Manual Training may be defined as a special training of the senses of sight, touch, and muscular perception by means of various occupations, not so much for themselves, or the material product of the work, as for the training of the mind.

Many systems have been tried some emphasizing one aspect, and some another of the work.

The schools of thought may be classified for convenience at 1) Utilitarian 2) Disciplinarian, and 3) a wise combination of these which is a development of the first two and expresses more nearly what we understand as Manual Training in this country to-day.

One of the strongest influences in the development of Educational Handwork on this continent was the Sloyd, established by Otto Saloman in Sweden in 1892, who felt that the decline of many home industries was a great loss to the country, and worked indefatigably to find something to supply the deficiency. The educational side was gradually developed, and a training school for teachers was established in 1877. He tried many materials, as media, but chose wood as being most generally used.

England introduced Sloyd work very largely. In Canada the work is comparatively new, and not yet universally introduced. The first schools for this work were the Macdonald Manual Training Schools, one in each province being established and maintained for three years through the general gift of Sir William Macdonald. The instructors were brought from abroad, England and Sweden and later schools for training of teachers were opened. When the value of the work had been thus demonstrated, it was generally taken over and continued by the Educational authorities of the various provinces; and by the wise combination of the valuable features of different systems, courses adapted to the needs of the country and incorporating both the formative and utilitarian features have been evolved and carried out.