136 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



in making this kind of woman possible, then we should lose no time in 

 availing ourselves of it. 



And what this kind of an education will do for a girl it will also do 

 for the boy. He will be far better able to successfully deal with the 

 problem of life than one who is merely confined to theoretical knowledge. 



Manual training certainly has a moral effect when it teaches an ap- 

 preciation of what work is and what it means in life; that all honest 

 work is honorable if undertaken in the right spirit, and finished accord- 

 ing to the best of one's ability. If we give our best to the world, it 

 matters not so much what the work is, whether it is cooking a whole- 

 some meal or writing a powerful sermon, if it is only our best. All good 

 work counts because it helps to build the individual character of the 

 one "who does his best." As George Herbert says — 



"Who sweeps a room as for Thy laws 

 Makes that and the action fine." 



But do I hear the argument that our school days are altogether too 

 full now? Even as it is, we are accused of cramming and overworking 

 the students. Yes, but you will find that the little time spent in the 

 manual work acts as a recreation, and the student can do quite as 

 much, if not more, work in the remaining time, and with less nervous 

 strain. Our college course is very full, but we know that the young 

 women would not accomplish more study if the hours spent in domestic 

 work were taken from that department and given over to study hours. 



Now, where can this practical work be introduced into the course of 

 study, and how. In my judgment, sewing can be introduced into the 

 fourth or fifth grades, and cooking lessons a little later, the domestic 

 work then continuing through the grades. As the girls come to us 

 from the tenth and twelfth grades, the necessity for the simpler kinds 

 of work in the grades is continually made manifest to us. Many of 

 them have no idea of the use of the needle, and many more with only 

 an incorrect knowledge, which is even more diflScult to overcome than 

 to teach the girl who knows nothing whatever of sewing. Think what 

 the possibilities would be if all this preliminary work had been carefully 

 gone over in the grades. And mind you, I say carefully. I think the 

 bad results from incompetent instructing in manual education is quite 

 as far reaching as poor teaching in any other line of education can 

 possibly be. Instructors in manual work need Just as careful prepara- 

 tion as the ones who teach English, history or the sciences. I do not say 

 that as long a time is required for this preparation, but it must be 

 quite as carefully and conscientiously done. Just anyone who can sew 

 or cook cannot necessarily teach others to sew and cook. Such an in- 

 structor, to be successful, must possess all the instincts of the natural 

 teacher; she must hold and enthuse her class; she must be able to give 

 out the best that is in her, and present her subject in an attractive 

 manner, otherwise she should never attempt to instruct others. May 

 I say that the real teacher must possess two qualities : — first, the in- 

 herent ability to teach in the best sense of the term; and, secondly, the 

 broad and comprehensive education. Without the first quality no one 

 should ever presume to face a class with the intention of instructing. 

 How much of the lack of interest, the desultory way in which pupils 



