Western Arts Association Meets at Cincinnati E. J. Lake The Twenty-Eighth Annual Convention of the Western Arts Association was held at Cincinnati on May 2, 3, 4, 5. The Association was splendidly entertained by the local committee with the hearty cooperation of school and city organizations. A total enrollment of 453 members was taken by the secretary, which does not include a considerable local registration for the meetings of the session. The larger city schools of the Middle West and many small cities and private schools were represented in the exhibitions by work which shows marked advance in design and execution over previous exhibits. The exhibits were placed in the corridors and rooms of the Ohio Mechanics Institute, and the general program sessions were held in the auditorium of that unique institution. Some sectional meetings were held at the East High School, and the Household Economics Round Table was held in the Woman's Building of the University of Cincinnati. Inspection of the various splendid industrial and educational plants of the city were conducted by the local committees. The banquet was served in the spacious and beautiful dining room of the East High School, after which a most impressive organ recital was rendered in the auditorium. Outstanding features of the program were discussions on the Fine Arts and the Industrial Arts by Richard F. Bach, Associate in Industrial Arts of the Metropolitan Museum of New York and Dudley Crafts Watson, Director of the Milwaukee Art Institute. Minna C. Benton, Home Economics Director, Washington, D. C., addressed the General Session and the Household Economics Round Table on topics relative to Household Arts and Economics. Frank Leavitt, Associate Superintendent of Public Schools. Pittsburgh, surveyed the distinctions, but found as little justified difference between Manual Arts and Vocational Education. His address was a strong appeal for a more thorough study of the individual student. The addresses by J. B. Biehl, Assistant Principal of the Boys' Technical High School, Milwaukee, Wis., and Howard G. Burdge, Educational Finance Inquiry, New York, stressed the need of defining the boys' and girls' individual interests and following the indications of those interests in their education. "The Education of the Abnormal Child,” by Dr. Henry E. Goddard, Director of the Bureau of Juvenile Research, Columbus, O., was a most impressive address in favor of specialized school training for the abnormal child. The exhibitions of development with a large number of children in vocal and instrumental music, by Mr. W. Ethelbert Fisher, Mr. Gustave Clemens, and Mr. A. R. Kratz, were revelations to the visiting teachers, and gave entertainment of rare educational importance to the meetings. The newly-elected officers of the Association are: President: H. Estelle Hayden, Supervisor of Art. Vice President: G. H. Hargitt, St. Louis, Mo. Carl T. Cotter of Cleveland, the retiring President. was elected to the Council, and L. R. Abbott was reelected as Secretary-Treasurer. A decision as to the place of meeting for next year awaits the conclusions of a committee which will confer with the school and civic authorities of St. Louis, Mo., to determine the facilities and conveniences of that city for the entertainment of the Association. Methods of Teaching Prevocational Boys A. S. Burnes, Shop-Foreman Instructor Machine Shop Practice, Guiney School, Boston, Mass. After four years of experience and close observation an instructor in the prevocational machine shop classes, I have come to the conclusion that the average boy, in the earliest period of his training, can be made to appreciate the importance of constructing a piece of work that will compare favorably with that offered for sale on the market. This, however, depends a great deal upon the prospective method or methods employed by the instructor. The creating and maintaining of interest in both the instructor and the pupil is the factor most desired. My close association with instructors has convinced me that there are three distinct methods of instruction offered to the pupil: The first is used by the instructor who still insists upon giving a series of graded exercises, with the sole purpose of teaching the several operations of the trade. Since this instructor fails in placing this operation into a practical piece of work, it necessarily results in detracting his interest, and to a greater extent, which is more important, the interest of the pupil. The taking of a piece of stock and the turning of it in the lathe, until it can no longer be held for that purpose, is nothing more than a waste of the stock and of the pupil's time. The pupil quite frequently inquires of the instructor as to what this or that is to be when finished, and nothing discourages him more than telling him that it is heading for the junk pile in the form of chips. Further on is found the second or socalled "progressive" type of instructor who insists upon disregarding the graded exercise method and confines himself to no set of rules. This method of instruction is very un satisfactory, as the boy is very often exploited by being called upon to