Lincoln High School - Bumblebee Yearbook (Port Arthur, TX)

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i; I: Mr. T. A. Butler, Supervisor of Manual Arts VALUE OF MANUAL ARTS IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOL It has been said that an educated person is a person whose mind has been so trained and disciplined that it acts accurately and precisely as a piece of machinery. To secure this mental precision, schools throughout the history of education, have used various devices and schemes. At one period, it was thought for a person to well edu- cated, it was necessary for him to master several languages. Even in our own age much stress is laid on the languages, mathematics and the sciences. These subjects are studied in our schools, first, because of their usefulness to human society, Second, because of the mental development derived when the mind has mastered them. In short it has ever been th aim of schools to us such devices that would tend to develop a stronger mind having as an objective the turning out a person capable, first, of mak- ing a better living; second, a person useful to society and third, but not least a good citizen of the country in which he lives. Now it has been found that many persons possessing great native ability and cap able of great mental development can not be reached by the regular prescribed courses of study laid down in our schools. They have a way of seeing things and thinking only in terms of things. An outstanding example of this is Mr. Edison, the great inventor. It is said of him when in school books did not appeal to him. His teachers gave him up as a helpless case, and he was regarded as being a erson who was incapable of great mental development. How well he fooled his teachers can best be told in the phe- nominal success of his lifeis work. It was not Edison's fault that he was a failure in school, but the fault of a system of education which-sought to feed mental minds as one would feed so many pigs on a balanced ration. As was the case with Edison, we have in every school pupils who can- not be anoused by the regular courses of study. For this class of pupils something is nee ed to awaken their interest and once interest is secured, they may be developed along other lines. Leading educators have found that Manual Arts and vocational subjects fit in re- markably well as a device to secure interest in school work. where other subjects hav: mm m HililiilHHi :1 ml wgng... .ty

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MOST POPULAR BOY ,mwmme , Eddie Williams

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failed. So it may be said of Manual training that its place in the schdul is to assist tho dull or indiHerent pupil to find himself. Here in the Lincoln School this has ever been our aim. We hope not only to lead the boys out and assist them in finding themselves, but we hope to develop him into the kind of man that the world wants and needs Keep- ing what has been said in mind our course of study is so planned as to give the pupil a clear and comprehensive knowledge of tools and tool processes. So if he des'res t ; do so, so if he care to do so, he may easily advance from one stage to another and finally develop into a competent craftsman.