THE PHILOSOPHY OF MANUAL TRAINING. 159 



done in the blood and the tissue. It means literally a change of 

 structure, a new birth, a refining and sensitizing of the organism, a 

 nicer adjustment of the bodily powers. It is only by such thorough- 

 going practical work that the process of education can be carried out 

 and the ethical ideal realized. 



Nor must we forget that while this ethical ideal has to do solely 

 with the individual, it has equally to do with every individual, and so 

 becomes a social ideal. The full measure of life and happiness which 

 we have in mind as the educational goal can only be attained when 

 each individual life is full to the brim. But the results are never mass 

 results. They are purely individual results. There are moments in 

 life — moments to be remembered — when a whole group of men is 

 stirred by a common sentiment, joy or sorrow, fear or anger, applause 

 or condemnation, and one seems to feel the pulse beat of the whole, 

 and to stand in the presence of something larger and more beautiful 

 than the individual life. But this social organism, of which we seem 

 to catch a glimpse, is at best a mirage, and when followed leads one 

 further and further into the desert. It is true that the mass results 

 which make this vivid appeal to the imagination are due to the mul- 

 titude of men, but their quality, the thing that gave them value, is 

 inseparable from the individual. The new education has always in 

 mind this large social ideal, but it is a practical process and must pro- 

 ceed individually. It gains the social end by the very emphasis it 

 places on individuality. The complete man, strong in his bodily 

 powers, keen in his intellect, warm in his aifections, sees in his own 

 personality something very beautiful and very sacred, and comes 

 increasingly to respect the personality of others. 



I have tried to present the philosophy of manual training. Let 

 me sum it up. It rests upon a belief in the unity of man. It cre- 

 ates a definite environment for the bringing about of definite moral 

 and aesthetic results. It has for its ethical ideal the complete life of 

 the individual. It has for its social ideal the complete life of every 

 individual. In a word, it is monistic, evolutionary, individualistic, 

 social. Believe me, it is a human movement, directed to human 

 ends, and warm with the best sentiment and best aspiration of the 

 human heart. 



Every familj^, Prof. L. H. Bailey says in his Garden-making-, can have 

 a garden. If there is not a foot of land, there are porches or windows ; and 

 "one plant in a tin can may be a more helpful and inspiring garden to 

 some mind than a whole acre of lawn and flowers may be to another. The 

 satisfaction of a garden does not depend upon the area nor, happily, upon 

 the cost or rarity of the plants. It depends upon the temper of the 

 person." 



