Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-01-27

MANUAL TRAINING.

| The writer visited the Lincoln schoo
this week for the purpose of ascertain
ing the work being done in the manua
training department and learned many
things of which. perhaps, the genera
public is not aware, for somehow par
ents do not visit our schools as often a:
they should. The Lincoln, since the
large addition has been built, ranks nexi
to the high school in size and equipment
ard is one of which our citizens Car
justly be proud Its two floors are
cut up into grade rooms, all we'll ap
pointed aud furnished with modern
conveniences and apparatus. while the
basement is taken up with furnace room
gymnasium, bath room and carpenter
room. To the adult who visits such a
school is brought back memories of hi:
own school days, with its long weari
me hours, while the advancement
that has been made in the last decade
and the contrast between the schools
which he attended and those of the pres
ent day is foreefully apparent. He re-
members that with the average studen'
of his time, school days were ones oil
distasteful if not hated drudgery and
the respect in which the teacher was
held is well illustrated by the story OF
the hunter who asked the boy if there
was any game in the neighborhood to
shoot and the boy replied that there
was schoolmaster coming DER the hill.
Today conditions are changed Things
are made so pleasant in the school room
and the methods of teaching have been
so improved that the child takes an in
terest in his studies and loves the school
for 10 some it may perhaps be more
copgenial than is his parental abode.
But we are straying from our deserip-
tion of that work which we started out
to investigate.
The manual training feature was
added to the work of this school but re-
Gently, ard it is the only one of the city
schools wherein manual training is
taught. In the northwe est corner of the
basement room has been fitte up as
carpenter shop and an equipment of
tools and utensils purchased at a small
cost of about $500 There are twelve
double work benches and classes of
twenty -four can be accommodated and
receive instruction at one time The
third grade boys are given an hours in
straction each week; those of the fourth
grade two hours, and the fifth sixth
and seventh two hours school work and
one hour they labor voluntarily, while
on " ednesday afternoons the deaf
mutes of Miss Margaret Hulley's de-
partmeut in the Washington school take
one and one-haf hours instruction
This work is under the supervision of
the principal, viii johnson, who has
specially fitted himself for this class of
instruction New models are given fire.
qgently and diagram is drawn on a
black board showing the relative lengths
of each piece in the design and from
this the students are required to draw
their own plans being furnished with
drafting tools. After this is completed
the student is given few pieces of
wood, which are scraps furnished by
the Novelty Co, and with these pieces
he cuts out and shapes the piece de-
signed, some displaying remarkable in
genuity and all, more or less talent.
Some have made mail boxes, wall and
corner brackets and other useful arti-
cles which they have lastly ornamented
by designs in typography and chip cary
ing. AS an incentive for an interest in
the work the boys are allowed to take
these home, where they find a useful
gagged in making hand sleighs, and for
these furnish the material themselves
Paints, oils, varnishes and glue are at
the disposal of these boys, and each
student is given the exclusive use ol
several tools that he most needs, while
there are others for the common use of
all. Mr. johnson informed us that
very few tools have been missed from
the shop and whenever a boy breaks
any utensil he promptly reports the fact
and replaces it at his own expense
Some of the older boys are able to
sharpen some Of the edged tools but as
rule this work is done by Mr.. Johnson
This class of work will prove
useful to these boys in after life,
aud the school board should be en-.
couraged by the parents, in establish.
ing such departments in all of the city
schools. Naturally a boy has an IL
stinct for mechanics, and when this is
fostered and encouraged by correct
methods of training, it creates in him a
spirit of industry that works to his good
and usefulness when he has reached
maturer years. All of the boys now re-
ceiving instruction in this department
are greatly interested in the work, SO
much SO in fact that the principal often
times is called upon to warn them that
the time allotted to them has expired
While the boys are receiving instrue-
tion in the carpenter shop the girls are
given instruction in sewing under the
supervision of Miss Bertha Kinney,
but rs we did not happen to be
present when such Instruction was
being given we can only judge by
some of the finished articles, and must
say that il is our belief that the method
|COT TCEIC