ence.

three years preceding the introduction of manual training with the three years since, we get the following results. For the period preceding, the total increase was 92, for the period following, the total increase was 196. The increase in boys was 62 for the first period and 65 for the second, practically no differThe increase in girls was 30 for the first period and 131 for the second, a difference of 101. Another fact must be considered. A reference to Table III shows a very remarkable increase in the number of promotions from the 8-A Grade during the period 1901-7, an increase of 103. This rapid growth of promotions from the 8-A Grade would, of course, in the absence of any other influence, have largely increased the enrollment of the high school. The conclusion from all these facts is that the influence of the new work was felt more strongly by girls than by boys, that the amount of influence is difficult to determine, but was certainly not great.

"As to whether or not manual training tends to keep boys in school and to inspire a keener interest in other subjects, our experience, as far as it has gone, supports the negative."56

29. St. Louis, Mo. (Central High). "I do not believe that manual training and domestic science have been instrumental in keeping a larger percentage of boys and girls in school. I have statistics to support my position. In this school we give eleven courses. My tabulations last September of the percentage of loss in each course show that of all pupils registered between February, 1911, and June, 1911, there failed to report in September for their courses:

56 C. T. Lane, Principal High and Manual Training School, Fort Wayne, Indiana, "Report of Public Schools," 1907, Fort Wayne, Indiana, p. 57.

"These figures include losses of pupils through the entire range of the eight semesters of the courses.

"You will notice that the courses that prepare for business, the four year and the two year commercial, suffer the greatest losses. Those in which pupils have a more distant objective, such as becoming teachers, and following professions, as in the scientific and college scientific courses, remain in school, and the percentage of loss in these is relatively smaller. The manual training and domestic science pupils represent the average loss.

"It is my opinion that the manual training and domestic science courses have brought a much larger number of pupils into the school, about one third of whom drop out during the first year. In fact, from February to September, 1911, 60.4% of my entire school belonged to the first two semesters or first year. It may be interesting for you to know that between February, 1911, and September, 1911, 37.8% of the manual training boys dropped out of school and in the second semester, 12.8%. Of the domestic science pupils, 45.8% dropped out during the first term and 26.7% during the second.

"Moreover, in January, 1908, 411 pupils entered this school, of whom thirty-four began manual training and thirty-six domestic science. We are now graduating seven boys and two girls from these two courses."

Statements made which are not of sufficient significance to be very well classified under statistics:

8. Macon, Ga. "The upper classes have increased in size faster than first year classes, about 10%."

16. Baltimore, Md. "According to reports of principals supervising schools before and after manual training was introduced, such training has a marked effect upon increasing the attendance."

41. Pittsburgh, Pa., Allegheny High School.-"Before we introduced this new department of our high school course, our enrollment was about 600; now it is 800 and about 200 students are in the manual training and domestic science work."

43. Reading, Pa. "Since the introduction of manual training in our school the enrollment has steadily gone up, until today the enrollment of the boys outnumbers the girls."

47. Dallas, Texas. "Our graduating classes for the past ten or twelve years hold a fairly constant relation in numbers to the total enrollment."

49. Richmond, Va., Armstrong High School (colored). "We introduced manual training in this school in 1905, giving each. boy and girl a half day each week in Domestic Science (girls) and Woodwork (boys). The school fell off in number that year and has never been as large since.

"However, the next year, 1906, I changed the arrangement of studies and made a four year course instead of a three year This may have something to do with the decrease in

the attendance.

"Last September I introduced the industrial feature of the Manual Arts. We require all pupils who fail in the first year in the academic department to enter the industrial work. This is at present planned to give work in cooking and sewing, leading to proficiency in these arts. It is also proposed to give the boys an opportunity to learn some trade under shop conditions (part time plan). Our plan is to give a half day in academic and manual work daily.

"This year the school has fallen off very considerably in number again, the total roll being 60 less than last session. But again the falling off may be partly due to the opening of a school within two blocks of the building, charging a nominal tuition.

"I should, therefore, say that manual training has had no appreciable effect in either of the two phases mentioned." The replies of those schools designated as indefinite or noncommittal are given below:

13. Pittsburg, Kansas. "Very little and that due to the elasticity of the course of study."

14. Sterling, Kansas. "The work is practically new here; the boys and girls take a good interest in the work."

18. Brockton, Mass. "I do not think that it would have a tremendous influence, although some may have been kept in school on account of such courses."

20. Fitchburg, Mass. "It has made very little difference here."

31. Omaha, Neb. "We have apparently only the natural increase each year."

33. Nashua, N. H. "The work has been in operation only a short time, so no opinion can be given."

34. Newark, N. J. "Evidence not strong."

44. Wilkes-Barre, Pa. "Records rather support the ques

tion."

With these reports the increase throughout the United States in the enrollment of persons 5 to 18 years of age during recent years should be considered. According to the United States Commissioner's Report of 1910, there are nearly 1,400 cities in the United States having 4,000 population or over. In more than half of these cities the public schools have manual training in several years of the course, generally in the elementary grades, but frequently in all the years from the kindergarten through the high school.57 In addition to these there are also 265 manual and industrial schools, exclusive of the Indian Schools, of which 74 are public.58

TABLE IV.

(1)-Cities of over 4,000 inhabitants offering Manual Training.

1869-'70 '79-'80 '90 '94 '96 '98 1900 'OI '02 '03 '04

over

37 95 121 146 169 232 270 322 411 420 510 644 671 700

(2)—Percentage of persons 5 to 18 years of age enrolled in public schools.

The first table was taken from the U. S. Commissioner's
Report 1909, Vol. II, p. 1161 and Report of 1911.

The second table was taken from the U. S. Commissioner's
Report 1910, Introductory Survey, p. xiv and Report of 1911.

57 United States Commissioner's Report 1910, Vol. II, Chapter 26, p. 1205.
58 United States Commissioner's Report 1910, Vol. II, Table 168.

The sign (c) over numerals in Table 2 indicates that they are based on a comparison between actual numbers of pupils 5 to 18 years of age enrolled (duplicates excluded) and estimated number of persons 5 to 18 years of age.

Notwithstanding the great increase in the number of schools which teach manual training and notwithstanding the general impression among school principals that manual training and domestic science have been instrumental in keeping a larger percentage of boys and girls in school, it is observed that in 1890, when there were but 37 schools recorded as teaching manual training, the per cent. of persons enrolled from 5 to 18 years of age was 68.61, and that in 1907, when there were 644 schools recorded as teaching manual training, the percentage of persons enrolled from 5 to 18 years of age was 69.61; an increase of I per cent. Again, comparing the years 1900, when there were 169 schools recorded as teaching manual training, and 1908, when there were 671 such schools, there was an actual decrease of 3.11 per cent. of persons 5 to 18 years of age enrolled.

Of course, as a check upon these figures, it is to be remembered that the percentage of persons 5 to 18 years of age enrolled is estimated in several instances, so that they may not be accurate, but we have no more reliable statistics upon which to depend.

Before formulating any conclusion, I wish to call particular attention to the large number of instances where a general impression is given, one way or the other, without any statistics to support the impression.

And even when statistics are given, with the exception of three or four cities, no reference is made as to whether the change in enrollment is due to a change in local conditions, or whether the change is simply a normal one, or whether it may be due to some other influence. It is my belief that, when a change is made in the curriculum of a school of such vast importance as is the introduction of manual training, and even when changes of less importance are made, statistics should be kept in order to determine whether or not the change affects the enrollment. If this were done we could have more facts and less impressions upon which to depend.