THE EDUCATIONALIST. 71 



(2) That on reading the Corn Production Act through there 

 was a reference made in it to Apprentices, and that 

 aroused my curiosity. 



After referring to the difficulties of Agriculture and the 

 attitude of the Government, Sir Arthur Hazlerigg expressed 

 the opinion that " the labourer must be trained and his skill 

 must be greater," and this could be in some degree secured 

 by a system of apprenticeship for Agricultural Labourers. 

 He continued : 



The history of apprenticeship is an old and interesting one : 

 The apprentices or learners were bound to their masters or 

 teachers for a period of seven years. The practice was started 

 on the Continent of Europe about the eleventh century, but only 

 became gradually introduced into England, where our ancestors 

 like ourselves to-day were wont to look with suspicion upon 

 anything which might be thought to restrain trade and freedom. 



At the end of seven years the apprentices were skilled and 

 highly qualified and were able, in their turn, to become teachers. 



This system became compulsory in many trades, and meant 

 the exclusion of all other men from these trades ; it was there- 

 fore vigorously attacked by Adam Smith and others, and there 

 was much justice in some of their contentions. They urged 

 that the institution interfered with the property which every 

 man ought to have in his own labour, and interfered not only 

 with the liberty of the workman, but with that of such as 

 might wish to employ him, who were the best judges of his 

 qualifications. They further argued that such laws tended to 

 restrain competition to a much smaller number than would 

 otherwise enter a trade ; and that a long apprenticeship or 

 indeed any at all was unnecessary (I think some of these people 

 must have been in some employ equivalent to the Govern- 

 ment munition factories) ; that, if a workman was from the 

 outset paid the full price of his work under deduction of such 

 materials as he might spoil from careless use or inexperience he 

 would learn his work more effectually, and would be more apt 

 to acquire habits of attention and industry than by working under 

 a teacher who had a right to share in the produce of his labour. 



It is undoubted that under the old laws and the old system 

 many abuses had grown up, but taking all these at their worst, 

 it would hardly justify the sweeping charges brought against the 

 system. 



It is not conceivable that an institution which for centuries 

 found acceptance in every part of Europe should have had no 

 better justification than the greed of master workmen. 



