Reports on the Philadelphia International Exhibition of 1876.

Date:
1877-1878
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Reports on the Philadelphia International Exhibition of 1876. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    408/446 page 308
    Writing. Gymnastics. Music. Drawing-. Needlework. Natural science. Religion, (2.) Secondary or high schools. i!l,.n l i «. Cach Word' antl a snecial lorm of type is reserved for each ^•ttiST^^S Which haVC n° --^ing printed in a 1 at irae oi J glit-laced type. The pronunciation is thus shewn without «nv change of spelhng, and the familiar form of the word a we areaccustomed to see them is preserved. In Boston, where the children have not more than our or live years' schooling, the uniform result is a ZR hllTS!^ Serine iffLttt d°ne-in T- DifficultieS ^ ^STuSI experience, and the teachers universally approve. ltck 1'intlnpf *tl°?lS iS r°U+nd aUd l&m> but fint-> and consequently lacking in boldness. At the same time nothing is to he seen amonir the trirls of those angular hieroglyphics so common in English ladies' seminaries * ine good order spoken of above is promoted by the gymnastic and cali sttjenjc. exercises practised by the scholars! It seen/strangf that there houa have been any hesitation about admitting these into the programme of studies in Massachusetts, when the importance is considered of hodily exercises as a means of securing the health of the young. We may draw a hint of some* value from the musical accompaniment which gives, in the American schools mucn more of precision and interest to the drill and marching than such exercises would otherwise possess. Drawing owes much to the labours of Mr. Walter Smith, formerly of South Kensington, who was charged with the organizing of instruction in this department m the State of Massachusetts, and whose influence is everywhere, acknowledged to have been of the utmost value. He refused to admit the common excuse that there was no taste in the people for drawing, and in his system set every child to the tracing of geometrical lines and simple objects drawn by the eye or imitated from memory. There is indeed a danger lest the young should fall into a servile and lifeless style of copying, the models being as a rule too small; but Mr. Smith's labours are viewed with a strong hope that they will result in the training up of a host of skilled artists and of women able to design. The practical department of needlework is made obligatory in almost all girls' schools, and large volumes of specimens were submitted to us, upon which the kind assistance of Mrs. Brown and other ladies in Philadelphia enabled us to form an intelligent opinion. Great attention is given to elementary natural science, and one of the most interesting features of the display was a number of collections in botany, ornithology and geology, made by scholars, not as curiosities, but as a part or their regular school-work, and as a result of intelligent training. Several States indeed make a habit of supplying such collections to all their schools, just as they do libraries. The religious teaching given is of the simplest kind. With certain exceptions, like that of St. Louis, the Bible finds its place as the foundation and authority of moral training, as sufficiently appears from evidence recently given by the Hon. Mr. Northrop. The law, however, strictly enjoins that teachers are to limit themselves to inculcating piety, justice, respect for truth, love of country, goodwill towards men, sobriety, industry, charity, patience, and all other virtues that form the adornment of society and the basis of the State. The grammar schools do not need special notice as they are but higher grades of the elementary. But of the secondary and higher schools, which are analogous to our own English grammar schools, many excellent specimens were shown us through their plans, reports, and samples of work. Tne system adopted in Michigan and St. Louis is remarkably good, the specimens exhibited being the result of examinations in map-work, free hand mechanical and industrial drawing. New England and the State of New York were con- spicuous in this department, while of single cities Worcester, Hartford, Boston, Cincinnati and Manchester deserve special mention, with the incorporated Academies of Andover and Exeter. The first two of these have recently
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