The Indianapolis journal., 1904-04-24

ence-O1 It's Denenclal influences
and OF the new and interesting features
which are continually being added Like
many another great institution however,
it has had slow and humble beginning and
its propagators met at first only opposition
and discouraging Indifference.
AS early 1888 the movement for man.
ual training began to be discussed, but it
was not until 1895 that the present building
was opened and Manual Training High
School established as a school.
The Manual Training High School has a
two-fold origin. 1t was really the out
growth of two private technical schools,
quite distinct from each other, each of
which had plenty of it's own troubles and
was fostered for a number OF years by un-
selfish and public-spirited citizens. One of
them met in the basement of the old high
school building on Pennsylvania street. un-
til its removal to the present manual train
ing building. The other, an independent
German institution. called the Mechanics
Institute, was held at first in different
rooms about the city. but finally purchased
property Maryland street, between Ala
bama and Delaware streets.
Credit for the admirable fitness of the
Manual Training School building for its
purpose belongs entirely to Mr.. Frederick
Emory, an expert on technical education,
brought here from the East under whose
direction and personal supervision the plans
were drawn and the structure erected
The manual training which was carried
on in the basement of the high school was
in nowise connected with the regular high
school course and had to be maintained on
a tuition of s. a term, as the law at that
time made no provision for funds for this
kind OF instruction.
Even the teachers were not officially rec
ogniZed as such. Since no objections were
raised to this method of procedure, how
ever, the fathers of the project took heart
and the work continued. though slowly.
Mr.. George Merritt. then member of the
School Board. and others guaranteed the
expense. To Mr.. Merritt is due the credit
of having presented the first tools-twelve
training pupils in indianapolis.
HELD IN SUMMER.
For the first three years this school was
held only during the summer months It's
first teacher was Professor William F. NJ.
Goss. of Purdue University who came here
in 1883. The following summer it was
taught in School No 8. recently torn down
TO make way for the new federal building,
by Professor Dillon. also of Purdue. BY
1885 the present Shortridge building had
been erected. and the manual training class
went back 10 the high school In charge of
Mr.. William III. Bass, of this city, who
remained in his capacity OF chief instruc-
tor for six years.
IL is an interesting fact that Mr.. Bass
first entered the school a student upon
invitation of Mr.. Tarbeil, superintendent
of the city schools. obviously for the pur-
pose of finally taking this position.
The movement had proved popular by
this time that in September OF 1856 five
classes entered, and from this time on
they met during the regular school months.
There were at first about eighty pupils.
drawn chiefly from the regular junior and
senior classes, and they were accommodate
ed at sixteen benches. About the middle