PURPOSE AND CONTENTS.
Interest in further industrial and technical training of children, awakened by the success of the introduction of drawing in Massachusetts schools-Advent, and early recognition by Congress, of the new scientific education-Public schools the preparatory academies for the Agricultural Colleges and other Schools of Science-Universal teaching of elementary industrial drawing essential to any complete system of public education-Subject naturally divided into technical scientific training of workers in industries of applied art; and into technical professional training of artists and architects-A knowledge of drawing equally essential to industrial or high art-The general culture of the public in matters of art, as important to the development of artistic industries as is the technical training of artisans-Appendices, of necessity, miscellaneous-Systematic arrangement of material attempted-Histories of public art institutions in the United StatesNeed of industrial artistic and technical training of the people, if productive values are to be maintained.
One of the most striking and significant results of the experiment, begun in Boston in 1870, by the teaching of industrial drawing to the public school children of that city, has been the wide spread interest awakened throughout the United States in the further development of the industrial training of children. No sooner was it shown that it was possible to give to the children in the public schools, some elementary training of the hands and eyes, than a movement began in many places, to teach actual trades and handicrafts to the children while in school! Though there might be danger that overzealous promoters of this so called "practical education" would in their earnestness, overstep the true province of education, overstrain childish muscles, and overtax the mental as well as bodily strength of the growing children, still the public good sense may be trusted to restrain and modify such extremes; while the intellectual activity, which has been aroused and stimulated by this new departure in education, if wisely directed into practicable channels, can hardly fail of accomplishing desirable results.
KINDERGARTEN AND OBJECT-TEACHING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
The substitution of a knowledge of the thing, in place of a verbal account of the thing, which is characteristic of the kindergarten