CRUSADE FOR THE COUNTRY SCHOOL 



with which in our period of extensive 

 growth we are tempted to be content. 



Manual training, now generally and 

 properly regarded as an indispensable part 

 of early education, is surer to be acquired 

 by country children than by city children. 

 School manual training in the country may 

 be no better than in town ; yet country boys 

 and girls have an advantage in this branch, 

 since their activity outside of school affords 

 manual instruction of the most useful kind 

 because practical. In cities artisans of all 

 sorts are at every one's beck and call to do 

 all needed things, an unfortunate facility 

 which city parents ought to lament on be- 

 half of their children, who thus lose educa- 

 tional privileges they can never make up. 



In city as in country homes all ordinary 

 repairs about the premises, as of clothing, 

 woodwork, furniture, locks, clocks, ma- 

 chines and gear of all sorts, should be done 

 by the young people of the household. All 

 girls and boys should know how to sharpen 

 scissors, knives and tools. Common paint- 

 ing should be their care. A great deal of 



233 



