THE CONGRESS OF WOMEN.

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demonstration on the subject; second, progressive order with regard to the exercises; third, class instruction.

First: Practical demonstration in sewing is accomplished by means of a sewing frame, and in knitting by means of large wooden needles and colored balls of yarn; at the same time blackboard drawings are constantly being made. “With a piece of chalk and a blackboard a teacher can work wonders,” I once heard a clever teacher say. Even if this were somewhat overstated, as I readily admit, it is nevertheless true that a teacher who understands the value of these media can, by their help, reach remarkably good results. French schools furnish fine proof of this. As no one is born a master, and as we cannot afford to cast away material at hand, it is necessary, until skill is obtained, to make use of preparatory exercises, but much judgment must be exercised in their use. I consider it to be a great mistake to keep pupils engaged term after term with preparatory exercises which they may not put into practice till long after, and by the time they are needed have perhaps forgotten. As soon as an exercise is well learned it should be applied to something useful, either in the school or at home. In this way the pupil’s interest is awakened and strengthened. The child will, in such a case, see a result of its work such as it can understand. And, moreover, the parents’ sympathy with the instruction is won.

Second. Progressive order with regard to the exercises: The exercises are planned and carried out in the most strictly progressive order, so as to enable the pupils to execute well the work required of them. Nothing is more discouraging to see than a badly executed piece of work. “One cannot expect more of a child” is given as a kind of excuse. This may sometimes be true, but one can expect that a teacher will not give a child exercises beyond its capabilities and before which it must fail. To fail continually has an injurious effect on a child’s character. No; let us take simple exercises; let us execute them well, have our aim well in view and not be dis­couraged even if the result looks plain and simple. In other words, in manual train­ing, as in other subjects, there should be a systematic plan, which is simple, logical and progressive.

Third. Class instruction: When instruction became obligatory in our schools, and it was necessary to have from thirty to forty pupils, and sometimes more, in one class, class instruction became an absolute necessity, and it was soon found that develop­ment of the individual was better secured through its means than when each pupil received instruction by herself. Strangely enough, one subject—manual training— remained unreformed, to the great injury of the subject; for, by appealing to the whole class at once, a teacher can secure the attention of her pupils and awaken a lively interest in the work. Her teaching can then be deep and interesting. The teacher finds time to talk about form, size, and reasons for doing this or that. Yes, the pupils even find time to think out why things shall be so and not so, and discover the best way to carry out an exercise. In this way the instruction becomes both developing and educating, and the pupils lay a firm foundation on which to build further in the future. Rut class teaching is only an effect,and should not be an aim. One must not have the mistaken idea that the teacher is to guide every step. Far from it. It is only the new in every exercise which should be explained to the whole class. After the pupils have learned through explanation and illustration what they must do, and how they shall do it, they should work independently of each other. Meanwhile, the teacher should go around the class, and notice whether all the pupils are performing correctly the required exercises. She should at the same time observe the position of hand and body, also whether the pupils hold their work at a proper distance from their eyes, so that they may not gain skill at the expense of their eyesight. The teacher of manual work should not only instruct, but also educate the pupils as well. Therefore the choosing of teachers is not an insignificant matter. Besides manual dexterity,teachers ought to be possessed of pedagogical skill. Therefore, for the training of teachers in manual training either special normal schools should be estab­lished, or—what without doubt is better—existing normal schools should place man-