The objection might be made that a young child does not care about power, he may not even be conscious of acquiring power through the exercises; he is interested in making something useful for himself or somebody else. On the contrary, the very fact that he is more interested in making a box than a simple square card, for instance, proves that the theory is true. The making of a box which can be used is naturally a manifestation of greater power to the child than the cutting out of a card which might not be useful. He is delighted to show it or give it to a friend, feeling happy and proud in the consciousness of having produced something. The element of power is at the bottom of this feeling.

By its very nature a continued interest must be a growing one. It must be gradually increasing with the power upon which it is based. It mav without so very great harm waver somewhat at first, but it should increase gradually as greater power is attained.

How can we insure this steadily growing interest in manual training?

The progression of the exercises should be such as to manifest to the pupil a constantly growing power. We should never at any stage of the work ask a pupil to do what he cannot do well. His work in manual training should be a line of continuous victories over difficulties gradually increasing, but not surpassing his power at any stage. Continued failure is worse than no attempt at all. Success is a greater factor in the educational value of manual training than in any other subject.

Let us now try to show through a synthetic method how these successive victories over difficulties build up a strong will.

Every individual effort which succeeds in a certain field will add to the consciousness of power in that field. By a certain arrangement of the exercises a boy is able to get high credit for his work. He gets the approbation of the teacher, and, furthermore, and this is probably the stronger factor, he sees for himself that he has been able to do a certain task well. These experiences are repeated time after time. Every one of these successful efforts will add to his consciousness of power in the field in question; in other words, it will add strength to a habit under formation, the moral habit of confidence based upon power.

Confidence means a clear idea of self, that is, a strong will.

Success in a task is the condition for the formation of this habit. The character of the task itself plays only a secondary role.

Manual training is better adapted to further the development of this habit than any other school subject, because the success of the effort is apparent to the pupil. He can see for himself whether he has been successful or not.

It is evident, however, that this habit of confidence is as many sided as there are fields of activity. Manual training will arouse confidence in one's power in anything where similar difficulties are present. Success in arithmetic will develop confidence in one's power in solving arithmetical problems, etc;; but we can claim for manual training, however, a wide range of application in this respect, on the ground that there are common elements in all field-of manual activity. And in so far as these common elements exist, the confidence gained through a systematically arranged course of manual training can he carried over into other related fields of activity.

There is another more or less general habit which shoud be the particular outcome of manual training; that is, a certain habit of associating attention with muscular activity. Manual training exercises should be so arranged that attention to the movements of the hand and arm is constantly required to reach the desired result. The necessity of concentrating attention on the movements of the hand, •and the muscle sensations arising in the hand and arm to reach this result, will tend to establish a habit of procedure in all manual activity, wherever similar elements enter.

If these results of manual training are to be obtained the progression of the models, the method of teaching, and the character of the pupils' work must conform to the above principles.

The Course

The following set of models has been planned for the fourth and fifth grades in the Boston public schools. The children in these grades are from eight to ten years of age. The time given to this work is two periods of one hour each a week. It was originally planned for the boys while the girls were sewing, but it has been tried and found successful with classes of girls.

The instruction during the first few models should be given in the form of minute directions, each step being carefully dictated. Later in the course the pupils can work more independently from a drawing of the development of the model, and during the second year a great deal of independent effort on the part of the pupil may be brought out by working from a perspective sketch.

For the educational value of the work, the first few lessons are of the greatest importance. In these the foundation is laid for a certain working method, a certain procedure in doing the work. If the teacher does not emphasize during these earlier lessons, over and over again, that the pupils must work slowly and carefully so as to reach accurate results, the value of the more interesting cutting and pasting exercises later will be seriously impaired.

In the second year numerous parallel models are introduced so as to give an opportunity for choice. The same thing is possible in the first year also, as the number of the models is much greater.

This course would be most successful in the hands of the regular grade teacher, but it would form a legitimate part of the work of the special teacher in drawing.

A working drawing on paper of the development of the model should precede the drawing on the cardboard. This rule should be strictly enforced in the first year and the greater part of the second. Some of the later models in the second year might be drawn directly on the cardboard.

Books in which to make the drawings are desirable, because greater care will be taken by the pupils as to neatness and accuracy, and, as these books will become the property of the pupil, they will lead to activity at home and thus furnish an interesting occupation. A book whose size is especially adapted for the drawings of this course has been prepared, in which perspective sketches of some of the models are given. These sketches will add interest to the work, and, far from serving as something to copy, they will lead to independent activity by furnishing the pupils with problems of constructing the development of a model from a perspective sketch.

The first experiments with this course were begun in the Prince and Horace Mann Schools in 1897, and the authors wish to acknowledge their indebtedness to the principals of these schools for assistance and encouragement during the earlier experimental stage of the work.

The problem of manual training in the lower elementary grades is one that at present attracts a great deal of attention. The value of the subject in these lower grades has until lately been almost overlooked. We believe the time is coming, however, when the relative value of manual training in the different grades will be examined with greater care, and we are confident that the verdict will be that the educational value of manual training will be found greatest in these lower grades.

This work has been compiled in the hope that it may prove of some help in solving this important problem of manual training.

Boston, June, 1899.