442 TECHNICAL EDUCATION xvii 



to me that that is a very much simpler and better 

 process than relegating the whole question to the 

 law courts. I think that here, or anywhere else, 

 people must be extremely sanguine if they suppose 

 that the House of Commons and the House of 

 Lords will ever dream of giving any local authority 

 unlimited power to tax the inliabitants of a district 

 for any object it pleases. I should say that was 

 not in the range of practical politics. Well, I put 

 that before you as a matter for your considera- 

 tion. 



Another very important point in this connec- 

 tion is the question of the supply of teachers. I 

 should say that is one of the greatest difficulties 

 wliich beset the whole problem before us. I do not 

 wish in the slightest degree to criticise the exist- 

 ing system of preparing teachers for ordinary 

 school work. I have nothing to say about it. But 

 what I do wish to say, and what I trust I may 

 impress on your minds firmly is this, that for 

 the purpose of obtaining persons competent to 

 teach science or to act as technical teachers, a 

 difterent system must be adopted. For this pur- 

 pose a man must know what he is about 

 thoroughly, and he able to deal with his subject a8 

 if it were the business of his ordinary life. For 

 this purpose, for the obtaining of teachers of 

 science and of technical classes, the system of 

 catching a boy or girl young, making a pupil 

 teacher of him, compelling the poor little mortal 



