August 30, 1888] 



NA TURE 



429 



formed the Glasgow Mechanics' Institution, of which Dr. 

 Birkbeck became the first President. He also became President 

 of the Mechanics' Institution in London, which was opened in 

 November 1823, on the same plan as that of Glasgow, after 

 which the system rapidly extended over the Kingdom. In 

 1879 the Institution was reorganized, and two years later the 

 name was changed to "College of Science and Arts, Glasgow," 

 from which time the commercial classes were discontinued, and 

 the College classes entirely devoted to the teaching of science 

 and its applications, more especially to engineering. 



Allan Glen's Institution was founded under the will of Allan 

 Glen, wright in Glasgow, dated 1847-48, and was intended to 

 afford gratuitous education to about fifty boys, sons of tradesmen 

 or persons in the industrial classes of society. In 1876 the 

 Institution was reorganized, and it became a high-class secondary 

 school for boys who are intended for industrial and mercantile 

 pursuits. The trustees fitted up a laboratory, lecture-room, 

 apparatus-room, and workshops in the school, which soon 

 became well known for the good secondary technical instruction 

 which it afforded. 



The Atkinson Institution never really had an active existence, 

 and the interest of the money which was left by Thomas 

 Atkinson, bookseller and stationer in Glasgow, is now to be 

 used in providing bursaries for the students attending the Glasgow 

 and West of Scotland Technical College. 



Provision is made under the scheme for the further endowment 

 of the College by annual subsidies out of the funds of the 

 Glasgow City Educational Endowments Board and the Hutche- 

 scn's Educational Trust. These subsidies are fixed in the 

 special schemes for these Boards at not less than .£800 and 

 ^1400 respectively. 



By the scheme drawn out by the Educational Endowments 

 (Scotland) Commissioners, the institutions above referred to 

 have been amal >amated and placed under the management of 

 one governing body, which has been selected from among the 

 representatives of the old institutions and from various public 

 bodies in Glasgow. The problem which the governing body 

 had to solve was to arrange a number of hitherto competing 

 and to a certain extent opposing institutions into something like 

 a homogeneous unity. Of course under the circumstances it is 

 not to be expected that a perfect scheme can at once be evolved, 

 but on the whole it will be found that a fairly good arrangement 

 has been made. Allan Glen's School is being extended, and is 

 intended to be a secondary technical school for boys to sixteen 

 years of age ; while Anderson's College, the Young Chair, and 

 the College of Science and Arts form the College proper. 

 For entrance to this, students under sixteen years and all those 

 who intend to go in for any of the diploma courses are required 

 to pass an examination, but this is not so difficult as to exclude 

 those who are likely to benefit by the work of the College 

 classes. The diploma of the College will be awarded in the 

 following departments of study: (1) Civil Engineering; (2) 

 Mechanical Engineering ; (3) Naval Architecture ; (4) Electrical 

 Engineering ; (5) Architecture ; (6) Chemical Engineering ; (7) 

 Metallurgy; (8) Mining Engineering; (9) Agriculture. Each 

 course extends over three years, the subjects of instruction in 

 the first year being common to all, while in the second and 

 third years the subjects are arranged to suit the special depart- 

 ments selected by the students. There are three sets of 

 examinations for the diploma : (1) at the end of the first 

 session, in the scientific subjects of the first year's course ; (2) 

 at the end of the second session, in the modern language and 

 the general subject selected by the student ; (3) at the end of 

 the third session, in the main subject of the department selected 

 by the candidate. This examination will be partly by written 

 papers and partly oral, and v/ill be of such a nature as not only 

 to test the candidate's knowledge of the main subject, but also 

 of the various subsidiary subjects included in the course. When 

 the subject admits of it, laboratory work will form an essential 

 part of the examination. Lastly, each candidate will be required 

 to work out a design, with specifications and estimates, from 

 data which will be supplied. Such examinations should test a 

 student's real knowledge of a subject, and his power of applica- 

 tion to the solution of the problems which arise in every-day 

 life. 



The evening classes cf the College are conducted chiefly ac- 

 cording to the arrangements of the Science and Art Department, 

 and of the City and Guilds of London Institution, and they are 

 arranged in the following courses : (1) Mechanical Engineering ; 

 (2) Naval ArchLecture ; (3) Electrical Engineering ; (4) Archi- 



tecture ; (5) Building Construction ; (6) Mining ; (7) Metallurgy ; 

 (8) Agriculture ; (9) Chemical Industries ; (10) Textile In- 

 dustries ; (11) Art Industries; (12) Commerce. In each of 

 these departments there are two grades of certificates, senior 

 and junior, the latter being within the reach of all apprentices. 

