The Oskaloosa herald., 1903-02-05
Educational
Department
8. J. Finley, SuPt OF the City
schools, Editor.
Hand-Loom Weaving in Primary
Schools,

Schools.
The most striking feature of the ex-
hibit of school work at the National
Educational association held in Mime.
apolis last July, was the weaving done
by the primary children in the schools
of that city. Other school work, such
as the usual language, arithmetic, geo
graphy and history manuscripts togeth-
er with drawing and modelling were in
abundant evidence, but the weaving
was what drew the crowds. This
weaving consisted of rugs, mats, bath
rugs, small hammocks, dish cloths,
borders for floor rugs, wristlets, table
mats, shopping and school bags, dus-
ters, portiers, etc, woven from carpet
wool, silkoline, cheese cloth strips,
carpet rugs, candle wick, dress Innings,
raffia, in fact most any old thing cast
aside for the ragman, but made by the
children into things of beauty and USE
fulness.
The work was done on simple
hand loom as large or larger than a
good sized slate frame (the slate frame
would answer the purpose if tacks
were driven in the two ends at proper
intervals for stringing the warp, and
as we were assured the children were
never so happy as when occupied in
this way. Besides this loom weaving
the children make baskets and like
articles of raffia and rattan. The ex-
hibit was in the east high school build
ing, near the exposition hall where the
association held its meetings. The
desks of the entire rooms, also the
walls were covered with this work
mostly finished but in many cases not
separated from the looms.
One question we asked more than
once of the teachers in charge of the
exhibit: Does not the hand-work con-
sumo great deal of your time? OF
course it is wonderfully interesting
and nice and all that, but what about
your reading, spelling and writing?
Don't they suffer-" The answer was
invariably the same and to the effect
that the children do better work in
what are usually called the essentials
than before they had this industrial
training. 1t has proved to be the best
busy work" we have ever tried and
after the children are started one class
can go on with the weaving while an
other is recitlng and be intensely in
terested all the time,
We had the pleasure during the re-
cent teachers visit of watching several
hundred children weaving baskets OF
reeds and raffia These children,
mostly little Scendinavians, were per-
feet pictures of happy interest. To a
mind open to conviction there could
be little doubt the lesson was as valu-
able to the children in an educative
sense as any other in the weeks pro-
gram.
Mrs. Todd, the inventor of the looms
used in the Twin Cities, is a teacher in
the Motley scnool, Minneapolis. We
note that her looms have been bought
in a number of Iowa cities, Council
Bluffs have recently purchased 1900
of them for the schools. Mrs. Todd
remarks in one of her circulars: "At
last the country is awaking. On all
sides is heard the call for education
that trains the head, the heart and the
hand; that equips one to do something
well. Materially the need is greatest
in the kindergarten and primary
grades, where the twig of the childs
mind is first bent. The old-time sew
ing and fine hand-work are scarcely
suited to these grades. In their place
we have the weaving of useful and
beautiful articles on simple hand
looms. This weaving requires only
the simplest materials and calls for
the most varied use of those great
tools, the fingers. Thousands of teach
ers in all parts of the country seem to
have come to the conclusion, almost
simultaneously, that, under present
conditions, weaving offers the best
basis for a systematic course in indus
trial work for the kindergarten ana
primary grades" ......
The report of the Educational Coun-
Gil on the Sequence of Studies" adopt
eu by the recent State Teachers AS
sociation contained the following on
the subject of Manual Training:
Manual training should be intro
duced into the public schools of Iowa.
1t should consist of mechanical and
free-hand drawing; cutting, folding
and weaving paper straw and rafia;
basketry and clay modelling; work in
cardboard, wood and medals; design
ing, bench-work, sewing, cooking, gar
dening, and care for domestic animals.
1t is educative rather than technical,
and the pupil should receive systemat-
ic instruction in it from competent
and skilled person who knows the ped
agogical value of each step. The pu-
pills have little chance to become skill
full in manual work outside of school
on account of the present social and
industrial conditions. Years ago pu-
pills were taught 20 use their hands,
doing different things about the home,
and now everything that is made to
work with or play with is made in a
shop. While it is important in the
ecbooIs of both city and country dis