168 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



on in the country. Manufactures are few and the indus- 

 trial interests small when compared with the agricultural 

 and pastoral, so that, whatever specialisation may be found 

 necessary, it should be in the direction of improving those 

 interests that are of the greatest moment to the countrv. 

 Hence the study of natural science should be fostered even 

 beyond the public-school course, and this can readily 

 be done by the introduction of botany, geology, agri- 

 cultural chemistry, and other cognate subjects into the ad- 

 vanced or secondary course. The maintenance by the 

 Government of technical schools and schools of science and 

 agriculture would give prestige to such institutions, and 

 these, with the university colleges, should supply all the 

 academic, scientific, and technical training that is wanted 

 for the professions and the pursuit of every specialised form 

 of industrial work. 



Our country has the making of a perfect scheme of train- 

 ing, but the need at present is to distinguish clearly between 

 the mere academic preparation and the technical training of 

 a specialised character. Thus, the young doctor may attend 

 the university college classes for academic requirements ; but 

 it is necessary to have a practical acquaintance with physical 

 ailments of humankind — hence the necessity of hospital train- 

 ing and practice. It is the same in the case of teachers, 

 lawyers, electric engineers, and, in fact, all the professions. 

 The country, however, has not yet come to see how well the 

 university colleges, under proper direction, can easily supply 

 all the academic preparation, and may supply the scientific ; 

 but they cannot supply the technical, and it is the technical 

 aspect of training that this country stands so much in need 

 of to-day. Efficiency is the outcome of technical training 

 adapted to meet the special needs of a country, and it must 

 be confessed that little has yet been done in this direction 

 to prepare our young people for the professions as distin- 

 guished from trades. The training for citizenship should be 

 based on scientific lines. From the general to the special, 

 from natural phenomena to natural science, and from natural 

 science and research to special and applied science, such is 

 the order of preparation if the country is to derive the best 

 results from its public schemes of education. 



A good deal remains to be done for the children and the 

 teachers before it can be said that the education of the people 

 is on a scientific and therefore an efficient basis. I have 

 briefly indicated the direction along which a new departure 

 is needed in the work of the primary, secondary, and uni- 

 versity institutions of this country. 



