Habits will be formed either valuable or otherwise and it is for us to choose among them and lend our efforts to the strengthening of some and to the displacing of others.

Materials should be handled in such a manner as to afford the following means of growth and development: First, an ever-increasing amount of skill in distribution; second, development of understanding of the material itself; third, ability to construct, alone or co-operatively, seat-work material for the younger pupils; fourth, the power of self-direction and of selfcontrol.

All teachers generally recognize the value of correct seating of pupils, heating, lighting, ventilation and cleanliness, but they do not always realize how beneficial will be the reaction to the proper color and use of the walls. By the latter is meant clean and educative exhibits, and the removal of seasonal and special decorations as soon as the immediate need for them has passed.

Afford as little opportunity as possible for the children to acquire the habits of deceit, trickery, inattentiveness, and disobedience. Give them much opportunity for motor expression through music, drawing, games and dramatization. Lead them to criticize and to evaluate their own work; to make their own rules of government and to execute them. This is not too good to be true; it has been done it can be done again.

The boys should make rakes, shovels, hoes, strong baskets for carrying soil and plants, flag-poles, churns and dashers. One little group may be kept very busy making strong fences for the sandtable barn-yard, out of odd pieces of dowel. They cut the animals out of thin wood with a fret saw. Brass may be hammered into effective plant-bowls and window-box trimmings.

HANDWORK

WEAVING

Weaving, in its various forms, is one kind of handwork that our mentally defective children can do well. It is particularly suited to such children because it can be adapted to the use of the lowest-grade child, who can handle only coarse materials, as well as to the highest-grade child, who can handle fine and delicate materials. The articles in which weaving plays a part are so varied in form and use, that the resources from which to draw materials are almost unlimited. Owing to the fact that the material may be changed as frequently as the object to be made, the children need not feel that their work is tiresome and monotonous. On the contrary, weaving, like knitting, has a quieting and soothing effect upon tired and sensitive nerves. Consequently, it serves a twofold purpose that of resting the nerves and training the muscles.

Weaving is economical, for there is scarcely any waste. Add to this another fact, that weaving is practicable, for some of our boys and girls earn money caning chairs and making rugs, and we see the importance of weaving in the education of defectives.

As many of the children come to us with little or no hand training, it is often necessary for us to start at the very beginning. We are careful to select those materials that are attractive, large and easily handled. This is especially important, for what sometimes seems, on the part of the child, unwillingness to work, is really inability to grasp and hold the given material. After the children have become somewhat familiar with the "over and under" process, they begin "making things. It is at this stage, usually, that they become truly interested in their work. They learn to weave numerous articles, such as rugs, curtains, bedding, table linen and hammocks for the dolls' house that they have made in the Manual Training shop, and wash cloths, dish cloths and dusters for themselves. We do not, however, keep them at this form of weaving indefinitely, for we feel that it is only a means to an end. The transition from this to simple basketry, is not hard, for we still use the "over and under" process. This, in turn, is followed by more difficult basketry, and mat and raffia weaving, chair caning, and the weaving of the flat reed tops for stools and couches. During this entire period, the children are looking forward to the time when they will be allowed to work at one of the big foot-looms. The threading of the loom for the first time is rather a difficult task. One experienced boy assists an inexperienced one, who in turn, assists another. Were it not for the fact that this work is considered a great privilege, and something much out of the ordinary, many of the children would lose their interest, and would not finish this part of the work. But when all the warp threads are in their places, the children feel that the rug is nearly made. When our boys and girls have reached this stage

of their work, they are able to make serviceable and saleable rugs. It is usually about this time, that they are obliged to leave school, in order to find work that will help support themselves. We have not, to be sure, solved the great problem of making our children self-supporting when we have taught them weaving, but we have given them some help, however little, in this direction, and have, at the same time, made them happier and more useful.

PAULINE WEIMAR,

Newark, N. J.

HAMMOCK MAKING

A form of industrial training suited either to individuals or to large groups of boys is hammock making. It is a valuable means of developing co-ordination and strength in shoulder, arm and hand. Its difficulties are few and can be mastered by any child with a fair degree of intelligence. I have in my possession a doll's hammock made by an eight-year-old Chicago boy. In this city in an ungraded class of seventeen boys of varying ages and capacities, the majority succeeded in making good hammocks for their own use at the Farm School.

The material used in the making of hammocks is the soft finished cotton seine cord. It comes in various sizes and is put up in bundles of five and ten pounds each. These bundles in turn contain from five to ten hanks of cord averaging in weight about one pound each. The first thing to do with this cord is to roll it into balls of convenient size-about one pound to a ball. By putting a hank of cord over the back of a chair and then untying the two ends, you will be able to roll it into a ball easily without snarling it. The balls of cord may be kept in a large wooden box divided into compartments, and provided with a cover. In this cover bore as many holes as there are compartments and through each one draw the end of one of the balls of cord. In this way several boys have an opportunity to get cord. There is no delay in getting material, and the material is kept free from snarls.

The tools used in hammock making are very simple, and if one has a good model the boys can make their own tools. These tools consist of a needle and mesh block. The size of both these vary with the size of the hammock to be made.

