The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1909-04-30
Drawing in the Public Schools.


that they ought to be trained, and that
is exactly what is being done, and well
done, in the public schools Of Union
City
DR.. Brown Ayres said when guest
here few years ago: Il don't know
whether you people appreciate these
advantages or not, but it will be only q
short time before their efforts viii be
apparent in the homes of these pupils
and in the improved conditions OF the
whole town. . This remark was called
forth by the excellence of the stencil
work, the original wall paper designs,
the posters, the book covers, etc.
1t is considered that the girl with the
well-trained hand and the artistic eye
more readily acquires the art OF dress
making, house-furnishing and other
useful or ornamental handicrafts. But
why teach the boy? And appended to
this question will probably be heard
this remark: My boy has no time for
such things. want him to study every
minute, get through school and COM
mence making living" 1t is ac-
knowledged by all advanced educators
that it is not only the business of the
free-school system to develop the future
citizen along those lines which will the
better enable him to make living but
to enjoy that living when it is made.
Is there a trade in which a trained
hand and eye would be drawback to
the apprentice? Not one. To the pro-
fessional man some light handicraft
that could be picked up in leisure mo-
ments would bring untold relief to the
tired brain. DR.. Holmes said that every
professional man ought to have hob
by. The better he loved his profession
and the harder he worked at it the more
persistently the hobby should be ridden.
His was carpentry
Useful as the drawing is as first step
| to other handicrafts for the working
man or woman, or as an added resource
for the professional one, mere useful
ness in material sense is not its end
and aim. Far from it. 1t is a very
great help in acquiring knowledge
along other lines as was attested by the
! illustrations on exhibit from Nursery
Rhymes through geography, biology
physiology, history to the hig h est
grades. The pupil gets from his tex
book an impression Of subject. TIT
recitation is an impression of the knowl
edge gained. Now if this is important
what distinct gain if he should have
two modes of expression instead of one
For instance, which of two scholars ha'
better learned a temperance lesson
the one who has recited the WELCOMED
text or the one who has in addition illus
trated the effects Of alcohol on the in
ternal organs? One child in one OF the
lower grades, who was studying the his
tory of our country, had made pic
ture of a ship and had written on thu
picture: Did he get to the east by sail
ing west?" The circumstances leading
to the discovery of America are yer.
probably indeliby impressed on tina
child's mind. However, examples Xix
these attracted attention all over tn
building.
1t is claimed by teachers in thos
schools, in which manual training
long past the experimental stage, tina
, it in great measure eliminates tn
natural vandalism of the boy by sub
stitution of the constructive for the de
structive principle. While admiring tn
beautiful bent iron work done by tn
boys of the public school it occurs t
one that boys whose minds had con
ceiyed and whose hands had wrough
those artistic little pieces would scarcel
be tempted to destroy the work of otf
ers. Is it too much to hope that til
boy with ideals of good form and arts
!, tic coloring may help to make the futul
American town thing of beauty?
Finally, it is surely worth while
teach. drawing in the public schools
it helps to cultivate love of the beaut
full in children, love for somethin
higher than sordid gain for gain s SAX,
OF course it will not make artists or a
critics of all the pupils and it may max
them more efficient moneymakers. bl
it might give them an insight into higf
er realms where money is not the GU
2 rency. Perhaps the time is not far o
t when we may hear and see less of tt
globe-trotting American who is unab
Y to distinguish a Rembrandt from
l chrome. There can be no good reaso
S why one should not have the ability |