do an operation that is far beyond him. It is important that the student should have a good knowledge of the fundamental operations of the trade before he attempts to do something that he is likely to fall down on. On the other hand, under this method of instruction, the boy is very apt to be called upon to do an operation that he has done many times before. While repetition of work is very valuable for imparting skill and speed, yet when overdone, it becomes irksome. Repetition work can only interest the boy when he feels that he is being advanced by it. To illustrate, a boy may be called upon to cut a taper for a nail set, to be followed by the making of a pair of centers for a lathe. This would interest as well as advance him. Since it is important that the instructor should have some definite course of study to follow, which should be laid out in progressive order, the last named method of instruction has no place in any type of vocational school, ` since it fails in having anything definite or progressive. Fortunately, however, there is the instructor who has found a happy medium between the above mentioned methods of instruction. This method of instruction is one based upon a series of graded exercises, progressive in order, and put into a practical job. There is a vast abundance of valuable education for the pupils of the prevocational machine-shop classes in the making of many tools, not only for themselves, but for the other prevocational shop classes. Such things as wood-working vises, nails sets, center punches, hammers, drills vises. trammel points, calipers, dividers, etc. can easily be taken care of when made. The very fact is that the boy who is being taught an operation after operation in progressive order, will pay a great deal of attention when he realizes that he is to apply that operation on a practical piece of work. He has a finished product to look forward to and to that aim will he devote his best efforts. NEW BOOKS New Tinsmith's Helper and Pattern Book. Hall V. Williams. Flexible, leather fabric, 12 mo., 458 pages. The U. P. C. Book Co., New York, N. Y. Here is an old friend, in rejuvenated form, with a new dress of new type and some new illustrations and tables. The book is welcome and more useful than ever. The new material covers mechanical statement of the principles of geometry and a most complete and explicit treatment of pattern cutting by the triangulation method. The book has made so important a place for itself in the daily work of so many jobbing tinsmiths that further comment seems unnecessary. Report of Conference on Improving Foremanship. Report of a conference held at Tacoma, Wash., under the auspices of the Washington State Board of Education and the Wheeler, Osgood Company of Tacoma. The report represents the results of one of a series of conferences for the improvement of foremanship which is being carried on by the State Board for Vocational Education as a means of promoting industrial efficiency through vocational education. The work was conducted on the conference plan, by Mr. George Henry Jensen, State Supervisor of Industrial Education, assisted by Mr. C. M. Clark, employment manager of the Wheeler, Osgood Company. Among the topics taken up at the meetings were The Foreman's Place in the Development of American Industry, The Foreman's Job, Departmental and Job Analysis, Supervisory Analysis and Supervisory Value of a Job, Analysis of Carelessness on the Job, Charting Supervisory Operating Points, Keeping up Morale, Cooperation and Leadership, Safety and the Physical Condition of the Working Force, Orders, Directions, Suggestions and Training, with the final meeting devoted to a question box. New Jersey County and State Vocational Meeting. The meetings of the Essex County and the State Vocational and Arts Association of New Jersey were held jointly on March 17 and 18, at Newark. Dr. David B. Corson and W. A. O'Leary were the speakers at the dinner, while Dr. F. S. Shepherd and E. Allen Smith spoke at the luncheon. The state organization held a general session at the Central High School. The continuation school group of the state organization met on Saturday, March 18th. One of the general topics discussed was "Textbooks in the Continuation School," with Miss Mary E. DuBrow speaking on "Eng lish," Mr. J. J. Berilla on "Mathematics," and Mr. K.K. King on "Special Subjects." Miss Isabel Curry spoke on "Free Material and How to Make Use of It" and Mr. Paul S. Lomax talked on "Commercial Work." "Vocational Guidance was the subject of Mr. William R. Ward. Hold Minneapolis Conference. Schoolmen's Week at the University of Minnesota during the week of April 10-15 gave impetus to a study of industrial education by providing generously for a discussion of its problems. At the Tuesday evening session, which was devoted to special industrial sections, Mr. A. F. Payne presided. Mr. J. A. Starkweather of Duluth, talked on "The Next Five Years in Industrial Education;" Mr. Geo. M. Brace, St. Paul, discussed "Methods of Testing Students for Vocational Ability;" Mr. W. P. Von Levern, of the University of Minnesota, took as his subject "Achievement, Intelligence and