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SCIENCE. 



[Vol. IX., No. 215 



fulness, and thus be more than a purely mechani- 

 cal work ; 12°. They should strengthen and de- 

 velop the physique ; 13°. They should help to 

 exercise the sense of form ; 14°. Lastly, as many 

 tools and manipulations as possible should be em- 

 ployed. 



Such are the results aimed at ; but here a very 

 important question arises, Who is to be the slojd 

 teacher ? Teachers are already so overburdened 

 with work, that it seems too much to expect them 

 to undertake another subject. But for them, too, 

 a subject so novel, and necessarily so differently 

 taught from the ordinary school-subjects, would 

 doubtless have its attractions, and would illustrate 

 the saying, ' Change of work's as good as play.' 



Whether this be so or not, th6 slojd instruc- 

 tion must be undertaken, not by an artisan, who 

 would naturally regard it merely from its me- 

 chanical side, whereas the main object of slojd is 

 not the teaching of any trade, but the develop- 

 ment of the faculties, and the acqumng of gen- 

 eral dexterity. It jnust therefore be given by a 

 trained teacher, who understands the nature of 

 the material on which he has to work, viz., child- 

 nature, and, if possible, by the same teacher who 

 takes the other school-subjects. 



I may mention that by means of slojd, which 

 necessitates individual supervision and instruction, 

 the teacher has an opportunity of obtaining an 

 insight into the character, and of establishing a 

 personal relation between himself and his pupils, 

 which it is almost impossible to obtain by means 

 of class-instruction. Numbers of teachers can 

 bear witness to the truth of this statement. The 

 teacher should lead, direct, and control the work, 

 but should be careful not to put his hand directly 

 to it. In order to be able to follow with advan- 

 tage the course of instruction, the pupil ought to 

 have reached a point of development usually at- 

 tained about the age of eleven . 



One word as to the main differences between 

 wood-slojd and ordinary carpentering, with which 

 it is very apt to be confused. These lie, 1°, in the 

 character of the objects m^de, which are usually 

 smaller than those made in the trade ; 2°, in the 

 tools used (the knife, for instance, the most im- 

 portant of all in slojd, is little used in ordinary 

 carpentry) ; 3°, in the manner of working (the 

 division of labor employed in the trade is not al- 

 lowed in slojd, where each article is begun, car- 

 ried on, and finished by the same pupil) ; 4°, but 

 the fundamental difference is in the object of slojd, 

 which is, not to turn out full-blown, or half-blown, 

 or even quarter-blown young carpenters, but to 

 develop the faculties, and specially to give general 

 dexterity, which will be useful, whatever line of 

 life the pupil may afterwards follow. 



As individual instruction is generally required, 

 and as this manual work cannot be taught in class, 

 the same teacher can only superintend a limited 

 number of pupils at the same time. Generally 

 speaking, there should not be more than 

 twelve. 



As to the choice of models : 1°. All articles of 

 luxury are to be excluded ; 2°. The objects made 

 are to be of use at home ; 3°. The children should 

 be able to finish them entirely without help ; 

 4°. The articles should be made of wood only ; 

 5°. No polish should be used ; 6°. As little mate- 

 rial as possible should be employed ; 7°. The chil- 

 dren should learn to work both in'the harder and 

 softer woods ; 8". Turning and carving should 

 only be sparingly employed ; Q°. The models 

 should develop the children's sense of form and 

 beauty, and for these ends the series should in- 

 clude a certain number of modelled objects (for 

 instance, spoons, ladles, and other cmrved articles), 

 which are to be executed with a free hand, and 

 chiefly by eye ; 10°. By means of going through 

 the whole series, the pupils should learn the use 

 of all the more important tools. In the choice of 

 models, care should be taken that each one pre- 

 pare for the next. 



As to classification of models : 1*^. The series 

 ought to progress without a break from the easy 

 to the difficult, from the simple to the complex ; 

 2°. There must be a sufficient variety ; 3°. Each 

 model must be so placed in the series that the 

 pupil shall be able to carry it out entirely without 

 the direct help of the teacher, by means of what 

 he has already made ; 4°. The models should con- 

 stitute such a series that at each step the pupil 

 may be able to make, not a passable, but a correct 

 work ; S''. In making the first models, only a few 

 tools are to be employed, but as the series is car- 

 ried out new tools and new manipulations are to 

 be employed ; 6°. The knife, as the fundamental 

 tool, is to be the most used in the beginning of 

 the course ; 7°. For the first models, rather hard 

 wood should be employed. 



At the beginning of the series the models should 

 be capable of speedy execution, and objects which 

 require a considerable time should be gradually 

 reached. 



Let us now see whether slojd, if the foregoing 

 conditions be carried out, may be regarded as a 

 factor in education, whether considered physically, 

 mentally, or morally. 



It is essentially a form of work which calls 

 forth every variety of movement, which brings 

 all the muscles into play, and which exercises both 

 sides of the body. It is so arranged that the chil- 

 dren can work with the left hand as well as with 

 the right, in sawing, planing, etc. Thus all the 



