The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-17
"FADS AND FRILLS."
Defence OF the Expanded Course OF study
in the public schools,

To THE EDITION or TIE sUN-SiT: Before
these parents allow themselves 70 become
convinced that manual training. shopwork,
cooking, and those suoJe cts which may be
called tho industrial arts should be elmi-
mated from the public school course they
should ask themselves What Is the aim and
end Of an education? IL II merely TO accumu-
late infor nation in formal subjects? To OBJ
tain control Of the symbols Of learnlngf
Something moro il necessary. Whether the
boy 10 destined for the carpenters bench or
for the counting house. IL is desirable that he
shall have q broad view Of life, that no see
within his daily work -no matter In what 1t
may consist all that IL socially significant
Even II the three Rs enable the man who Is
the product Of such a scheme Of instruction
70 reap the best material benefits, will an edu-
cation based mainly on the three Rs be an
approach 20 q complete educaton2 II is ad-
mltted that II the present course OF study
fails 70 give proper working knowledge
OF arithmetic, spelling. reading and writing
It fails utterly. But the conclusions which
have lately been made % show that the in
PRODUCTION OF manual training has injured
the essential subjects have been based on
insufficient data. II proper comparisons were
made, 1t is safe 70 say that the knowledge
Of these essential subjects possessed by the
later graduates OF the public schools would
be found 10 be lmmeasurably superior 70 that
of the graduates Of any previous years.
The leading educators OF the country unite
in supporting the introduction OF the manual
arts. Those teachers I'm the city schools who
are engaged In advanced professional study.
and who regard teaching IS more than a
mere occupation. defend the teaching Of
these subjects. Have these subjects been
introduced merely because they are the fads
OF those in authority, or rather have they
been introduced because 81 T Thheir aehnits
| NAV be Justified on the ground that they are
! vital forces in the chld's mental develop
/ ment; an investigation Of the conditions OF
| American lie win show their necessity; eX-
| pertinent has proved that these subj ects
! have a vital interest for pupils and give them
aomething not 20 be gained in any other way,
II IL true that without these subjects in.
! GUIDED, the founders Of the nation received
| an education unsurpassed In efficiency but
| conditions are not the same The appllca-
| tons Of science have made vast changes in
the social evolution some cor, con penisation
! means Of manual training, ana Ike subjects.
| theattempt has been made to give that trH min 9
Of the senses sWenISR enc I % od
! patlons OF through close contact with the
| natural surroundings.
| cause on the notion that the chief importance
| OF these subj Cts lies In their worth a. trades,
or in, the degree of physical deIterity at
! devices Of hand Ind eve. The Intellectual
| and ethical aspects are more important.
most ridlmentary lesson in any one OF the
! arts necesstating an amount Of logical
thought on the part Of the pupil. They give
| the pupil first hand experience and bring him
! into contact with realities. As the industrial
| arts lend themselves readily 20 communal
! work the learner IL offered an opportunity
| 10 gain an insight into the social and scien-
! tlac values In his work. Statistics show that
| a large proportion OF the American people
/ are engaged In active Industrial life; II edu-
/ cation is 10 be o preparation for that life the
/ Importance Of the industrial arts Ia again
| emphasized. CLASSROOM.
! SRW YORK. April IL.