The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-08-15
THE HOME OF sLoYn

banks of a tree-fringed lake at Naas near Gothenburg. in Sweden, stands a board bearing the words "The Theory of Play" Here, amid surroundings which for placid beauty cannot be sur passed in Europe, teachers from all parts of the world gather to be instruc- ted, among other things, in the art of playing, in order that they in turn may teach the children under them. To Eng fish ideas the thought seems little odd Every boy and girl is supposed to be be able to play if given the chance; but only a moments reflection is needed to understand the principle upon which the authorities are pro- ceeding. Mrs. Humphry Ward, indeed, has made the discovery, as have all so- cial workers among the poor, that the little slum dwellers of a great city like London do not play; they sometimes initiate the vices of their elders, but the games which appeal to them are beyond their ken. At Naas an effort is being made to restore play to it's proper position in the life of child, and, as with all other branches of work I in this model institution, the instruc- tion is given systematically, and with definite objects in view.
 Naas is the home of first principles, quiet spot removed from the rushing currents of modern civilization, where the means rather than the end are sought where simplicity is the rule, and where the little things which make l up the sum of human existence are ap- preciated at their proper worth. Oddly enough, it had its origin II seni-poli- l tical movement which aimed at conser- l ing a disappearing phase of peas ant life characteristic of Sweden, and its one-time dependency, Finland This was sloyd, Sweden, which is half as large again as the United Kingdom, is very sparsely populated, and the nights are long, In olden times the members of families living in the country dis tricts would assemble round the hearth l NICll uCl hllGSS Ihu SGL il1S anu WlltAS the women would spin and sew the men would fashion useful articles in wood, the work proceeding to the strains of song or the telling of a story or saga. | With the spread of the use of machin- cry the necessity for this home handi- craft diminished, and sloyd was in | danger of becoming as extinct in Swed- l At1 a ofy iF1c Nf r,l o.sc b0C e been in England, and iwth it's decay came weakening of ties of home life, which are among the most valuable elements of a nation
 Happily some thirtyfive years ago | there arose in Sweden a body of men who realized what was happening, and among the number was Herr August Abrahamscn, merchant of Gothen- | burg, who had amassed fortune in business and retired to Naas. Assisted by his nephew, Herr Otto Solomon, he established on his estate sloyd schools for boys and girls. and others sprang lup in different parts of the country. It was not long before it was seen that sloyd pcSsessed educational virtues Whick had not been suspected when the patriotic citizens who had set out to gave 1t from extinction began their agitation. The political side of the movement soon disappeared, and to- day sloyd-instruction Is the most characteristic feature of Swedish edu- cation.
 Moreover, a movement which was in- tended to be national has developed in- to one which is international, and Naas is the centre of a school of though which has made its influence felt throughout the world Herr Abraham son lived long enough to see the institu- tion which he had founded become the headquarters for the training of sloyd teachers, and when he died he be- queathed the institution to the State the sole provise being that Herr Salo- mon should be retained as the direc- tor. Under that gentleman's control the seminary has continued to attract to it l it teachers from every civilized coun- try-some six hundred have gone from England and Scotland-and moving with the times fresh activities have been entered upon every year. and new
 triumphs have been won Advance is indeed the keynote of the life at Naas. That is no standing still.
 Sloyd is the most attractive form of education. It is Euclid in wood. That bug-bear of the average schoolboy us- ed geometrical forms to develop the reasoning powers of his pupils, In the same way Herr Salmon will tell you
 that the sloyd student works not for
 the sake of the object but for himself.
 Only work based on study of the child
 will be for the benefit of the child. It follows that instruction is largely in- dividual, and in order to avaoid the danger of instruction becoming routine the teachers are changer each course. Tuition is twofold-theoretica and practical. The lectures, which are de- tlivered in three languages-Swedish,
 English, and German are usually given in the open air, and sometimes
 take the form of a general conversa-
 tion.
 In the workroom, where models which range from a penholder to a toy house
 and farnyard are contracted, metehod is insisted upon more than execution.
 There is right way and wrong way
 even of whittling a stick and at Naas
 you are shown the right way; you are made to see why it is the right way,
 and, moreover, you, are taught which is the right kind of stick to whittle.
 Teaching is concrete, not abstract.
 Sloyd is not technical training. The