E.—ld.
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has brought us, than the Berlin one, but now we have brought our proceedings more before the public, whilst we then held our meetings in obscurity. Now we are able to present to the public an Exhibition extraordinarily rich in exhibits, whilst last year we could only make a very modest beginning. I think I may say that I have drawn one conclusion from our debate of to-day, which has gratified me exceedingly. Last year people who held different opinions on the cause expressed them with some warmth. The difference of opinion still exists; indeed it has to a certain degree been strengthened and fixed by the fact of its upholders having put their ideas into practical working order; but still it appears to me that these differences, which have not been wanting in our debate of to-day either, have lost their acrimony. I believe that higher and larger-minded views are taken which will have most blessed effects upon our further efforts. If a gentleman of whom it is known that he still stands aloof from us, but that he is not without sympathy for our cause, makes it a reproach to us that we are still groping in the dark, and experimenting, and that we do not rightly know what we are about, I think we may quietly put up with the reproach, for we have a firm grasp of certain fundamental principles. The necessity of supplementing theoretical instruction with practical employment is one which is not only felt by us in Germany, but is one that is very widely recognised elsewhere, as are also certain principles connected with work-instruction. What does it matter if the roads diverge so long as we keep the same goal in view. And now, gentlemen, is it not just the same in the schools ? Has not instruction in writing, in arithmetic, and in history been submitted to the most varied experiments and theories, from age to age, and has it ever been doubted that writing, arithmetic, and history are necessary subjects of instruction ? If we are still groping our way, and are still in the experimental stage, and must continue there for a time, this ought not to be made a subject of reproach to us ; on the contrary, we should be wrong to quit this stage prematurely, and attempt too soon to grasp at final results. The time for that has not yet come. I believe that we have reached solid ground. We are supported from so many different quarters, more especially by the higher authorities, who rightly regard innovations with caution and anxiety. This gives us courage and strengthens us. I believe that we can close this meeting in the full confidence that our work will have been greatly advanced before we meet again, and that the movement will not be a failure, as it has already proved more than once in Germany, but will rise higher and take deeper root. In this hope I close the meeting.
REPORT ON THE EXHIBITION. The exhibition of articles from the school-workshop took place in close organic connection with the present transactions of the Congress for promoting manual-skill instruction and home industries. It was held in the Emperor's Hall of the central hall and the adjoining apartments. It has been contributed to by all parts of Germany as well as by Switzerland and Sweden. It affords by its manysidedness not only a highly instructive representation of the different kinds of efforts which have been made up to the present time in the cause of manual-skill instruction, but it shows, by its astonishing richness and abundance, how strong and natural is the effort to effect a reform in our system of education. As it is impossible to have a correct idea of the progress attained by the movement for promoting manual-skill instruction by the Leipsic Congress without a report upon this exhibition, we have prepared one ready for distribution to all those who were not able to be here to receive the fresh and living impression which the exhibition has made upon those who visited it. It is perhaps not too much to say that this exhibition has gained us more friends than the discussions at our meeting. In every case the combination of the two has been most fruitful of advantage both to the illustration of the different standpoints and to the agitation. On their entrance into the hall the visitors found, laid out in a glass case, a collection of literature on the subject of work-instruction arranged in a chronological order. If the little library got together by the Leipsic friends of the cause makes no claim to completeness, it will still afford to the visitors a useful means of reference. We will pass over the list of works here contributed, and will only allow ourselves, in the interests of completeness, to give the titles of those books which ought to have formed part of the collection, but which, in the haste of completing it, wore unfortunately not included : Pestalozzi: Lienhard and Gertrude, 1781. —J. H. G. Henfinger: How to make use of the strong impulse of Children to be Busy, 1797. The Wertheim Family, 1798. —Salzmann : Little book on Ants.—Blasche : Workshops for Children (four parts), Part ], Gotha, 1800 ; Parts 2 and 3, Schnepfenthal, 1801 ; Part 4, Gotha, 1802. —Gutsmuths : Suitable Employments for Youths and Men ; Altenburg, 1801.—Bockstroh : Directions for Modelling in Paper ; Weimar, 1802.—Blasche: The principles of Education of Youth to Industry as an object in the general cultivation of human beings ; Schnepfenthal, 1804. The Technological Friend of Youth (five parts) ; Frankfort, 1804. Collection of new Patterns for Pasteboard Work; Schnepfenthal, 1809. How to cultivate Handwork ; Schnepfenthal, 1809. The Worker in Pasteboard (fourth edition); Schnepfenthal, 1811. The Cultivation of Nature; Leipsic, 1815. —Gutsmuths: Suitable Mechanical Employments, or practical directions in the art of turning, working in metals, and the grinding of optical glasses, for self-teaching (second edition) ; Leipsic, 1817. — Blasche : The Paper Moulder ; Leipsic, 1819. Handbook to suitable Employment for Children having a distinct object.—Bockstroh : Diversions for the Youth of both sexes, through making for themselves various artificial objects and playthings; Berlin, 1836.—Scheidler : The Life Question of European Civilisation and the importance of the Fellenberg system of education practised at Hofwyl.—Bender : On the Boys' Work in the Workshop (programme of the Bender Institution at Weinheim in 1846). —F. G. Schulze : The Work Question ; Jena, 1849. —Kirchmann : The Claims of Nature in the Bringing-up and Education of Children.—Curtmann : Beformof the Public Schools.— Michelsen : The Work-schools in Country Parishes in their authorized working in connection with the regular schools ; Cutin, 1851.—Karl Friedrich : On bringing up Youths to Work : a demand of life on the schools ; Leipsic, 1852. —Dr. Georges; The Worker, or the practical system of bringing up children at the present time (a periodical), 1856.—Kirchmann : History of Work and Culture;
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