XVII TECHNICAL EDUCATION 445 



thought to be well qualified for the teaching 

 business and to be held for a certain term of 

 years, during which the holders should be bound 

 to teach. I believe that some measure of this kind 

 would do more to secure a good supply of teachers 

 than anything else. Pray note that I do not 

 suggest that you should try to get hold of good 

 teachers by competitive examination. That is not 

 the best way of getting men of that special quali- 

 fication. An effectual method would be to ask 

 professors and teachers of any institution to re- 

 commend men who, to their own knowledge, are 

 worthy of such support, and are likely to turn it 

 to good account. 



I trust I am not detaining you too long ; but 

 there remains yet one other matter which I think 

 is of profound importance, perhaps of more import- 

 ance than all the rest, on which I earnestly beg 

 to be permitted to say some few words. It is the 

 need, while doing all these things, of keeping an 

 eye, and an anxious eye, upon those measures which 

 are necessary for the preservation of that stable 

 and sound condition of the w^hole social 'organism 

 which is the essential condition of real progress, 

 and a chief end of all education. You will all recol- 

 lect that some time ago there was a scandal and a 

 great outcry about certain cutlasses and bayonets 

 which had been supplied to our troops and sailors. 

 These warlike implements were polished as bright 

 as rubbing could make them ; they were very well 



