AN APPRECIATION OF CARDBOARD CONSTRUCTION.

A

JOHN C. BRODHEAD.

FEW years ago the writer assisted in collating facts regarding manual training, obtained from superintendents of large school systems. It was noticeable how few cities had any form of organized hand work in the lower grades. Doubtless most of these cities were well supplied with kindergartens, their merit being everywhere conceded, and the reports showed that in the upper grades, and in regular and special high schools, manual work was either being given the same place as other work or was to be inaugurated very shortly, or else regret was expressed that circumstances prevented its adoption. Little comment was made upon the lack in the lower grades and one is led to question why a subject so appreciated in kindergarten, upper grades and high schools, should be so calmly ignored in the lower grades, especially when we consider that the motor instincts are strongest and most susceptible of training in these very grades, and that, in many instances, our pupils leave school before reaching the grades in which woodworking is offered. The answer to this question would seem to be that school authorities, generally, feel that it is impossible to afford expensive equipment and materials and special instruction in the numerous classes of the lower grades, and that there is no form of manual training, of educative character, suitable to these grades which does not require such expense.

Most of us know, and all should know, of the interesting work done throughout the grades in such schools as the Horace Mann of Teachers College, and the School of Education, Chicago University. Their work has been described in these pages again and again. But its variety, and a knowledge of the conditions under which it is produced, may sometimes discourage rather than encourage the superintendent as he goes back to his classes of fifty children so often taught by overworked and underpaid teachers. Therefore because modeling is thought to be too dirty; basketry, too expensive; weaving, too individual for class work, etc., and because all these lines of endeavor are supposed to require the services of special teachers, I shall come at once to the line of work mentioned in the title of this paper and attempt to show how cardboard construction is adapted for introduction in the lower grades.

Most superintendents or supervisors of the manual arts, in looking over the various text-books of cardboard work, will concede that the subject can be taught to large classes by the regular teachers and with a small outlay for materials and equipment. The patience of the children is not taxed, and noise and dirt are practically eliminated. The objection, when any is raised, seems to be that the time spent in drawing and cutting out forms at the dictation of a teacher is not educative enough to warrant the expenditure of time. It is this objection that it is the purpose of this paper to meet, in the hope that more schools may introduce such a valuable line of manual training when they cannot carry on still better but much more expensive lines of work. Even if the choice were to lie between no manual training and cardboard work at its worst, I should still recommend its introduction in the lower grades. The facility gained, in such work, in the use of scissors, compasses, triangles, and especially the rule, is of great value. It is difficult to induce a boy in the seventh grade to listen attentively to instructions in the use of the rule. However ignorant of it he may be, he is "above" studying it. In the fourth grade, however, this same rule is still enough of a mystery so that he is willing to take it seriously and really become intelligently acquainted with it.

Most any of the many excellent text-books on the market may be used successfully by the thoughtful teacher. The chief criticism that can be made of them is that there is lacking in them the elements of individuality in work, change of methods of instruction as pupils advance, opportunity for design, etc. The writer will endeavor to make some very practical suggestions in the hope that they may be taken right into the classroom and used with any text-book to breathe new life into the work.

Upon the manner in which the lessons are conducted depends the value of the work and attention is called to the following suggestions as to how the work may prove broad, interesting, educative and of industrial value, not as leading directly to a trade, although it could do that, but as imparting an interest in construction and things mechanical.

Begin the formal work in the fourth grade preceded, if possible, by paper folding and cutting, tablet laying, etc., in the first three grades, but the latter is not essential.

A year's work with a class of fifty requires about 150 sheets of bristol board and four balls of twine or six tubes of paste, according to the grade, at a total cost of about $2.00 for the class. One equipment of 8 punches, and 4 dozen each of scissors, triangles, compass attachments, and rules, will serve several classes and cost about $25.00.

At the outset the teacher should appreciate and, whenever opportunity offers, point out to the children the relation between cardboard work and the industries of the world. Such a relationship is quickly seen in the case of sloyd or manual training in wood in connection with house building, pattern making, furniture construction and cabinet-making. In the same way it should be noted that cardboard construction can be made illustrative of many of the uses of sheet materials. In the case of tinsmithing, cornice and ventilating work, steel frame, bridge and elevated railway construction, the units are always formed from flat sheets, sometimes very thin, getting their ultimate strength from being shaped by bending or flanging in various ways. All this can be illustrated with cardboard, either by having angle irons, I-beams, channel irons, etc. imitated directly or incidently as other work progresses. The methods of paper making might be described, and mention made of the part they play, in causing us to cut with the grain, the strips of cardboard for the napkin ring, circular box, etc.

