Weekly Arizona journal-miner., 1904-12-14
EXCELLENT AND PRACTICAL WORK Of the Manual Train ing Department Of the Public Schools Great h. terest Being Manifested By
 the Pnpils.

The boys of the public schools, un,
 der the instruction of A. B. Clark,
 are doing excellent work in the manual
 training department of the schools.
 Mir. Clark is very enthusiastic over
 his work and has the happy faculty of
 innoculating his pupils with the same
 degree of enthusiasm.
 For great many of them the lesson hour is not sufficient to satisfy them
 with the work and recess and the noon
 hour finds many of them at work with
 chisel and plane, hammer and saw,
 working out some practical problem
 in wood. Not satisfied even with the five school days of the week some of them insist on MT. Clark opening up the public school work shop for them on Saturday and spend their time there very profitably, and Interestingly to them as we'll, rather than in play and recreation.
 Of course it does not take much persuasion on their part to get him to open up this department as he takes a pride in their work and isgswilling at all times to gratify their desires and to encourage them in every way possible.
 A representative of the Journal Miner called on Monday shortly before 1 o'clock to visit this department and found from a half dozen to a dozen boys waiting at the door, Mir. Clark not having yet returned from his Iun- cheon.
 He returned in few minutes and unlocked the door to show the news paper scribe the place and no sooner had we entered than a dozen boys were inside and at work.
 The handiwork consists of articles innumerable almost and it was a real treat to be permitted to examine the work performed and was equally sur prising to note it's excellence consid- ering that this department has only been Tn operation three months.
 There are eight double work benches in the room capable of accommodating sixteen boys at work at one time. But each of the separate benches has two vises, one at each end, and by little crowding, this number can Ee increas- ed to thirty two.
 MT. Clark says the boys take great interest in the work and are making fine progress in it and this assertion was evidenced by the work on hand to show for it.
 He selects problems for each boy which is best adapted, according to his judgment, to the ability of the student and he says that he seldom makes mistake in guaging the boys ability. When one problem has been solved or one article made he selects l one a little more difficult and requir- ing a little more skill but not suffic- iently difficult to discourage the boy | and in this way leads him by easy | stages to greater proficiency in the work.
 Some boys have natural ability for the work and hence advance more rapidly the work not being graded by the grade they may happen to be in in the regular school department. Hence a boy in the fifth, sixth or seventh grade of the school may be away in advance of the high school boy in the manual training department.
 In additional to the practical work given them Mir. Clark also gives in- struction as to the growth of the trees and useful points pertaining to lumber of all kinds making it practical in every feature.
 He thoroughly understands the work and is daily demonstrating the wisdom of the establishment of this depart ment in the public schools.
 The lumber provided for the school is used up so that no waste whatever occurs and if scraps are made they are utilized in making some small article either useful or ornamental. Each boy is given the product of his labor, but with the injunction to carefully preserve it as it is MT. Clark's Inten- tion later to gather them all to- gether and give an exhibition of them to the public that they may witness lhe good work that is being accom- plished and it certainly is an excel lent work, both useful and practical.