Aptitudes as Applied to Educational and Vocational Guidance," and Mr. W. H. Kirchner, of the University of Minnesota, talked on "Relation of Public School Drawing to College Offerings in the Subject." On Wednesday evening, Mr. J. A. Starkweather of Duluth, presided. Mr. A. F. Benson, Minneapolis, discussed "Practical Arts in the Junior High School," and Mr. R. T. Craigo, Dunwoody Institute, Minneapolis, explained "The Teaching of Related Subjects at Dunwoody." The preliminary report of the Committee on General Industrial Training was given by John F. Friese, St. Cloud. On Friday afternoon, before the superintendents and principals of the state, Asst. Supt. J. N. Greer, Minneapolis, spoke upon the subject "Industrial Education and the Course It Should Take in Elementary and High Schools." He was followed by Mr. Homer J. Smith, of the University of Minnesota, who discussed "The Place of General Industrial Training in the School Program." In addition to the above sessions, there were also sectional meetings for agriculture and home economics teachers and supervisors. Vocational Exhibit. The Evening Vocational School, at Albany, N. Y., held an exhibit in the gymnasium of the high school on March 10th, which was inspected by 4,000 persons. The exhibit gave the public a good idea of the work being done in the evening schools and should lead to a large enrollment next year. In the cabinet making department were shown a library table with electric lamps, and a divan to match; also a cedar chest and a duck boat. In the machine shop were shown parts of a lathe built by the class. A complete tailstock screw was on display. In the mechanical and architectural drawing departments were shown full plans of a stucco house and garage; also the plans for a five horsepower steam-engine. In the cooking spaces were three tables fully set, the first representing the Puritan period, the second the Colonial and the third a modern table set for six people. On this table was everything from the soup to the dessert. The millinery and dressmaking took up most of the floor space. There was a large variety of dresses and hats, all made by the women and girls of the classes. This department is intended for subscribers who have problems which trouble them. The editors will reply to questions, which they feel they can answer, and to other questions they will obtain replies from competent authorities. Letters must invariably be signed with full name of inquirer. All questions are numbered in the order of their receipt. If an answer is desired by mail, a stamped envelope should be enclosed. The privilege of printing any reply is reserved. Address, Industrial-Arts Magazine, Milwaukee, Wis. Finishing Problems. 276. Q: Please write me if there has been found any practical way to stain sapwood on fumed oak articles; also how marquetry designs on "Rubbed drawings" are applied.-L. N. C. A: Sapwood on fumed oak may be shaded by the 50 per cent with denatured alcohol and then is shaded by adding saturated solutions of alcohol soluble Black J. and Bismark Brown Y. This shading of the shellac solutions is best accomplished by putting the color into small bottles in excess of the amount which the alcohol can dissolve. In this way any shade of red, yellow or black brown can be shaded up. An inch and a half Black China chisel brush should then be cut on a 45 or 60 degree angle, by holding this mitered edge parallel to the edge of a board. The brush can be sandpapered down to a chisel edge again through the use of sandpaper and a block. In using this brush the short bristles should be used on the darkest portion of the sap since it is obvious that the longer bristles will carry much color to the wood. It will require considerable practice to do this work carefully, especially to lay on a succession of thin coats which will be clear and free from blotchiness. It may also be accomplished by shading the stained wood with a solution made up from water soluble Black J. Azidol Yellow Y. and Bismark Brown water soluble R. This is used exactly in the same manner and with the same equipment as for shellac shading and will require the same amount of dexterity and practice as for shellac work. Fumed oak work should not be filled and should have as thin a finish as is practicable. Applied marquetry designs of the rubbed drawing type are essentially printed Decalcomania transfer designs printed by the Meyercord Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan, who stocked these designs and furnish full directions for their use. It would seem better judgment, however, that if marquetry work is to be taught the work should be done as in actual practice and each student be made to work out a design and inlay it within the limits of his ability. Ralph G. Waring. Ebony Finish on Birch. 