If ever an exercise piece has a legitimate use, it has it here. The great objection to exercise pieces lies in their inability to create a vital interest on.the part of the pupil. The writer has made it a practice to talk over the applications of each exercise and to state briefly the need for the exercise before beginning it. First, that the class because of numbers must be instructed all at the same time; second, that the joints, unlike the simple one-piece objects previously made cannot be remedied Or patched up by reducing the size, as in the bread board, when lack of knowledge or skill causes errors; third, that postponing the practice any length of time would be unwise. As the time required for making the exercises, as arranged in the course outlined above, is short there has never been a lack of interest either in the exercise or in the unfinished objects of the old group to which some must return after completing the exercise.

High school boys begin to take on a different attitude toward exercises and technique. Their increased knowledge and skill permit applications requiring considerable time for completing. For this reason all the exercises are grouped in the fore part of their year.

To the writer it seems unnecessary to apologize for this use of exercises. He has felt free to utilize parts of any system which seemed to serve his purpose. He does feel, however, that a long continued series of exercises in elementary woodworking without application would be fatal. American school methods have been criticised by Europeans as being superficial and lacking in thoroness. It may be that in our eagerness to develop the individual we have made ourselves subjects for such criticism to a certain extent. We need not fear the introduction of this small amount of drill and formalism, especially when there is no loss of interest or incentive. It is impossible to teach a pupil a thing that is entirely new to him unless he has in his possession a fund of "known" thru which the unknown may be made known. For this reason drawings and sketches are plentifully provided.

Experience has shown that better results are obtained, both in the development of ability to think and ability to do, if the ability to "do" is given a maximum of attention at the beginning of the course, opportunities for original thinking being introduced gradually as the pupils' knowledge, appreciation, and skill increase. In the beginning groups the sizes or dimensions are fixed, no variation being permitted except as poor work necessitates. Requiring all to make the same pieces in the beginning groups permits comparison of results and the establishing of standards of accuracy as well as making it possible to give definite instruction with the minimum of talking.

Another reason for emphasizing technique and processes at the beginning is that interest is so easily directed. A beginner is interested in anything. In fact, a few exercises - not more than two or three - might be introduced at the very beginning without in any way violating the principle relating to interest previously mentioned. The writer does not make use of exercises in this way but can understand some of the advantages secured by so doing.

Having taught the pupil to respect a "working line," which experience shows takes the greater part of the seventh year, it will be time to begin to encourage original thinking on the part of the pupil. This, because of the pupil's ignorance of the subject matter, will come slowly, if satisfactorily. Modifications of the dimensions of the projects should be the first step. While originality is to be encouraged in every way it should never be forced at the expense of appreciation. "Appreciation must be developed first. Better a chair of good design and proportion made after another's design with appreciation than an absurdity made after one's own design and its weaknesses not seen. The greatest value of design in public school education is expressed well by Professor Sargent when he says, "For one who will produce a design, a thousand must know how to select it."

Pupils possessed of exceptional originality and ability will find ample opportunity for expression in the group system without hindrance upon the part of the slower neighbors and without requiring all the instructor's time at a sacrifice of the time which the slower pupils have a right to. The slow pupil has a right to an equal share of the instructor's time, and this is not always easy to give when the brilliant pupil is to be given individual and advanced instruction as the systems other than the group system necessitate.

In general, it will be found advisable to hold seventh grade pupils quite rigidly to the execution of the projects offered. In the eighth grade pupils should be encouraged to modify existing projects, while in high school they should be encouraged to "work up" original ideas. By this time they should have acquired a fair fund of information and some judgment and appreciation.

A glance at the outline on woodworking will show that the projects in eighth grade and in high school are most all of such a nature as to demand considerable repetition of processes. For illustration, in the making of the taboret there are eight dado joints. We have heard so much of the non-educational value of repeated processes that one may be inclined to question the arrangement of a course which introduces but two joints in the course of a year's work, as is done in the eighth grade of this outline. In view of the fact that very many courses introduce the glue joint, mortise-and-tenon, etc., in the eighth grade it may be well for the writer to state his point of view. It is this: The highest educational value comes not from many joints put to the pupil in such rapid succession that he has not time for the acquirement of a fair degree of proficiency, but rather from the mastery of a few by repetition so planned as to maintain a keen interest in each joint made. As a recent writer has said, "There is need for more investigation on the point that repeated processes are non-educational. Doing certain things until the process becomes automatic sometimes leads one to take the first step toward a higher freedom." This, in view of the present demands of industrial education, is the excuse for offering a few joints well made rather than many joints with the consequent mechanical indigestion that usually follows. As soon as the process has become fairly automatic, or when the joint has been fairly well mastered, then are we ready to proceed to new fields. In the seventh grade outline the introduction of new processes is more frequent. This is due to the fact that the operations are simple and of such a nature, planing for example, that future work necessitates their frequent repetition.

The accurate use of the chisel is kept until the eighth grade, as is also accurate sawing to a knife line with the back-saw. It has taken us a long time to come to a realization that, while the chisel and saw are simple tools, their proper handling is not simple. A general survey of the groups for grade seven will show that each is concerned with one of the various type processes used in squaring up stock, both mill-planed and rough. In eighth grade the groups are concerned with the accurate use of the chisel and back-saw in chiseling, or paring, and sawing to fit.