Catoctin clarion., 1921-12-08
THE VALUE OF MANUAL
TRAINING

School curriculum is more grossly
misrepresented OF more unjustly critl-
cised than is Manual Training. .Edu-
cational authorities all over our coun-
try are hearing the cry of parents and
taxpayers that our High Schools are
costing too much money, that they are
not functioning as they should, and
that too many frills and fancies are
now being taught that cost too much
money and have no practical value.
This week has been set apart. by our
Government as National Education
Week." during which time educators
and teachers will attempt to clarity
the minds of parents and taxpayers,
at least to some little extent, with re-
CARDS to the place the schools hold in
our nation and give a few, ,Ereasons
why they should by all means 'be. sup
ported. AS | am engaged in teaching
Manual Training in your High School
| shall attempt in small way to set
forth few of the reasons why this
subject should be taught.
First, Just what does the term Man
nal Training mean? Literally it
means the training the hand with the
use of and by means of the mind. Ed
ucators a number of years ago, saw,
and wisely so, that the education OF
bows in High School was unbalanced.
Why? Because it dealt exclusively
with training the mind alone, entirely
disregarding the motor and manual
activities. This could be possibly
be overlooked years ago when only
few ever graduated from High School
and all those became professional men,
but since the High School has now be-
come the college of the masses and
every year turns out thousands OF
graduates there are not enough pro-
fessional men needed to take care of
them all, hence the idea, give them
some other training along with aca-
demic training that will tend to en-
courage them along the lines of train
ing their hands to do things in order
that a number of them might not
despise manual and technical labor
but who would enjoy it so much they
would want to follow some of these
yocations for livelihood.
First Manual Training gives over
ails more dignity. The time was when
if you mentioned overalls or manual
work to High School student he
would take it as joke. How differ
ent now! Students enjoy manual
training, yes even don overalls with
pleasure and are really interested in
Manual work and in number of cases
prefer it to regular academic work.
Will this idea carry over into life,
Surely. Even those who become pro-
fessional men will enjoy donning over
alls, morning or evening, and fixing
I'D things around their homes and will
not be SO ashamed to be seen thus as
lHe pEOlcSOlDlidl lilctll VI q SoSiiSi osioii
ago. Why? Because they will want
to make use of this practical training;
they will not be afraid of being
sneered at by some mechanic who
might happen to pass by because they
know how to handle tools.
Secondly, it breaks the monotony
of book work. We teachers, more than
anyone else, perhaps, know that the
adolescent mind is not susceptible to
book knowledge or serious thought at
all times. With lesson, page and page
after page of written work we know
the youthful mind becomes tired and
ceases to function properly. 1t is then
that period or two in the workshop
comes to the rescue to break the mo-
notony of book work. Tis true they
must think in the shop but it is alto
gether a different line of thot from
books.
Third, it satisfies that natural in
stinct every boy has to use tools and
to make things. Who ever saw real
wide awake American boy who did not
stand and look with pleasure at me-
chanic at work and long just to get
hold of those tools and make some
thing? In fact most of you can recall
the time when you stole pops" hatch
ct, saw, and perhaps brace and bits
and went out to make something for
yourself, and always in constant fear
and dread of being whipped if you
didn't get them back before "pop''
came home. Manual Training fills
this great need or desire in a boys
life and at the same time takes ad-
vantage of the opportunity to teach
the correct use of tools.
Fourth, it helps students to select
a vocation. Some boys think they
would like to be mechanic but some
times when they have had an opportu-
nifty, try out their ability along this
line, but decide they could do better in
professional work, hence they take
the academic course and go to college
where they belong. There are many
Others who get along so well in Man
ual Training and like it so well that
they believe mechanical work to be
their calling. From this class come
our engineers and technical men.
Fifth, it keeps some students in
High School who would otherwise