Naturally drawing plays a large part in cardboard construction, and its difficulty, as each model is laid out, increases only with the difficulty of the model, which is not true in woodworking where the drawing of an object may be very simple but its construction very difficult. At first one must be satisfied with the following of dictation, being sure that the dictation is logical and clear and that the following is exact. The drawing, to scale, should be put on the board exactly as the children are expected to work, one line at a time in their presence, putting on dimensions with proper conventions, these not to appear on the cardboard. The board ruler should be graduated to inches, halves and quarters.

While not teaching formal definitions, care should be taken that correct terms are used by teacher and pupils and that the qualities of the various forms are recognized. A few moments should be spent, during each drawing lesson, in reviewing the various forms revealed by the construction lines of the current problem.

There may here be introduced simple work in design, such as the application of borders to candle shades, and trays, or of panelling to screens. etc.

After a few weeks, the method of instruction should occasionally call for the making, by the pupil, of a working drawing on paper with all dimensions properly added, following the work of the teacher at the board. The models should then be made of cardboard, with but little direction, the board work having been erased and the pupils working from their own drawings.

Right here a word about accuracy-that bug-a-bear of the conscientious teacher. Accuracy is all a question of relativity. No one of us can cut out a piece of cardboard exactly 6" square. All that should be attempted with the children is to raise their standard of accuracy. This can more effectively be done by the demands of the work than by any amount of preaching or scolding. That is, a tag " too long does not offend a pupil, but a tray, one of whose sides is " higher than the other at the corner, will offend him and he will try to avoid such results in the future; that is, his standard of accuracy has been raised.

In connection with the tying up of models, a few simple knots should be taught, especially the square and bow knots. About one person in ten knows

a square knot from a "granny" and only one in one hundred can tie one the first time. Very few boys can tie a bow knot. These and other knots can be taught with great interest and no equipment.

About at this stage, thoughtful work is induced by having pupils design and make working drawings for mounts for pictures, brought in by themselves, or develop envelopes to contain cards of stated dimensions.

Note the variety of thought in carrying out a lesson about as follows: Display a pasteboard box, such as pencils come in, with its cover. Have a few children at the board, and the rest at their seats, make sketches of the developments adding laps and dimensions of all parts. Then have over-all dimensions figured and area and contents of box, if possible. The box should then be made from cardboard. When this can be done without constant leading questions on the part of the teacher, much progress has been made.

By this time more design can be employed in the modification of the outline of parts of models such as backs of match scratchers, calendar mounts, etc., and sides of square, hexagonal and octagonal trays, taboret models, etc. The best way to secure good results in this contour design, and to eliminate tediousness, is to have the experimentation done with paper cutting, the best resulting design to be traced upon the cardboard model.

An exercise which would demand the employment of all varieties of previously outlined methods would be to ask the pupils each to design an octagonal tray not to exceed say 6" in diameter, sides to be made of pleasing proportions and contour, and to put an appropriate design in the centre of the tray or on the sides. Method of fastening sides, (tying, lacing or pasting) to be left to pupils' initiative. Preliminary sketches should be made and, when satisfactory, followed by working drawings before cardboard model is made.

If the teacher has come to be in sympathy with his work, its culminating value can be reached by having it illustrate other school work. Models of public or historic buildings can be made and there may be constructed representations of the Pyramids, Washington Monument, vehicles, railway cars, various styles of dwellings, etc., indefinitely.

All through the course, simple lettering should be taught in connection with the names of models and pupils. Begin with capitals of uniform height established by light guide lines. Have the letters of the simplest form, the attention being devoted to good proportioning and spacing. Later the distinction between upper and lower case (capital and small) letters may be taught and the latter introduced into the work.

The children should know the name of each model before beginning work on it and should review its shape and characteristics before passing to the

next.

There is a difference between the line of thought used in working up a development or a working drawing and that used in making an object from such development or working drawing. This should be understood by the instructor and might be brought to the attention of advanced pupils. In the one case, the work is all from detailed surfaces which, properly joined together, form the finished pattern or drawing. In the other case, one starts with the limiting rectangle or other figure and subdivides it as the drawing indicates.

This distinction is easily appreciated in the respective operations of planning and building a house. The architect is first concerned with size and arrangement of rooms, halls, closets, etc., finally ascertaining the size of the house itself. The builder first lays out the frame and outer walls of the house and then runs up the partitions to form the rooms, halls and closets.

While not of itself a sufficient reason for the introduction of cardboard construction, it is well to note that the work outlined is a fine preparation for the woodwork so generally carried on in the upper grades. It gives acquaintance with the rule, with the sketch and working drawing and starts the pupil out with a better standard of accuracy. All this will enable the woodworking teacher to omit such preliminary work and to introduce, much earlier, the more advanced and more interesting projects.

I hope that I have indicated above that here is a form of elementary manual training for those schools which have felt that the choice was between an expensive form of work and none, that it gives a good training to the hand and eye, calls for original, constructive thought, gives an acquaintance with industrial ideas and, in short, vindicates its claim to recogntion as a worthy form of elementary manual training.

DRAWN BY C. HERCKNER