474 



8CIENCE, 



[Vol. VIII., No. 199 



knowledge of material, and an ability to both 

 plan and execute that is surprising. Children 

 cannot be made interested and enthusiastic by ab- 

 stract ideas. They must see, to know. 



At the foundation of technical study lies prac- 

 tical designing. Some knowledge of its principles 

 is necessary in almost every pursuit. The acqui- 

 sition of this knowledge, and reasonable skill, may 

 be easily obtained without special gift or artistic 

 talent. Let us take, for example, one of the free 

 classes. These meet three evenings of the week. 

 The students are ranged on either side of long 

 tables, each of which commands a view of the 



evenness of action developed. It cannot be done 

 all at once. Then comes the second step. The 

 elementary lines are to be combined into certain 

 forms, — motives of the Persian, Egyptian, Greek, 

 Roman, Moorish, modern French, or any other 

 school of design chosen by the instructor. These 

 forms are drawn upon the board : the pupil re- 

 peats them on the side of his paper. He has now 

 a leaf as his dictionary, and will in time learn the 

 peculiar characteristics of each school of orna- 

 ment. He is asked to take the forms given, to 

 enlarge, combine, and repeat them in a pattern 

 which shall be suitable for something, — sofa- 



A boy's (age 11 years) :^irst design (same size). 



large blackboard. In front of each pupil is a 

 sheet of clean brown paper, a piece of rubber, and 

 a pencil. 



The instructor draws upon the blackboard with 

 a piece of chalk the elements of all drawing or 

 design, — three lines, straight, diagonal, and 

 curved. He explains that the first step in draw- 

 ing is to learn to put these down with free sweep 

 of the hand, — no piecing out or adding to a 

 broken, given-out line. Many attempts are made, 

 and many sheets of paper covered with crude 

 efforts, to catch the proper knack or to acquire 

 steadiness of hand. But paper is cheap, and the 

 struggler is not limited by material. The hand 

 has naturally more faciUty in some directions than 

 in others : this tendency must be controlled, and 



cushion, frieze, mantel-tile, church-panel, or loco- 

 motive plate. The pupil is called upon for a 

 mental creation. He draws a square or rectangle 

 and locates the central point, from which and 

 around which the intervolutions of his pattern 

 are to be arranged. At this stage he is apt to find 

 himself rather dazed and helpless. He is obliged 

 to think definitely. 



He is assisted a little, and his ideas brought into 

 shape by the question, ' For what do you propose 

 to make a design?' Usual answer, 'A panel.' 

 ' That is too indefinite : a panel for a door, wain- 

 scot, ceiling, sideboard, desk, or chair-back?' 

 Suppose the decision to be a sideboard. Then 

 follow the questions, ' How ipaany panels are there 

 to be ? ' ' Are all to be the same shape and size ? ' 



