THE TRADES SCHOOL IX THE TRANSVAAL. 



By William Iamls 1 I^^kni^ V.ALJ.C.E. 



During the past twelve months there has been a keen revi\al 

 of pubHc interest in technical education as atlecting the mass of 

 the people, brought about, I think, chiefly by the conference 

 called in November, 1913, by the Minister of Education. As I 

 understood it, that conference v/as called to inform the Minister 

 of what was Ijeing done throughout the Union ; and, in my 

 humble opinion, was correctly limited to heads of departments 

 and officials directly connected with industrial schools and 

 technical classes in the four Provinces. It will be understood, 

 of course, that I am merely expressing my personal opir.ion as a 

 private individual. To my mind the great good of that conference 

 was that men engaged in the same type of work met one another, 

 in many cases for the first time, to discuss ideas and difficulties. 

 \\^hat these educational managers consider necessary, and want 

 for the furtherance of their work has been focussed in some 

 sixty or seventy resolutions which now lie open to public dis- 

 ctission in bltie book form. (0) Therefore, when it was sug- 

 gested that I should prepare a paper on the subject of the ele- 

 mentary technical education in this country, I thotight it an oppor- 

 tune moment to deal generally with what is being done in South 

 Africa and more particularly with regard to my official work in 

 the Transvaal with Trades Schools. 



In this country there is the anomalous condition of large 

 natural \vealth and great possibilities on one hand, on the other, 

 masses of people struggling with poverty a.nd its hardships. We 

 are beginning to feel the evil of congested cities, and the indigent 

 are urged by certain sociologists to "get back to the land" and. 

 become farmers ; at the same time the farmers are complaining 

 of the want of a sufficiency of unskilled labour while their children 

 and dependents complain of unsocial conditions and flock to the 

 towns. It is almost impossible for the adult to change the habits of 

 a life-time; therefore, if some means are not found of training 

 the youth of the country, sociological suggestions like the fore- 

 going will merely end in motion round a circle. It appears to 

 me that what htmianity is striving. for is to keep well and happy, 

 to do work efficiently, to store up the prodticts of energy against 

 age and to make the surplus productive. For many persons to 

 be poor in a wealthy country, to be sick in a good climate, to be 

 inefficient among a progressive people is not necessarily a sign of 

 inability : it points rather to a necessary part of their education 

 having been omitted. 



It is mainly by educating the youth of the country in work 

 that holds the interest that a more desirable condition can be 

 brought about ; and I believe firmly that human nature can be 

 ennobled by the organisation of industry in the service of educa- 

 tion. There is aljtmdant reason for that belief in the hioh mental 



