Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1906-02-02
THE MANUAL TRAINING IDEA.
Address by Principal Alser Of Vermont
Academy to the Young Peoples Union
Of the Baptist Church.


Principal John L. Alger of Vermont
Academy gave an address Of great value
before the young peoples union at the
Baptist chapel Tuesday evening. His
subject was 1.-THE Manual Training Idea"
Mr.. Alger did not confine himself to the
mere description of various forms of
manual training, but gave in broad
and comprehensive way an idea of the
modern spirit of education. He showed
that the process of growth in education
is in the direction OF fitting the individual
for the duties and opportunities of useful
living, rather than simply for earning
living fitting for active service in the
world rather than for position in the
world. The conception of the purpose of
education depends upon the ideals of the
purpose of life. AS the outlook upon life
and it's possibilities enlarges, our views
OF the possibilities of education must en-
large in proportion. And such evolution
and revolution are necessary to growth
in any direction. The highest ethical be-
hefs, the beliefs that control our strongest
motives, are the direct result of process
of evolution of thought that can easily be
traced. Jesus taught us to pray, THY
Kingdom come on earth as 1t Is in heaven"
but more than this he taught us how to
actually have a share in making 1t come.
He not only taught us to love our neigh
Dor, but by example and by precept he
UluBnI US To 40 SOIntNHlLB AOL Jul HGlBh-
Dor He taught us not only our knship
TO God but our brotherhood to man, which
Is no less divine a relation These ideas
have been slowly permeating the world.
We look in vain in the Psalms of David
for instances of that altruistic regard for
others which dominates the teachings of
Jesus Christ, and we look in vain to the
dogmas of the grim theology of earlier
days for any hint OF the love for God
which finds expression in unselfish SER
vice for humanity. Yet that Is the key
note of what we today call religion, and 1t
is this spirit of universal brotherhood and
helpfulness which is our brightest hope
for the future.
1t is interesting to trace the change in
the educational ideal as II has developed to
keep pace with the ever enlarging concep-
ton of the great purposes of life and the
relation of education to those purposes. A
study of the different kinds of schools,
and of the kinds of differences in all
schools within the last few years gives an
idea of the development toward a higher
mission. Schools for teaching the practi-
cal arts of life, for the study of social
science and of those movements which
tend to uplift man and woman and to
make them more happy and useful, are
on every side. From small beginnings
have grown the public manual training
schools, which are now a part of the
school system in most of the large cities
in our country. The art schools, even
instead of trying to turn out painters and
sculptors are endeavoring to bring beauty
and symmetry and proportion into the
little things of everyday life.
We may define manual training as that
which, from its direct connection with life
and with the arts of life, so enriches our
curriculum Of textbook studies as to give
1t a real point of contact with everyday
living and loving and laboring Incident
ally it includes the training of the hand,
the training of the eye, the training Of
the mind, and the training of the heart
In the old days the whole range of farm
duties, from breaking steers to making
soap, added to the education of learning
the art of life by living. When we see
the great number of men and women who
have risen through this homely toll to
leadership, We are lead rresistibly to the
conclusion that modern life with its free
dom from these very elements which have
drought success to the older generation.
must be supplemented in some way, even
in the rural communities, If we are to
enjoy the advantages that our fathers
gained from this essential and practical
training.
Manual training is an essential for our
schools. The question we have to answer
is not, shall we have manual training?
It is rather, What form of manual train
ing shall we chose? Here Mr. Alger re-
ferred especially to the value of school
gardens as form of manual training and
told of what had been done in many towns
and cities. His accounts of some of his
own personal experiences gave an added
interest to his story.