An Address On Technical Education And Industrial Drawing

Excerpt from An Address on Technical Education and Industrial Drawing Prof. Walter Smith, State director of art education in Massachusetts, then read the following paper: Mr. President, ladies, and gentlemen: The subject upon which I have to address you to-day is that of "Technical education and industrial drawing," a subject which is comprehensive enough to afford interest to the general public, while it is at present the best discussed theme among professional educators. I am aware that this whole matter is neither new nor strange in Washington, for from the Bureau of Education in this city has emanated much of the most valuable information we possess concerning it; and the lecture, recently published, by General Bimey, delivered by him before the Washington Art Club, upon a phase of the subject described as "Industrial and decorative art," is perhaps the fullest and fairest presentation of this matter that has appeared on this side of the Atlantic. Though I hardly expect to present to you much that is new, I may possibly cooperate with you in the diffusion of some new light on an old subject; hoping that thereby additional interest may be awakened, and that in consequence serious consideration may be given to this question, one which has assumed an importance that may be fairly described as national in its character. It may at first sight be considered an overestimate of the matterJif it should be asserted that upon the technical knowledge and skill possessed by a nation depend its safety, its wealth, and indirectly its happiness; yet this is undoubtedly true. It may also be stated that any scheme of education which does not from the first make provision for the gradual acquirement of such technical knowledge and skill, at such times and in such ways as the ages and circumstances of the pupils necessitate, is insufficient and not practical, and in dire need of complete reorganization. Yet that happens to be the case with every scheme of public education administered by city or State authorities in the United States of America to-day. I could have made that statement in many more words, and so have beclouded its meaning that you would not be shocked by it; or I might have quoted some one else who said it, and thus have shielded myself from the responsibility of saying it. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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