 Students who have obtained the senior certificate for the evening 

 cla ses may obtain the diploma for the day curriculum by attend- 

 ing the third year's course in the corresponding department of 

 the curriculum and passing the necessary examinations. In 

 connection with both the day and evening classes of the College, 

 there are a considerable number of scholarships and bursaries ; 

 and in addition the governors have power to remit in whole or 

 in part the fees of artisans and others who are desirous of 

 attending the day classes, and require aid for obtaining the 

 education therein provided. In order to encourage systematic 

 study this privilege will only be afforded to students who have 

 obtained the senior certificate of the College. Arrangements 

 are thus made which should enable all really deserving students 

 to pass from the lowest evening class to the highest classes at 

 the College, or the University ; for the students who obtain 

 bursaries will have the option of going to the University or 

 of remaining at the Technical College. 



Allan Glen's School is being considerably enlarged, and 

 new class-rooms, drawing-offices, and workshops are being 

 added, and the curriculum of the school has been re-written 

 to suit these enlargements. The elementary department is 

 being gradually curtailed, and will ultimately be dropped, so 

 as to allow of the whole space being available for the secondary 

 department. In this department there are five classes, in the first 

 three of which are given the elements of a good general edu- 

 cation, with the scientific side more fully developed than is the 

 case in ordinary schools. In the fourth and fifth classes the 

 work is of a more special nature, and in the last year the 

 attention of the students is directed either to mechanical and 

 electrical engineering or to chemistry. By the time they 

 have completed the course, they ought thus to be in a position 

 to enter on their apprenticeship in the workshops with advantage 

 to themselves, as well as to their employers. 



During the past year the number of students who attended 

 the day classes of the College was 168, and the evening classes 

 1 771, and the number of scholars in Allan Glen's School was 

 439, or a total of 2378, which shows that technical education 

 is being taken advantage of to a considerable extent in Glasgow. 

 One good feature in the arrangement of the College is that 

 advantage is taken of other institutions in so far as their classes 

 can be utilized for the different curricula. For instance, in the 

 day classes the University, and in the evening classes the 

 Athenaeum and School of Art and Haldane Academy, make up 

 some of the deficiencies of the Technical College. The re- 

 sources of each institution are thus fully utilized, and there is no 

 unnecessary waste of energy or money in maintaining duplicate 

 classes. Henry Dyer. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Department of Science and Art. — The following is the 

 list of candidates successful in the competition for the Whitworth 

 Scholarships and Exhibitions, 1888: — 1. Scholarships, tenable for 

 three years (^125 ayeareach) :Jas. Whitaker, 22, student, Nelson, 

 Lancashire ; James Mair, 22, engineer, Glasgow ; C. Humphrey 

 Gilbert, 22, engineer student, Nottingham ; John Calder, 21, 

 mechanical engineer, Glasgow. 2. Exhibitions, tenable for one 

 year (^"ioo each) : Harry Bamford, 22, engineering student, Old- 

 ham ; JohnHarbottle, 21, draughtsman, Newcastle-on-Tyne; John 

 Taylor, 21, engineer, Glasgow ; John Dalglish, 24, mechanical 

 draughtsman, Paisley ; Archibald S. Younger, 23, engineer 

 student, North Shields ; Joseph Butterworth, 22, engineer, 

 Rochdale ; George A. Burls, 21, mechanical draughtsman, 

 Greenwich ; Charles H. Kilby, 20, engineer apprentice, Crewe ; 

 Charles K. Pinder, 21, engineer student, Bristol ; Robert Dumas, 

 22, engineer, Glasgow ; Charles L. E. Heath, 21, fitter appren- 

 tice, Devonport ; Charles Forbes, 21, engine fitter apprentice, 

 Glasgow ; benjamin Young, 23, electrical engineer apprentice, 

 Belfast ; Edward Y. Terry, 23, engine fitter, Devonport ; 

 William J. Collins, 23, draughtsman, Woolwich ; John H. B. 

 Jenkins, 21, assistant analytical chemist, New Swindon ; John 

 I. Fraser, 24, apprentice engineer, Glasgow ; Henry E. Cheshire, 

 24, fitter, Crewe ; Oscar Brown, 23, pattern maker, Plumstead ; 



