The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-12-28

species in this locality is in this
exhibit. They are all labelled and
would make a good addition to any
museum. There is no such thing at
the Washburn museum which is one
of the best in the state. Also in this
grade the children are given a better
idea of the industries and are able to
test cloths and explain their texture.
Their first botanical work commences
here. They raise plants and study
the development of seeds. Another
important feature in the fourth grade
(Which is one of the turning points in
the child's school Iife) is the first
study of music. The notes are taught
of the notes and made to understand
their uses.
Girls That Sew.
The fifth grade is a great grade for
girls. 1t is here that they are first
taught to sew and there are many
samples of their work on exhibition
OF course it is all free hand sewing
and none of the machines are in use.
The girls learn to make simple gar
mentS as aprons and the like The
boys also continue their manual train
ing by taking up their first wood
work. They have made coat hangers
and pressing boards all of which are
placed on the exhibition tables with
the name of the maker and the
school. The first clay modelling is
work is in this room Drawing by
this time has become more technical.
There is one cartoon of a class room
that would be appropriate for the
used per the drawing route and
measurements are made and con-
structed with the pen. The compost
tons on geography, zoology, botany,
history, and nature work are all Illus
trated with cut out pictures and
room took James Whitcomb Riley's
Brook Song" and decorated it for
Christmas. each child taking a copy
for his or her own use. The children
ventionaI taste in their decorating.
The diagraming of sentences in
grammar is also made a feature in
the routine work.
Physiology takes its first beginning
in the sixth grade. Compositions to-
gether with the drawings of the parts
of the body are made and the work is
excellent. Some of the children in
this grade visited the Continental
creamery not long ago and they have
made drawings of the buildings and
the things they saw and have written
story to go with the illustrations. All of
these occupy a corner in the prettily
decorated room. In the manual train
ing line wood carving and clay model
ling is more perfected feature
The girls are glad to get into the
seventh grade because it means sewing
again. This was skipped in the sixth.
The boys learn to make useful things
in their wood carving such as knife and
fork racks, towel turner's aand wooden
tool boxes. Their clay work shows
much improvement over the work in
the preceding grades. In drawing the
pencil work is becoming a permanent
feature. and the children have learned
to make use of the shades by a little
shade chart they have constructed for
the purpose. History commences for
good in this grade. Kansas history is
taken up and continued into the history
of the United States All is illustrated
by free hand maps without a model.
Boy Made His Furniture
The last grade, the eighth, in the
Harrison school is grade summing up
of the work of the children since they
commenced as little tots when they
came to school with the assistance of
their brothers and sisters. The change
is wonderful The same spelling and
writing is on exhibition but in much
better form. naturally. 1t is interest
ing to note that the schools take special
interest in nature, spelling and writ
ing To be a good speller, to be good
writer and to observe nature seems to
ings are made from real life in the
eighth grade and black and white work
is used extensively. No more of the
mussy water fiashy colors for the big
brothers and sisters. Charts are made
of the consultations and the weather
temperatures. Sewing is taken up with
more vigor and seriousness and wood
carving and clay work looks like
bunch of masterpieces one BOY
Hampton Shirer, is fitting up his room
at home with desks, chairs, tables ana