Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-25
TEACHING THE CHILD
Observations of a Western
Educator.
DECLARES BOOKS WOODEN
Aims to Render instruction More
Interesting.
STUDY OF A GREAT INDUSTRY
Would Inculcate Better Habits and
Truer Views of Life-Waste
the National Vice.
STUDY OF A GREAT INDUSTRY
BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS

BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
| Herald.
| Mr.. W. P. Johnson, superintendent OF
public schools at Hannibal, Mo, asks to
be put into communication with the man.
ayers Of textile mills who are willing to
| furnish him finished and partially fin
ished samples Of their goods to be used as
object lessons for his pupils in order that
they may understand the different proc
esses of the manufacture Of cloth. He has
introduced a novel, attractive and pract-
cal form of instruction which may be imi-
tated with profit in other schools. HIS
idea is to inject vitality into the daily
lesson Of the children; to associate the in
formation derived from school books with
actual facts; to enliven the geography,
the arithmetic, the grammar and the his
tory with practical Illustrations as in
kindergarten. To illustrate, he has taken
letter published in these columns on the
Goth Of August last describing the mills OF
the American Printing Company OF Fan
River. Mass. and has used it as lesson
for the pupils of the public schools OF
Hannibal, illustrated by samples furnish
| ed by Mr.. F. B. Failey, manager. OF those
mills. He has written to the managers
| OF OCQeT pTOOQCluS d NdtiCty u go
| tiles, such as Collins, Altman & Co. who
| manufacture plush, brocades and similar
upholstery fabrics, at Manayunk. Pa, and
| they have furnished him with full line
of samples showing the different stages
of the processes by which their particular
goods are made. He is anxious to receive
all the information and samples he can
obtain from other manufacturers OF tex
tile fabrics. In describing his methods OF
instruction Mr.. Johnson says:
New Method Of Instruction.
ct gathered all the facts from your let
ter concerning Fall River, geographical.
typographical the size Of the factories,
the number of operatives employed,
wages, hours Of employment, nationality.
educational and social advantages, raw
materials, markets. etc. I taught the
children from it geography with Fall
River as the center, and it's bearings rela-
tive to Boston, Hartford, New York. Chi
cago, New Orleans; the routes Of trans
was brought to the mills and by which the
finished products were shipped to the
various markets. This involved the
great problem of transportation, freight
rates and passenger rates. and railway
timetables were freely used. arousing i'm
pulses and furnishing that kind Of knowl-
edge which ought to be in our text books
where it could be correlated with geogra-
ply and history. And 1t Is interesting
not to children alone, but to adults as
we'll.
1.-THE samples showed materials which
are wrought into fifty various kinds of
wearing apparel. That led to a considera-
ton OF the relative advantages of the diff
ferent kinds. pattern-cutting. garment
making, sewing. the passion for styles,
the evils of extravaganza, the benefits of
economy and other twentieth century
problems. BY this form of study the
children can get a clear, natural con-
ception Of the different manufacturing in
dustries and their bearings upon everyday
life.
II propose to take up foodstuffs next
and. treat that subject in the same man
ner keeping constantly in view the i'm
pulses and work alone the line Of the
human qualities and not the mere mental
possession of facts. Character is the
glow one feels in this work, and culture
flows from industrialism. 1 believe that
the whole scheme of education should
be to arouse impulses and to awaken
thought.
Zones life should be period Of contin-
ual discovery. This doctrine, you readily
see, shifts the activities Of childhood, par
TALLY at least from the musty past to the
living present. Show me a successful
business man and I will point to one
whose life has been period Of continual
discovery.
More Vital Methods Needed.
Carroll D. Wright has demonstrated
that over 90 per cent of the pupils in our
public schools drop out before they reach
the high school. This is a pretty strong
indictment against prevailing tendencies