l the building up of such schools, ir 1 which millionaire men and women may | exploit themselves gloriously and make
 heir permanent impress on the institu. l Gions of their country. 1l ! No reference to trade schools for wo. | men must. omit the share the Youns ! Vomen's Christian association has ha6
 II the training of girls for honest work | Long ago, In even the small cities, this 1 organization established free classes ir l sewing and housekeeping, in stenogra' | phy, typewriting and other trades fol | women, so far as they, had room ant
 means, and many 8 girl today is sup. porting herself comfortably and hap.
 oily through the occupation she learned
 in the Y w. c. A. evening or day class.
 es. This society is the real pioneer ol l trade schools for girls.