THE CREATIVE MIND

Evening Star, Issue 20052, 18 December 1928, Page 2

THE CREATIVE MIND

VALUABLE TRAINING AT THE mm rGLASHAN COLLEGE PRIZE ESSAY OH VISIT TO DUNEDIN WORKS One of the latest developments in education arises from the recognition of any healthy boy’s innate desire to turn his creative faculties to practical use. This does not necessarily mean that every Jad in his teens should be trained with a view to making him a skilled tradesman, because if this were the object of the woodwork classes now being carried on.in many of our New Zealand schools the calling would quickly become > overcrowded. One must remember, however, that: there is such a thing as a. hobby—a useful hobby. And who could be of more use in either a city household or on a farm than a young man who has been thoroughly taught to make for himself any article of furniture or of home equipment? At the John M'Glashan College Mr J. E. Slemint (the president of the Dunedin Master Builders’ Association J has had under him a particularly capable class of boys who, throughout the year, have been deriving great enjoyment and untold . benefit from the opportunity which has been given them to learn* the art of making anything from a walking stick to a wireless set. The results of the year’s work have been nothing short of amazing, and since Mr Slemint has been teaching there for tho past nine years it is certain that hundreds of youths, well' armed with practical knowledge, have gone forth from the school. The exhibition of woodwork examined after the breaking-up ceremony last Friday caused a tremendous amount of favourable comment among those who were fortunate to See it, and the general opinion was that the whole display was a credit to the pupils and their instructor. One of the large classrooms was set aside for the purpose, and it was well filled with a variety of useful articles which were made entirely by the boys. And with the possible exception of tho process involved in the turning of the walking sticks everything was done by hand. Wall cabinets of different patterns, oak dinner wagons, bookcases, wireless sets in working order, step-lad-ders, couches, card tables, upholstered music stools, a palm stand, and a writing, desks were included among the larger exhibits, but there were also multitudinous other_ specimens of the craft, such as inlaid walking sticks, afternoon tea trays, fancy cigarette boxes, reading lamps, meat safes, and Wood boxes. The use of. such furnishing as these is obvious. It all goes to show that the ability to turn out such polished work is not necessarily born in a boy._ It can be taught. Most of the pupils are sons of business men and farmers who probably will not adopt the trade as a career, but since Mr Slemint’s aim has been to educate thern in the matter of making useful things for the home there can bo no doubt that tho time devoted to a study of this fascinating hobby has boon well spent. To these boys such work has been a pleasure. VISIT TO LOCAL WORKS. An instructive climax to tho year’s activities—-a visit made by the carpentry class to local joinery works—was made possible through the courtesy of a Dunedin firm, and the excellent arrangements made by Mr Slemint. In a letter which the firm subsequently wrote to Mr 0. M. Gihay (tho principal of the college) it was stated that it had boon quite a pleasure to have the boys mako the visit, and to see how keenly interested they were in the various machines they saw working. Mr Slemint, the letter stated, was to be congratulated on the knowledge he had imparted to his class, and also for his control of the boys during the visit. Their behaviour was exemplary. And now wo come to yet another interesting phase of the work. After the visit the boys were asked to write an essay on all that they had seen on the premises. In this ■ connection the manager of the firm goes on to say in his letter : “Mr Marshall, our factory manager, has carefully considered the essays written by your boys, and ~ while he congratulates the writers of ail of them on the description given of the working of our plant, he considers the essay written by W. W. Small is just slightly better than the others. We nave pleasure in sending you a figured rimu tray which we ask you to present, on our behalf to the winner of the essay.” [“ Stucco ” has been fortunate enough to secure this fine essay for publication. It appears on this page under separate headings.]