The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1905-03-16
EDUCATIONAL.
By W. L. LARSON.
FROM TIE ADDRESS OF f.
w. WALKER, PRESIDENT OF THE
WISCONSIN STATE TEACHERS
ASSOCIATION.

WISCONSIN STATE TEACHERS
ASSOCIATION.
The teaching world has taken up a
new and great question, the so-called
new education. The past few years
have seen in the educational world a
marked tendency to emphasize the train
ing of the hand, or, better still the
training of the mind through the hand
rs well rs through the eye and ear.
This tendency has found expression in
the multiplying of manual training
schools, with their departments of knife
work, carpentry, carving, pattern max
| ing, blacksmithing and moulding. For
the girls there Is the domestic science,
including all forms of sewing and cook
ing. We are introducing in the grades
handwork in the shape of weaving.
basketry, ana all the kindergarten gifts
! This movement is characterized by
many as fad which Will soon run its
course; by Others, il is considered to be
so important in educational processes as
to be epoch marking
To the teacher who sees in all this
hand WORK only n thing that interests
the otherwise listless child and thus
gives relief in the management of the
school, it is fad To him it is only an
expe lient for school government. 1t is
not uncommon to hear teachers say that
the hour for hand work is the pleasantest
and easiest of the day. This may be
true, but if this is the reason for its in.
lection into our school courses it is IL
fad
To the teacher who believes that
through all this training of the hand the
mind itself becomes more alert and
sounder to him who believes that
| through this new education u different
and sturdier and truer type of man
hood and wonlanhood is to be evolved
this movement is to he the religion of
his educational heart.
ult' Sl'hl ''IbN dliplldl NlfDS nave
been taken. The time was in pioneer
days when every young man and woman
was given hand training for the duties
of life rs each must confront them
Their very physical existence gave this
training They needed not to be able
to read, write and cipher, though each of
these accomplishments would have been
valuable. He must be able to swing the
axe, handle the rifle and paddle the
canoe she must be able to keep pace
with the man in his strenuous existence.
Then came II time when il was the
pride of each father to say to his neigh
bors and to the school master, II am
sending my child to school in order that
he may never have to work IN hard as
have worked. The boy was given IL
common school education and il possible
was sent to college, with the idea that
he could thereby earn his living more
easily He was educated away from
hard labor Under this notion our
people have been divided into two
classes. They have been educated apart
1t is not because of differing hearts that
the ideas of our commercial and pro
fessional leaders so frequently clash with
those Of our labor leaders. Each has
evolved type of mind differing from
that of the other, and the mind of him
who works with his hands IN well ~ his
brain in some way takes on truer fibre
than does that Of the man whose only
labor is mental.
A recognition of this truth has brought
about the third condition-the new
education From this idea manual
training ~ il is now known in our
schools has evolved From this move
ment shall develope truer and at the
same time more versatile type Of man
hood, The result will be two fold First
we shall have better trained minds
Second, we shall have body of citizens
capable Of turning their energies to
various pursuits. No one will then be
unable to work simply because his par
ticular kind of work has been displaced
by machinery or newer methods. He
shall be mentally able to master the
machinery and to learn the new
methods
1t is urged by some. that not al people
should be we'll trained in mind and
hand that there are some kinds Of work
that do not require high degree of in.
tellectual development only recently.
in this very city, it was argued by u
person Of prominence that the trouble
with our servantgirl problem is that in
this country we give too much educa
tion to our girls, 50 that they are not
willing to take positions at housework.
The real difficulty is that we haven
given education enough, nor of the right
kind, to the mistresses of our homes
They know so little of hand work them
selves that they are unable to compre
hend or direct the work of their own
homes. 1t may be true that to dig Il
ditch or saw stick of wood or sweep n
room does not cali for high mentality.
but il il also true that for the right kind
of civic and social citizenship high per-
sonal attributes are demanded Of every.
one of the ditch digger the wood
sawyer and the household maid as well
~ the merchant, the professional man
and the social leader. In obedience to
this notion We are now beginning to
educate our children into labor instead