Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1910-05-26

utled 10 every congratulation for th,
most excellent exhibit giver
IN the ward school building last Fri
day. Considering the fact that The
manual training, including wood
working for the boys and sewing fol
the girls has only been a part of the
local schools curriculum for two
years the showing made Friday wa,
really very remarkable 1t came as
complete surprise 10 the four or FIVE
hundred people who inspected the
work Friday, for although the resi-
dents OF the city knew that work
along that line was being done in the
schools, few had any idea of the su-
perb quality of the articles which
were being turned out by the boys
and girls
In this day when catchy fads are so
likely to be all the vogue for a short
time and then gradually fade away in
to insigniicance, the money of the
taxpayers fading with them, il is
gratifying to be so fortunate as TO
have in charge of school affairs a
school board and superintendent who
have sufficient balance not TO be
drawn into every rash experiment
that for a moment strikes the popu-
lar fancy along educational lines, and
yet with progressivenes enough to
utilize new ideas whose worth is
satisfactorily proved In this Alma
tnrfnn1fa = L 4.
ingly by this exhibit. The practical
nature OF the work done by this new
department of manual training and
above all It's excellent quality prove
beyond doubt that the management
of the public schools knew what they
were about when they introduced this
training as a part of the curriculum
OF course by this time it is no ex-
pertinent; all cities Of any Importance
and ambition in this state have in
stalled it as part of their regular
courses, but of all schools in cities
the size OF Alma. it is very doubtful
If any OF them could make better
exhibition of the work done than
was given here Friday.
The exposition was the first of its
kind to be given in the city Its pur-
pose was TO demonstrate publicly the
efficiency OF the training given in the
grades and high school along the
lines slightly out of the ordinary
routine of studies. the manual train
ing and art departments. The sue
cess OF the first venture along this
line and the cordiality with which it
was received by the hundreds of
townspeople who focked TO the build
ing to view the exhibit will make it
an annual eveTrt. This will be looked
forward to during the year as one of
the cpochs OF the school term and
chance will be given each year for
the public to examine the work and /
.huS compare each years exhibit with |
that OF the previous one. Friday aft /
ernoon while the doors of the ward |
school were open an almost contin- /
ious stream OF spectators flowed in
and out, and during the early after
noon hours some OF the rooms were
20 crowded that II was difficulty that
he visitors were taken care of. An
attempt was made TO register the
'isitors but SO many slipped by with
'ut being seen that the register was
lot at all complete; yet about three
hundred names were taken 1t was
stimated by those having this part
# the work in charge that nearly half
hAca fa,IaI A. II
or, so it is thought that in the neigh
Of five or six hundred people
iewed the exhibit.
The ward school was in holiday art
re Every room was tasti1y adorned
nth the bright color work of the
upils from the little toddiers in the
ase1nent kindergarten to the eighth ,
raiders. Besides the paintings and {
rawlings of the pupils, examination {
apers. spelling lessons and writing I
,sts were pinned in profusion about
le walls and blackboards. q
The most interesting part of the /
nilding 10 most people perhaps was c
lie manual training exhibit proper r
TIC play lOOlll III the northwest l
,rner of the basement Here were d
Town the articles of wood made by
e boys and the dresses, aprons, L
and so on made by the "
rls. There were SO many fine pieces il
both departments that space forbids II
all OF them. Each one.
,wever, showed the result of most a
reful training and in some cases n
eat deal of natural skill in handling D
OILS. The larger finished pieces of a.
rniture attracted the most attention. o.
large mission table OF heavy oak W
I'll polished occupied a prominent Il
ace. This table compared very fav- hi
ably with many OF the high-class al
Dles turned out from Grand Rapids II
he design was graceful and sym d,
etrical, yet solid looking accord h;
Z to the mission type. each part re
Is we'll made, and the whole as w