278 Q-I am building a piano bench of birch and wish to finish it jet black to match an old piano. Will you kindly advise me what to use for finish and how to apply? -L. R. C. A:-Several methods suggest themselves as to the finish of a birch piano bench in ebony, but perhaps the most practical suggestion would be to make up a filler of Ivory Black, ground in oil, Silex and Rubbing Varnish in the proportion of one pound of Silex, one quarter pound of Ivory Black and two ounces of varnish, one tablespoon of raw linseed oil. This may be thinned to consistency of milk with a mixture of turpentine and gasoline or turpentine alone. Assuming that the work is properly sanded, it is best to prepare the hands by thoroughly rubbing them with vaseline or gear grease, especially around the finger nails, in order to prevent them from becoming very unsightly after using the black filler which should now be applied. In any work of this kind, this treatment of the hands will enable a very great portion of the coloring material to be easily wiped from them with a rag. This followed by free use of paraffin oil on another rag will enable the remainder to be easily cleaned up with a brush and Lava soap. Filler for birch should be water thin and thoroughly rubbed in across the grain. Allow to set or almost lose the gloss of its liquid content, then use a piece of burlap to thoroughly rub in the filler. Following this a picking stick formed from maple so as to have a slim round point on one end and skew chisel on the opposite end will effectually remove any excess from beads, fillets, or carvings. After this treatment the whole should be carefully gone over with a cotton cloth free from lint. Let the filler dry forty-eight hours in a warm room, dust off and apply a well brushed coat of Pratt & Lambert's Black Effecto Auto Enamel. Let this dry three days, sand with a split 0000 paper, dust off and revarnish. Dry three days and rub out with FF pumice stone, felt pad and water. If no edges have been rubbed through and a full-bodied surface of solid black has resulted, it should be carefully washed up and dried, after which a coat of Pratt & Lambert's Clear Effecto should be used as a finishing coat. This is necessary since furniture should not be treated with a color varnish without a clear varnish, if one is to avoid soiling light dresses and clothes, especially during the summer season. The last clear coat should be carefully rubbed out and cleaned up with a good polish. Set aside to harden for at least two weeks previous to use, in order to avoid the printing of cloth which may occur from the weight and heat of the body. -Ralph G. Waring. Finish for Rustic Furniture. 281. Q: Will you please tell me what is the best finish to apply to rustic furniture after it has been put together? I had the boys in the high school, each make one piece of rustic furniture as one of their projects this year, getting their material from the hills around the school. I would like to know the best way to treat this material.-S. H. A: So far as I know the only practical method of treating rustic furniture consists in brushing on thoroughly a coat of material made from a good Spar Varnish, thinned one-half with turpentine. This will thoroughly penetrate all portions and prevent the absorption of moisture. It should be followed by a second coat of the same material, both coats being allowed seven days' interval. This should in no way destroy the rustic effect but rather tend to increase the softness of the browns and grays. Ralph G. Waring Support Industrial Education. The American Legion's Committee on Specialized Education in Hawaii has made a report to the Education Department of the Island. The committee was officially appointed by Commander J. R. Galt, to investigate the problem of extending and broadening the work of industrial education through the public schools of Hawaii. The members of the committee were chosen from each section of the island and include the following: Frank E. Midkiff, Oahu, chairman. West Hawaii-Samuel P. Woods, Maui, Frank A. Gibbs. East Hawaii-F. A. Clowes. Kauai, Frank S. Pugh. The committee in its work, called upon the leading educators, businessmen, plantation managers and employers of labor, throughout the territory, and reached the conclusion that there was a demand for industrial education in the island. The committee also decided that there is an urgent need for legislative action if the work is to be placed upon an efficient basis. The committee recommended that the American Legion, Department of Hawaii, create and foster a bill to extend and improve industrial education in the public schools. This bill will aim to solve the following outstanding problems in industrial education in the Hawaiian schools: 1. More emphasis on industrial education in the schools. 2. More specific industrial and agricultural training of industrial teachers at the normal school. 3. Securing and retaining of competent teachers of specialized subjects. 4. Improvement of teachers now in service. 5. Increased correlation and cooperation between the educational and industrial interests of the community. 