106 Mr Grierson on Competitions amofiff Tradesmen* 



serve his pre-eminence, would be compelled to continue his 

 exertions. 



The details of such a system must of course be left to prac- 

 tical men ; but there are one or two general principles which 

 appear to apply universally, and which, indeed, seem quite ne- 

 cessary to the success of any attempt of the kind. 1. No class 

 should be so large as not to afford a fair chance of success to 

 every individual comprised in it ; but, that superior merit may 

 obtain a corresponding distinction, the successful competitors in 

 the first class should be brought again into competition with one 

 another for an additional prize, just as in a coursing match. 

 2. That every one may know with whom he is to contend, the 

 name of each competitor should be entered in a public list, a 

 considerable time before the day of trial. S. The work by 

 which the merit of each class is to be ascertained, should, as 

 far as possible, be executed in the same place, and at the same 

 time, both to insure that no one shall produce any thing but 

 what he has himself executed, and also for the purpose of com- 

 paring the different modes of doing the same thing, practised by 

 different workmen. 4. That the competitors may have com- 

 plete assurance of perfect impartiality, they ought, in every 

 case, to have the choice of their own judges. 5. It maybe 

 mentioned, in the last place, that books appear by far the best 

 prizes that can be given, both on account of the valuable infor- 

 mation which may be thus communicated, and also because a 

 suitable inscription can be put upon them at no expense. 



These principles of competition have already been tried with 

 great success by the Glenkens Society, an institution which was 

 formed about two years ago in a retired district of the stewartry 

 of Kirkcudbright, for a similar purpose with that now under 

 consideration ; and there can be no doubt that competitions 

 thus conducted, would be still more beneficial under the in- 

 fluence of the condensed population of a large town. 



It has long been a very general complaint among masters, 

 that they find it next to impossible to fix the attention of their 

 apprentices : that even their journeymen can hardly be pre- 

 vailed upon to take an interest in their work beyond what is 

 necessary to provide themselves with bread, and that the idle 

 hours of both are grossly misspent. Indeed, so long as their ut- 



