174 SCIENCE TEACHING. 



To meet these requirements the Department have sent to lace and crochet 

 classes, whenever possible, teachers who possessed a knowledge of drawing and 

 design, and they have under consideration special courses of instruction in 

 design to be given at the Metropolitan School of Art to lace and crochet 

 teachers. At the same time the introduction of the Department's new Pro- 

 gramme of Drawing into the schools will have an important influence upon 

 the position of these industries, as well as on the prospects of other artistic 

 industries in Ireland. 



PIONEER LECTURES. 



During the winter a scheme of "Pioneer Lectures" was organised, in 

 order, as stated in a prospectus sent to every local 

 Technical authority, "to illustrate the need and use of scientific 



Instruction — Pioneer instruction in agriculture and industries, and to 

 Lectures. explain to local authorities and the public generally, 



and especially to the working classes, the manner in 

 which the Department can aid in supplying this need." The syllabus of 

 Pioneer Lectures was divided into two sections, under the headings, respec- 

 tively, of Agriculture (including Veterinary Science) and Technical Instruction, 

 the former being intended for rural audiences and the latter for townspeople. 

 In both cases the kind of audience which the Department had mainly In view 

 was one composed of farmers and artisans, and the subjects were, therefore, 

 treated in a strictly practical manner, and, where suitable, were accompanied 

 by lantern illustrations. The Department supplied the lectures free to any 

 County Council or other local authorities applying for them, on the latter 

 undertaking to provide a suitable hall, and to meet all purely local expenses, 

 including advertising. 



Up to the 31st March a considerable number of lectures from the Technical 

 Instruction Syllabus had been delivered in large and small towns throughout 

 all parts of Ireland on the subject of the Textile Industries, the Building 

 Trades, the Machine Trade, the Electric Current, Art in application to Industry, 

 Science In the Household and the general principles of Technical Instruction 

 as applied to Industry. The lecturers were — Professor Beaumont, of the 

 Yorkshire College, Leeds (the Textile Industries) ; the Rev. P. J. Dowling, 

 CM. ; Professor James Lyon, m.a., Royal College of Science, and Mr. William 

 Gray, m.r.i.a. (Technical Instruction) ; Mr. William Tatlow, m.a. (the Electric 

 Current) ; Mr. R. C. Orpen, c.e. (the Building Trades) ; Miss O'Conor-Eccles 

 (Science in the Household), and Mr. T. W. Rolleston, m.r.i.a. (Art and 

 Industry). Professor Lyon also lectured on the Machine Trades. Among the 

 places visited by lecturers, on Invitation of the local authorities, were — 

 Armagh, Athlone, Ballymena, Banbrldge, Belfast, Clonakilty, Clonmel, Cole- 

 raine, Cork, Drogheda, Dungannon, Ennlscorthy, Galway, Kilkenny, Killarney, 

 Limerick, Nenagh, Skibbereen, Sligo, Thurles, Tralee, Waterford, Youghal ; 

 the lecturing centres being distributed very evenly throughout the country. 

 The lectures were In general largely attended, and excellently reported in the 

 provincial Press, which thus helped materially in enabling the objects of the 

 scheme to be fulfilled. In almost every case the Committee In charge of the 

 local arrangements were cordial In their co-operation with the Department, 

 and carried out the duties which devolved upon them ably and successfully. 

 From Press reports and other information received by the Department, it is 

 clear that the lectures have been of much service in bringing the value 

 and meaning of technical instruction before the working classes, especially in 

 the smaller centres of population, and they have, in many cases, been followed 

 by requests for guidance in the drawing up of schemes of technical instruction. 