6. Adequate number of buildings for industrial work. 7. Establishment of a territory nautical school. In its conclusion, the committee pointed out that all of the foregoing problems will require a considerable increase in appropriations for education, but at the same time it should be considered in the nature of an investment in public welfare rather than an increase in the expenditure of public funds. How To File A Saw A Lesson In Outline The only equipment necessary for filing saws consists of a clamp and files. To give the best working position, the top of the clamp should be on line with the operator's elbows. Filing Cross-Cut Saws The filer stands to the left of the clamp and at the point of the saw. He holds the file in the gullet of the first tooth and at a right angle to the side of the blade. Then, turning the point of file about 45 degrees toward the handle of the saw, he works in that direction against the front or the cutting-edges of those teeth set toward him (every other one). After every alternate tooth has been filed to a uniform angle and bevel, the saw is reversed in the clamp. He proceeds to file the alternate teeth on this side, again beginning with the first tooth set towards him at the point of the saw. It is essential that the filer place the edge of the file well into the gullet between the teeth, letting the sides of the file find their own bearing against the front and the back of the teeth. The angle of the file thereby becomes the same as that of the teeth and the original shape is maintained. To determine the correct position in which to hold the file, select a tooth of correct shape in the saw (there are almost always some unused teeth near the handle-end) and fit the file into the gullet. Such teeth will also serve as a guide for shape and bevel. BIRD HOUSE ARCHITECTURE. To the Editors: The May number of your valued publication has just reached me. Perhaps I am in somewhat of a critical mood as I glance through its pages, for I see some points that jar me, not because they are of great importance, but because I have noted similar points in other projects that also jar me. I refer to the whole matter of birdhouse construction, some excellent suggestions of which I find in the current issue. The one thing, possibly unimportant, I would like to suggest to Mr. Wieland and all other birdhouse architects, is that they are not building for men but for birds, and that more often human tastes predominate over bird tastes in determining the design and structural features of the project. One who is considerate of the birds would hardly make the perches of the squared sticks when birch twigs with the bark attached would be in much better bird taste, fit the feet better, and be more in keeping with the rustic design of the house. As to the other designs, both here and elsewhere as I have observed them, the designers seem to consider that a house, whether made for a wren, a martin, blue bird or other animal must have the features that fit houses best for the abodes of men, even including the porches, chimneys, and other features useless to the bird dwellers. Added to this, we often see the birdhouses painted and decorated in the gayest of colors. Very well if the purpose is to build for the eye of human neighbors, but if building for the convenience of bird neighbors, why not add features that will count to the advantage of these neighbors, by offering protection against enemies, either by making the nests inaccessible and inconspicuous as the bird does in nature. Why advertise the location of the bird nest by glaring colored paints, as many do, instead of using the idea of protective coloration so nicely adjusted in many cases among both birds and their nests. Protective coloration, proper adaptation of house structure to the needs of the occupants, can well be incorporated in bird house designs without destroying their effectiveness as interesting features about the lawn or home with which they are associated. My plea then is for more of the birdhouses that carry out the bird idea of what home should be without the intrusion of human elements that mar or even empletely destroy the unity of the design and the purpose of the structure. Let us forget the idea of house and incorporate the idea of nesting-place into these bird projects as some have done in a few instances, and as Mr. Wieland started to do, but detracted from the effect by using squared perches instead of the natural twigs about the entrance. We all need to be watchful to avoid such incongruities in our enthusiasm to do this or that thing in our shops. Let us not distort a project in order to adapt it to use as a shop exercise. It has been done too much in the past, and we have constantly to guard against such errors. II. H. Braucher, Instructor Industrial Education, University High School, Urbana, Ill. Day Course in Electricity. A day course in electricity has been added to the industrial courses offered by the schools of Williamsport, Pa. The work is given under the direction of Mr. Charles O. Kaupp, who has served an apprenticeship and finished a college course. The enrollment in night courses this year is unusually heavy and trade extension classes for men are practically filled. Among the subjects offered are mechanical drawing, machine design, electricity, automobile construction, carpentry, acetylene welding, furniture drafting, machine shop practice, industrial chemistry and shop arithmetic. Courses for women in millinery, cooking, sewing, home nursing, and dress making have been begun with students enrolled in two divisions. |