The boy will enjoy making a small hammock at first for sister's doll or for baby. This hammock is best made from No. 18 seine cord and should be about three feet in length when finished.

After a boy has become more or less proficient in the tying of the hammock knot in this small hammock, he may make a "real hammock" which shall be large enough for his own use or for the use of an older member of his family. There is a real motive here and the vision of himself swinging in his own hammock under a tree when he goes to "camp" is something few boys can resist. Some hammocks I have seen were made

by boys who did not have the joys of country use to look forward to. These hammocks were used indoors or swung in area ways in crowded slum sections, and were enjoyed no less on that account.

The first step after the winding of the cord into balls, is the filling of the seine needle. This is done by holding one end of the cord and turning the needle from side to side as the cord is put on.

When the needle is full, the cord is cut from the ball and the needleful of cord is tied to a Japan finished ring about two inches in diameter. A series of fourteen loops each eighteen inches long is tied to the ring. The meshes of the hammock are tied on these loops row after row, turning the work and tying the knots from left to right, until the hammock is long enough. The knot used in this part of the work is called the "Becket knot" and can be found in Hasluck's "Knotting and Splicing." When the hammock is long enough it is finished with a second series of fourteen 18-inch loops attached to a second 2-inch ring. An edge cord to strengthen and give firmness to the work, may be run through the loops on the edge of the hammock, and the ends may be finished by being bound around tightly with cord below the rings at each end.

Fringe may be made of cuttings and ends saved during the making of the hammocks, and this fringe permits of a variety of treatment. This gives scope for originality and invention.

Hammocks may be dyed after being finished, but the most satisfactory way is to dye the hanks of cord before winding. This colored cord may be used for making fringe or ends, and bands of color may be introduced for variety.

Double cord hammocks may be made by winding the needle with two cords instead of one, and proceeding as for the single cord work. A hammock of this kind is very durable.

FLORENCE M. BULLOCK.

DO THESE THINGS FOR YOUR CHILDREN

Let them do all they can for themselves-carry their own water, fill their own jugs, wash up, arrange their own rooms, clean their boots and clothes, lay the table. Believe me, that unimportant as these things may seem, they are a hundred times more important for your children's happiness than a knowledge of French or of history.

These things train the children to simplicity, to work and to self-depend

ence.

If you can add work on the land, if it be but a kitchen garden, that will be well.

Believe me, that without that condition there is no possibility of a moral education, a Christian education or a consciousness of the fact that men are not naturally divided into the classes of masters and slaves, but they are all brothers and equals.

LEO TOLSTOI.

EDITORIAL

Recognition of the existence of the mentally defective and demand for the adequate solution of his problem is spreading to every field. Significant of this fact is the following extract from a letter sent us by the Secretary of the Committee on Guidance, United Hebrew Society, New York. "J. B. is almost fifteen. He is in 5 B. Last summer he joined the boys at your farm and your observation of him was that he was as defective as most of them. Dr. Heckman examined him in the fall and found him three years retarded. J. loves manual work and used to go into your class for the sake of the basketry and other handwork he might do there. He is very strong and loves heavy work. We thought J. should go to a Farm School and tried the National Farm School, at Farm School, Pa., The Hebrew Sheltering Guardian Society at Pleasantville, the New York State Industrial School at Farmingdale, L. I., and Woodbine Farm School, all without success. He is in some cases too young for admission, in some too low in school, and, of course, his mental condition is a factor. J., at our request has entered P. S. 45 which is run on the Gary Plan and is taking up farming there. However, in another year he will be 16. How can we utilize this year for his training?

"M. M. is 16 years old. He graduated from elementary school, having made the last six months during the three summer months. He then secured employment and in the year he has been working has been out of work seven months, and has had four positions. M. is one of a large family of hypochondriacs. It is true that he has chronic bronchitis but he tells people and believes himself that he has tuberculosis. This boy was examined by Dr. Heckman who found him four years retarded. This may be due to defective vision and he is obtaining glasses. Again we thought the farm school would be the solution and were willing to give a scholarship. We tried in vain at the above mentioned farm schools. What can you suggest?

"G. H. was referred to our committee by the Alliance Employment Bureau. They had known her for several months, during that time she secured very many positions at sewing of one kind or another. She was always discharged within three days. She is defective. I do not like to send her to Randall's Island, and Letchworth Village is not yet open to girls. Is there any place for her to go?

"J. F. applied for working papers and was refused them because she was in an ungraded class. She was told she could obtain them if the United Hebrew Charities took the responsibility of her welfare. The girl was examined by Dr. Heckman and institution care is recommended. Is there any institution for her to go to?"

February 24, 1916.

In the January issue of UNGRADED editorial reference was made to a letter which I had written. When I wrote this letter I had no expectation that it would be used for publication otherwise I would have made more definite my statement of the policy of the Seattle schools in handling the feeble-minded. To be authoritative, any formulation of the policy for conducting the special classes here should be secured from Miss Goodhue who is in charge of this work.

Up to the present time about two hundred children have been excluded from school due to their being low-grade defectives for whom institutional care is most suitable. You raise the question in your editorial as to what