Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-12-07
Manual Training in the School

Dear Household: II seems TO ME iong
time since l was smong you, II tne pleas SUR
NINE I am ] have the lions snare. 1
always feel il a personal loss When cHcu 1i
Thomas viii permit me. But shall not grum-
bIe for our Father sends me 50 many good
and pleasant things that every day has TO oe
q Thanksgiving day" and then l don't count
hrlf Of my 'smarcies." Some Of you people
NAV be wondering how Il is possible for plaln
little school ma'am Ito fortune and TO tame uh-
known 10 consider her lot a happy one.
I find that Just believing that God means
what He saws is the best chemical for extract
ing the gold OF happiness from the dross ot
human woes. II / do that, III trust hlm 10
take care Of me under all circumstances and
shall love Him. II l love him, VIII love
those for whom He gave His Only Son; and lOv-
ing them I shall be too busy trying TO do them
good to have muc- time for fretting over dlsap-
pointments. Real love- for ones nelghbors Ie-
suits In work and self fOrgetfulness 10 such an
extent that one may have an abiding sense OF
peacc and quiet JOY through the ylcissltudes
that surround rs. II you don't believe II Try
IT, THE proof Of the pudding you know
I attended the state Baptist convention at
Dublin last week and IL was a great occa-
sion. wonder if any other OF Our House
mo could hear such Willingham and
Dargan ard burroughs and Copeland without
know the Household will join me in hoping that
Rev Alex W. Bealer will use the handsome
fountain pen with which the convention present
cd him 70 continue writing for The Seml-Neek-
meSSee.
AIRS. Georgia. am probably the Noble BcaL
10 whom you referred. since / spent last winter
In PUlsski county, and am here again Il
you were 20 come 70 Cary, our little village, 4
shall be glad to know you.
Vera MOBILES / used TO think just as you do
shout manual training. that children so 60
school 20 learn books and nothing else. Now
believe they go there to be educated, ana
whatever aids I'm character building or intellec-
tual development in enlarging their life pos
Sibilities. has place in the school. began
studying the underlying principles Of hand WORK.
] observed the results IN the practice school at
the State Normal and have used IL in my own
teaching. though not 80 much as ] wished,
until last winter, and I am convinced that IL Is
worth while. / do not consider books OF less
Importance than I once did, but / think that
through an intelligent use OF manual training.
their contents be better assimilatcd. More
thought t. required to reproduce the home or
Hiswatha With crayon and blackboard, or "atcr
colors. with paper wigwam, twig forest End
canoe fashioned from corn stalks q long
mayI-op than is needed to memorize and report,
parrot-like. the description LongfelIow gives.
find that tie pupil who illustrates his history.
literature. geography ard other studies I'm some
material way. retains them long after they have
vanished f-om the mind that merely got II In
words. In this way, too, the child may enter
I'm some measure into the race experience, aid,
being through the various stages q the do
velopnent Of the race. be better able TO ap.
prcciate and use wFcly the advantages OF his
You mas say that the country pupils have
afford q srend il In the training OF their
hands This Is one OF the strongest arguments
for their having this training. ] don't know
what people OF strong intelyectua payers may
be able 10 do but 7 know ] cannot SIT all Day
and keep INV mind one thing. especially IL it
isn't very interesting. Most OF begin tu
suuirm ard yawn II we have 10 listen 10 a
nor an hour. yet We think n child ought 10 SIT
IN and study the same subject two or three
IL. though. even If he could. You may
cctd in compelling him TO stare at his book.
but lie isn't studying IL. Either his mind viii
leCome inert and stupefied IL Will seize
upon whatever Of n local nature presents itself
anJ expCEd its activity in idle mischief
Vicious ima-inings. when you punish him for
sticking n pia I'm Jack 20 see him jump
lacking Susie's pla. 20 the desk. you provide
nothing better for the mind and muscles than
were Just aching with pent-up energy Il seems
little like cruelty TO animals doesn't II:
SUPPOSE you had set him 10 making something.
no time would have been lost from his book.
FOR lac isn't using II on the book anyway, the
hov-S muscles would be learning 10 obey his
will. 10 execute what the brain conceived and
his constructive Imagination would be develop
cd. II this work were properly corrected with
his other studies. IL would Fix and vitallze
them a. nothing else could. Where IL tho
waste OF time to this2 10 seems economy
20 ne Such constructive ability If not sense
less idle play. merely to pass off time; II *
bssed upon fundamental principles. am not