The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-08-05


Upon q q grassy slope running d own TO
the banks OF q tree-frin ged lake at Mas,
near Gothenbnrg, in Sweden, stands DIS g
board bearing the words The s. tn cory Of
5Play.$ Here. amid surround ngs " HIGH.
for placid beauty, cannot be surpassed
4 ia Europe, teachers from all parts OF the
world gather to DO instructed. among q mons
other things. In the art OF playing (, IN ~
order that they In turn may teach the
children under them. To English IDEAS
the thought seems q little odd 11V cry
boy and girl is supposed to be able 70
play. II given 4 the chance; but onl " 2
moments reflection Is needed to under
stand the principle upon which the az Y d
9thorities are proceeding. Mrs. Humphrey
Ward. indeed, has made y he discovery!
Z rs have all social workers amony5 the
poor, that the little slum dWellers q =
great city like London do not play ;5thsey
sometimes initiate the vices n OF their A'l.
aldars. but the games which should ap-
peal to them are beyond their ken At
Mas an effort is being made to restore re
NAV n to It's proper posi- tion{ In the lie
I of q child, and, as with all other bran hes
! of work in this model institution, the in-
fstruction !. is given systematically, and md
with definite objects in View. . Ss
" Mas is the home OF first principles,
a quiet spot removed from the rusn mn
currents Fl OF modern sci vilization, :Whehr err
the means rather than the 81 END 81 are
sought where simplicity Is the rule, and
where the little things which max Typ ne
ann Of human existence are appreciated
IT their proper worth. Oddly enough
az had Its origin in semi poll teal move
ment. which aimed at conserving fast
disappearing phase OF peasant lite.s char
sooteristics OF Sweden, and Its one-tlme
dependency. Finland. This was sloyd,
Sweden, which Is half as large again as
the United Kingdom, Is very sparse!y
populated, and the nights are long, y
olden times the members OF amPilles Nv {,
ing In, the country district s would 4 as as
semble round the heard when darkness
had set In, and while tho women Would
sn,n and sew the men would fashion use.
ri articles in wood. the work proc eedlng
"a the strains Of song or the telling OF
q story or saga, With the spread OF the
,,sa az machinery the necessity for THIS
nome hnndioraft diminished. and sloyd
wns In danger OF becoming as extinct
IN sweden as the making OF samplers
has been In ENGLAND, and with It's de-
cay came weakening Of the ties OF
home life which are among the most
va luable elements OF a nation. Ii III Z
Happily some thlrty-f!ye years ago
there arose In Sweden q body OF men.
who realized what WAS happening, and
among the number was Y Herr ugusti
4Abrahamson, a merchant OF Gothenburg,i
who had amassed fortune In business
and retired to Mas, Assisted . by his
/ nephew, Herr Otto Solomon, no estab-,
3lishad on his estate sloyd schools for boys
and girls. and others Bprang IN IN dlRer-
ant parts of the country. IT WAS not
long before 1t was seen that sloyd pos
aessed educational virtues which had not
hee1, suspected when tha patriotic citl-
xens who had set out to, save It from
extinction began their agitation. Tho
nnlitical side OF the movement soon dis
anpaared. and to-day sloyd instruction
- the most characteristic feature 5l pf
Swedish education. W I.
Moreover. n movement when was "
landed to be national has deyeloped into
one which Is International, and Mas Is
the center of a school OF thopght when
has made Its Influence felt throughout
,he world, II Herr Abrahamson5 llyed long
enough to sec the institution when ho
had founded become the headquarters Tor
the training Of sloyd teachers, ana Wheh
Ia died he beaueathed the INSTITUTION y, %
3tha state the sole proyiso pelngi t1lAt
Heir Solomon should DO retained as
the director. Under that gentleman's
control the seminary has continued 20
attract to II teachers from every eiyll-
ized ro,lntry--some sig hundred have gone
from England and scotland-~and moving
vith the times fresh activities have been