THE PLACE OF RESEARCH IN EDUCATION. 355 



tical way of selecting those whose studies would be materially 

 promoted by such a grant. 



Clearly, therefore, it is essential that we should not lose 

 sight of the fact that an exceedingly complex educational 

 system is now growing up under the influence of men who, 

 for the most part, are in no sense experts, and have but 

 little knowledge of the details of such work, although pos- 

 sessed with the desire in every way to do service to the 

 community and to improve our national position. It there- 

 fore behoves all who can follow such work to keep most 

 careful watch on the march of events ; otherwise those who 

 seek to benefit may in the end do irreparable injury ; the 

 present is a most critical period in our history, and such 

 watchfulness is imperatively demanded of us. 



I have ventured on this digression because so much 

 depends on the foundation laid at school, as technical 

 studies can only be satisfactorily engaged in by those who 

 have been well trained from the beginning. 



As Professor Herkomer says, the kind of individuality 

 to be developed in each town — or in the case of our huge 

 metropolis, in each district — will vary according to the 

 necessities of the community. In future each Polytechnic 

 in London must seek to ascertain what special work it can 

 do to greatest advantage, instead of all following one 

 example, as is too much the case at present. In words 

 almost exactly those of my artist colleague : " This is the 

 only way in which schools will obtain a direct influence 

 over the industries of the country ; and the influence will 

 be the right one when the master is carefully selected, 

 because it will be the school around a man and not a man 

 struggling to be master in the midst of a system of imper- 

 sonal teaching, where every student is expected to be 

 squeezed into a great educational mangling machine ". 

 " Choose your master carefully," he says, " but then let him 

 be master, and he will soon, with freedom of action, vary his 

 forms of tuition according to the idiosyncrasy of each 

 student, or the necessities of his immediate locality. The 

 one true prize to be worked for would be individual pro- 

 gress. All teaching must be on a personal basis." 



