Construction Work for Rural and Elementary Schools Part 7

These cleats fit into the box and hold the lid on.

Stain, wax, and polish the box.

10 Grandfather's Chair

_Material_--Ba.s.swood: three pieces 521/8 inches; one piece 221/8 inches. Brads. Sandpaper. Glue. Stain or oil.

[Ill.u.s.tration: GRANDFATHER'S CHAIR]

Measure and lay off as you have done in making the other small pieces of wood work. Handle the knife most cautiously, as the wood is so thin that it is easily split. When all parts are cut out and well sandpapered glue them together and secure them by driving in the brads about an inch apart along the line of the seat and where the arms join the back. Stain or oil as most convenient, or as taste dictates.

PART IV

BASKETRY

BASKETRY

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

The art of basket-making is a primitive one, and so simple that it appears to have been known among the rudest people and in very early ages.

When Moses was found by Pharaoh's daughter, he was lying in a basket which had been woven by his mother.

Later, when the Israelites were returning to the Promised Land, they were commanded to offer unto the Lord "the first of all the fruits of the earth" in a basket, as soon as Canaan became their possession. The baskets of the rich, of these ancient Israelites were made of gold and silver, and so valuable were they that when a gift was sent in one of them the basket was always returned.

The ancient Britons were remarkably expert in the manufacture of baskets, which were so beautifully made that they were highly prized by the Romans.

Our own American Indians were, and still are, such adepts in the art of basket-making that, for beauty and artistic effect, their baskets are excelled by none.

The perfection attained in this art by the uncivilized is marvelous.

Adapting the materials about them to their use, they produce masterpieces which the civilized man beholds in wonder and amazement.

Though handed down to us through many ages, this ancient occupation has never lost its fascination. The adult and the child of to-day are as eager to learn its secrets as were those dwellers on the banks of the Nile, hundreds of years ago.

As a plastic art it lies between paper construction and clay modeling on one side, and wood and iron work on the other.

A keen interest in the art may be awakened by arousing in the child a desire for a basket for some practical purpose. In the autumn, the collecting of seeds for next spring's planting, the gathering of nuts, the need for something in which to take the lunch to school, or, perhaps, a wish to make a pleasing gift for the coming Christmas, will immediately suggest its utility.

[Ill.u.s.tration: NORTH CAROLINA PINE]

Of what shall the basket be made? Children enjoy those things most which they feel that they have exerted themselves to obtain; and the greater the effort involved, the greater the educational value. Every child should be trained to keep his eyes open and to adapt to his use the things he sees about him. Materials for baskets may be obtained in just this way. City children may take a trip to the country and gather the long gra.s.ses found in swamps and low places. Perhaps in the garden at home there is a clump of yucca; when the fall comes and the bloom is gone the leaves or blades may be cut, dried and stripped, and transformed into an attractive basket or tray. Again, the husks which are stripped from the corn cooked for dinner may be torn into narrow ribbons and dried for use. Corn husks make a beautiful basket, for the different shades of green change, after the husks have dried, to as many shades of brown, which blend most artistically when worked up. The little children of the South may gather the long needles that fall from the southern pine, and combine them with raffia or twine to construct a basket. Country children have a most adaptable and convenient commodity in the tough, flexible willows found on the banks of almost every stream.

The material most commonly used and easiest to begin with, however, is reed, which is pliable, and readily handled and moulded into simple forms by even small children. It is available when other materials are not to be had, for it may be purchased with the school supplies.

Reed is the core or central part of the climbing calamus, a species of palm found in the jungles of Borneo and adjacent South Sea islands. The outside of the raw calamus is smooth and is made into commercial cane used for chairs. The shavings, made by the machine which separates the cane from the core or inner reed, are utilized for mats, polis.h.i.+ng material, and stuffing for mattresses and furniture. Thus every part of the raw material is brought into use.

Originally the calamus grew in a limited area and was difficult to obtain. Only the natives could gather it, as the white man contracted the jungle fever as soon as he subjected himself to the climate in which it grew. But within the last fifty or seventy-five years enterprising men have begun the cultivation of the rattan palm, and have met with so much success that now there are a number of factories in the United States making the reed and rattan of commerce, while Germany and Belgium export to us the best reed that is used.

[Ill.u.s.tration: REED BASKETS]

The teacher should never begin the use of any new material for construction without having made the child familiar with its history; nor should a finished article be laid aside until the pupil has given the teacher a description of how it is made, and of what it is made. If this method is carried out the child will show a greater appreciation of what he is doing, will value the finished article more highly, and will place a premium on the raw material.

Overlook the pupils in their work, but grant them the privilege of adjusting size and shape, and of selecting material for the requirements of the design they have in mind. By achieving what he can for himself, the pupil attains a realization of his own power, and the logic of size, shape, material, etc., is awakened.

REED CONSTRUCTION

In construction, the first thing to teach a child is how to handle the material. To do this, use small quant.i.ties and attempt only simple articles. Reed is the simplest thing to begin with, and the easiest of all basket-work models is the napkin ring. Soak all the reed and dry it with a cloth before using.

1 Napkin Ring No. I

_Problem_--To construct a napkin ring of reed.

_Material_--No. 2 reed, 7 feet.

Take one end of the reed and form a loop two inches in diameter, and wind the reed three times to form the ring. Hold it in the left hand.

Pa.s.s the loose end over the curve and through the circle. Pull it taut enough to make it lie in a natural curve. Repeat this movement--over and over, round and round--allowing the strands always to follow the valley between the two former laps. When the foundation is covered, clip the end where it finishes up, press it into place in the groove, drop a little glue over the point at which it is pressed in, and bind the ring with a string to hold the end in position. When the glue has dried, remove the string.

[Ill.u.s.tration: No. I No. II REED NAPKIN RINGS]

When the napkin ring has been made, the child has learned the principle involved in constructing a basket handle.

2 Napkin Ring No. II

_Problem_--To construct a napkin ring of No. 5 reed. (See page 75.)

_Material_--No. 5 reed, 2-1/2 feet.

In using No. 5 reed, form the loop two inches in diameter, but have the ring of only one thickness, and proceed as in ring No. 1. This will make a napkin ring of different appearance because the windings are fewer and the reed thicker.

3 Mat

_Problem_--To construct a simple mat of reed.

_Material_--No. 4 reed: eight spokes, 9 inches long; one spoke, 6 inches long. Weavers of No. 2 reed.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figure 1 Figure 2 TO START A REED MAT OR SIMPLE BASKET]