280 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Sept. 



gestion has been made to the Dominion Government by the Di- 

 rector of the Geological Survey for the erection of a School of 

 Mining. 



These arrangements and proposals are valuable as far as they 

 extend ; but they fiill short of providing the full measure of the 

 hiaher science education, whether with reference to the training; of 

 original investigators, or of the various kinds of professional men 

 required for the developement of the resources of the country. 

 Let us enquire how this wider and higher science culture can be 

 secured. 



SUGGESTIONS FOR HIGHER SCIENCE TEACHING. 



The higher technical and science education may be provided 

 for in either of the following ways. (1.) We may have special 

 schools of mining, engineering, &c., each pursuing its own course, 

 and not connected with any general institution. The objections 

 to this are, that it is not economical, that it cannot provide the 

 necessary literary and general training, that the pupils of such 

 schools are very likely to be of various degrees of excellence and 

 very partially trained. Such objections are applicable to schools 

 like the Royal School of Mines in London, and I think they 

 would prove fatal to the influence of such schools in this country. 

 (2.) We might imitate the German technical universities. This 

 would be the most thorough course possible ; and were the means 

 forthcoming, I cannot conceive of any greater educational bene- 

 fit to this country than the institution of such an University. 

 But it may be long before we shall find in our Legislatures, general 

 and local, the wisdom and patriotism which actuated those of 

 Switzerland in establishing the Zurich School ; and we may have 

 to wait quite as long for the appearance of a Canadian Cornell to 

 give and to stimulate le2;islative liberality by his giving. (3.) 

 The last, and, it appears to me, the only practicable course at pre- 

 sent, is to ask for endowments similar to those of Lawrence and 

 Shefiield, and thus to establish special courses of Science in con- 

 nection with academical institutions, on the plan so well carried 

 out in Owens' College, Manchester, and in the Sheffield School of 

 Yale. This has proved the course most successful in the United 

 States and in the Mother Country, and I have no doubt will prove 

 so here. It is to be observed in this connection that I would not 

 propose merely the institution of a Science degree. We have in 

 this University the means to do this now, but I doubt its expe- 



