A correspondent suggests that it would be a handy accomplishment for
schoolboys to be proficient in the handling, splicing, hitching, and
knotting of ropes. He suggests the propriety of having the art taught in
our public schools. A common jackknife and a few pieces of clothes line
are the main appliances needed to impart the instruction with. He
concludes it would not only be of use in ordinary daily life, but
especially to those who handle merchandise and machinery. Any one, he
adds, who has noticed the clumsy haphazard manner in which boxes and
goods are tied for hoisting or for loading upon trucks, will appreciate
the advantage of practical instruction in this direction. Probably a
good plan, he further suggests, would be to have one schoolboy taught
first by the master, and then let the pupil teach the other boys. Our
correspondent thinks most boys would consider it a nice pastime to
practice during recess and at the dinner hour, so that no time would be
taken from study or recitation time.
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