THE TECHNICAL SCHOOL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 902, 23 August 1910, Page 9

THE TECHNICAL SCHOOL.

WHAT IT IS DOING. Probably few people except the pupils themselves know of all the valuable work that is being done so quietly in our midst by the Technical School in Mercer Street. Of late the'educational system in New Zealand, both as regards the primary and tho secondary schools, has been somewhat severely handled, particularly as regards the lack of attention to tho special needs of girls. What they as yet have had no opportunity of touching is to be found, in a great measure, in this large institution,, and taught at an almost nominal cost, ii'or the boy who wishes to learn a trade while still going on with his daily work, or for the girl who, though spending .'her days in shop or office, wishes to lit - herself for the euro ot. a home, it is simply invaluable, while, for the art student thero is practically every, branch of work placed within his, or her reach, and taught by the most efficient staff. that, can possibly bo obtained, ■ There is so much- to see there, that It is absolutely impossible to. cover_ the ground in one visit. Domestic seiencc, domestic hygiene, domestic 'art (the domesticities are being well attended to!), dressmaking, modelling, wood-carving, design, painting, commercial subjects Oho course of which includes': domestic art as well), jewellery and metal-work classes— indeed, almost any subject one can think of are to be studied there. Tuition .need cost,a scholar nothing if he.wins a junior place scholarship, which will •' last him for two years, and then if ho wins a senior place scholarship three mor? years of free tuition, are added to it. In the domestic art classes. the girls are taught how to make the home beautiful by decorative effccts, "designing. slencils for curtains, cushions, hangings, etc. All these are copied, from life, and they arn taught, to look about them and see for themselves .what will make good designs. The consequence is that all sorts of weird things sometimes make their appealance in the room—butterflies and dragoiiflies bping among the mobl frequent visitors in the summer months, while ill. the winter not even snails are despised. They'make father cllective results sometimes.

• Those who study painting have a delightful time in many respects. Sketching'expeditions are organised, and all sorts of interesting places are discovered. The Zoo is quite a favourite place, and offers endless studies, though tho supercilious disregard T>f the animuls to. the fact that absolute', stillness is required, on'their part.is most distracting to those who are doing their best to paint a faithful likeness. Indeed, it is quite possible' that in the course of time . the Technical School may keep a trained menagerie upon its own account—it lias already a duck, a rooster, a dog, a cat, nnd various other animals, who are all called upon to poso for the students when needed. 1

Another very interesting room was that In which modelling wns being followed, and where one saw specimens of the work, both completed and in intermediate stages. A east was shown taken of an old man, an inmate of. the-Ohiro Home, and one could well imagine that it must have been'a most speaking'likeness. The face nas full iof expression—unfortunately the_ expression of one who has riot ex perienced :tho soft places of life, and whose face has been moulded accordingly by a still greater modeller. In the next room tlio students were modelling from life different aspects of the model being depicted by each " student from his or her different point of view. It must purely be somewhat delicate and anxious work taking the_ cast from the mould. Of the threo things • which are used in doing so—gelatine, plaster of paris, and is tho easiest, being thu most pliable, but it cannot be for everything. One student, on being asked of what use studying, from life was to him, remarked that Hut fact of learning so much about the muscles helped him .tremendously in shading, his drawing.. That,'.however, was only one of the advantages ho gained from it. Other work that was done in connection with this work , was the / designing of wall-papers, and it was' most interesting to see how tho pattern, taken from Nature in the first place, wns ■ conventionalised and repeated in a suitable way, and to see it in its dilferent stages. .Designs for curtains were also 6hown, and one learnt that some very handsome curtains which have been exhibited in Scoullar and Chisholm's were designed in the Technical School. Everything is done from life, the eye' being first cultivated by studying the things around—objects not perhaps beautiful in themselves, but helping through their familiarity to cri.ate a'fidelity of-outline. In another room students were drawing from life—a very animated and crowing rooster' being the tantalising subject of their attentions. , The dressmaking class has a very large attendance—the girls learn to design theirown' patterns, cut out, fit, and do everything for themselves. Not only simple frocks are made, but very elaborate ones as well. Tho work done by tho cookery classes has already been written of in Tjie- Dominion some little time ago. To describe all the ground that is covered at the Technical School would require more space than is at present available, I but what'has been'said is sufficient to I show the way in which it is endeavouring to meet the necessities of daily life,'and to fill the gap left in our educational system'by'the primary and secondary schools.