PROCEEDINGS. 



respects still greater cause for hopefulness. Take the recent 

 progress of /technical education for example. In reading the 

 addresses to the Institute of eighteen years ago and of some 

 succeeding years, one is struck with the spirit of hopeless 

 resignation in which the question of technical education is 

 discussed. The speakers, while realizing fully the need for 

 industrial education, saw no prospect of adequate provision 

 being made for it. In contrast with that outlook, we are now able 

 to look forward with confidence to seeing in the early future fully 

 developed courses, of all grades in applied science placed within 

 the reach of every deserving boy in Nova Scotia. Here, then, at 

 least, we have progress gratifying in the highest degree to members 

 of a scientific association such as this. 



Technical Education and Research. 



It is not to be expected that this extension of our educational 

 system will produce any immediate effect in increasing the amount 

 of research. For some time the whole energy of the new 

 department will have to be expended in developing courses for 

 mechanics and miners on the one hand and for engineers on the 

 other. But when these initial difficulties have been overcome we 

 may hope that neither men nor means will be wanting to undertake 

 the solution of some of the problems in applied science of most 

 importance to our provincial industries, to devise, for example, 

 improved methods of treating certain of our native ores, to 

 institute careful tests of our native woods, to investigate industrial 

 processes with a view to effecting economies in them, and similar 

 problems. The effect of such investigations would not be merely 

 to benefit directly some particular industry. A much more 

 important and far-reaching effect would be the gradual formation 

 of a bond between scientific research and the industries which 

 .might perhaps develop into such an intimate relation as exists, 

 for example, in Germany where the industries lean upon research 

 and research is in turn vitalized by the industries. There is no 

 doubt that a great deal of exceedingly valuable work is done where 

 research has no intimate relation with industries at all. But there 

 is also no doubt that it is in those countries where the most 

 intimte relations between science and industry have been 



