230 THE ADDRESSES, LECTURES, ETC., OF 



ON TECHNICAL EDUCATION* 



An Address delivered at the Distribution of Prizes, &c., to Students 



of the Belgrave Mechanics Institute, Tunbridge Wells, 



on the, Wi December, 1879, 



BY C. WILLIAM SIEMENS, F.R.S. 



DR. SIEMENS, having expressed the great pleasure it had afforded 

 him to distribute the prizes, said that when their chairman told 

 them he (Dr. Siemens) would deliver an interesting and instructive 

 address on the arts and sciences, he reckoned rather without his 

 host. 



He had not attended that evening to enlighten them, but had 

 come amongst them on account of the deep interest he felt in the 

 development of science and art. It was with a view of show- 

 ing the sympathy he felt with them in their doings there that he 

 responded to the invitation to attend and distribute the prizes. 



He must congratulate first of all the managers of that school 

 of science and art on the very excellent results which had been 

 laid before them that evening, and next the managers who 

 directed the classes and organisations of an institution like 

 this, the teachers deserved praise for the assiduity and zeal they 

 had displayed in bringing their students forward to such a point 

 as to come out in the general competition with such excellent 

 results. And while it was most gratifying to the management, 

 they must not leave out their very zealous and excellent secretary 

 (Mr. Skillen), who deserved a considerable amount of praise. 



But really congratulation was deserved most by those students 

 who had taken the prizes. It must not only be a gratifica- 

 tion a very great gratification to them to feel they had done 

 their duty, and had given proof that they really had striven for 

 good results, but he would congratulate them chiefly on account 

 of the solid nature of the information which they had attained, 

 and which was capital for them to start life with capital 



* Excerpt " Kent and Sussex Courier," Wednesday, December 10, 1879. 



