Nov. i, 1881.] 



KNOWLEDGE 



17 



Mineralog)-, and Geology, Ventilation of Mines, and Mining Engi- 

 neering." Besides these, there were to be '" Museums common to 

 both Departments," and " arrangements for associating the School 

 of Design with the new Institute." 



The first beginning of the practical work of the Institute was the 

 formation of three classes, "Class A, Physics; Class B, Chemistry; 

 and Class C, Physiology." They were conducted by myself in the 

 building of the old Philosophical Society in Cannon-street, where I 

 had already delivered an introductory lecture, and commenced work 

 in October, 1S54. Six months later I added to these two junior 

 classes (day and evening) for Elementary Physics, and two 

 " Female Classes " for the same subject applied especially to house- 

 hold matters, and other extensions gi-adually followed. 



The public meetings and general agitation of the subject through- 

 out the town brought many students, who began with the enthu- 

 siasm of novelty, and held on for awhile, especially in tlie Chemistry 

 Class, where the first twenty lectures devoted to the metalloids, and 

 including the brilliant combustion experiments, seldom failed to 

 comply with Brande's formula for a successful chemical lecture, 

 "a Hash, a bang, and a stink." When, however, we came to the 

 common metals and their prosaic salts, there was a sad falling-off, 

 in spite of the local importance of the subject. 



This alarmed the Council, but being behind the scenes myself, I 

 undei-stood it. Presently, however, some truly alarming symptoms 

 appeared. I found that we were exhausting our material, that the 

 whole population of Birmingham only contained a verj- limited 

 number of artisans and others who could appreciate the advantages 

 and the pleasure of systematic study of science ; that we had 

 already nearly satisfied their limited demand, and that the rate of 

 growth of a new generation of students was ruinously slow. The 

 further I extended my inquiries and the greater the efforts made 

 by the best men in our Council to recruit the classes, the more 

 clearly and seriously was the dilRculty presented. 



What was to be done ? Must we follow the too common example 

 of substituting clap-trap for sound instruction in order to maintain 

 an appearance of success, or should we stand firmly by our original 

 intent and continue to supply solid instruction even to a beggarly 

 number of students ? Mr. Ryland, the majority of the Council, and 

 myself agreed in choosing the latter alternative, but in spite of this 

 it was evident that the Institution had arrived at a very critical 

 stage of its existence, and my anxiety was considerable, having been 

 so continually warned b_v "practical" men that "this sort of 

 thing" had been tried again and again in Birmingham, and had 

 always failed in the long run, however promisingly it may have 

 begun. 



The time had now arrived for proposing a scheme that I had 

 been considering for some time past, and, accordingly, on one of my 

 Sunday afternoon visits to Mr. Ryland, I laid before him the project 

 of superadding to our regular courses of solid instruction occasional 

 single lectures of a very popular introductory character, which any- 

 body, however ignorant, might attend, and thus possibly be cured 

 of the common mental epidemic of supposing that science is neces- 

 sarily dry and repulsive, and ultimately be tempted to become 

 students in the classes. 



Mr. Kyland cordially approved, and we anxiously discussed the 

 question of free admission, or a small charge of twopence, or three- 

 pence, or one penny at the doors, and finally decided on On'e Pe.nxv. 

 Mr. Ryland suggested the name, Penxt Lectures, then a new one, 

 as " Penny Readings " were yet unknown. He laid the project 

 before the Council. It was adopted, and on Jan. 22, 1856, I 

 commenced the first course of twelve penny lectures, the printed 

 prospectus of which is now before me. 



It was a general outline of natural phenomena, taking in what is 

 now commonly taught as " Physiography." The success of the 

 experiment was complete ; the theatre was filled — at some of the 

 lectures not only the seats were all occupied, but the platform was 

 covered with a standing audience. The course was repeated "by 

 special desire," and thenceforth, until I left Birmingham in 1861, I 

 continued them every Tuesday during the session, with an occasional 

 break, when Mr. George Dawson, or others, volunteered to occupy 

 an evening. The subjects were various, in many cases determined 

 by the limited stock of apparatus then within nij' reach, as, without 

 ample demonstration, success was impossible. My object was to 

 make the lectures as attractive and as unsatisfactory as possible, to 

 awaken curiosity, but not to satisfy it there. 



They had the desired effect. All classes of people, and of all ages 

 attended them, the little boys in the front row being especially 

 conspicuous. The classes steadily improved, instead of declining, as 

 heretofore, and I am able to prove how they were fed by the state- 

 ments of some of my best pupils, who told me how they were 

 tempted to have a pen'orth on passing, then another, then to go 

 every Tuesday, and finally to become what I then found them to be. 

 If space permitted I could state some interesting personal details, 

 among others, of the case of two notorious Birmingham burglars 



who regularly attended the Penny Lectures until the force of pro- 

 fessional circumstances terminated their studies ; of other Penny 

 Lecture auditors who now stand well as scientific and technological 

 experts and teachers of science ; and how, through Isaac Smith, one 

 of my most enthusiastic penny and class pupils, his uncle. Sir 

 Josiah Mason, was induced to become the munificent founder of tho 

 " Mason College," which is doing for those who can afford to study 

 during the day, what the Institute does for evening pupils. 



Penny Ueadinys followed the Penny Lectures, as tho first initia- 

 tion of the Literary Classes, and tho highly successful Penny Arith- 

 metic Lessons, by Mr. Rickard, revived the mathematical depart- 

 ment, which, at about the date of tho first Penny Lectures, had de- 

 clined so seriously that an attendance of tlu-ee, two, and oven only one 

 pupil was not uncommon in the Algebra Class. Tho present pro- 

 sperity of the Institute is largely duo to the remarkable energy 

 and ability of Mr. Rickard, who proves himself a true teacher by 

 throwing as much effort, earnestness, and enthusiasm into tho sim- 

 plification of simple addition as in the exposition of quaternions or 

 the differential calculus. 



When I left Birmingham the Council wisely appointed as my 

 successor, both in the classes and the penny lectures, Mr. C. J. 

 Woodward, who had proved tho value of tho Institute by first 

 hearing a penny lecture, then entering the classes and gaining tho 

 Society of Arts gold medal while yet very young. lie still works 

 with untiring zeal and ability, and that simple-minded love of hia 

 work that is so contagious to pupils. His extended chemical labo- 

 ratory and new physical laboratory are so commodious that they 

 rival those of our great universities. A staff of able teachers has 

 followed, and are now working admirably. In the general glorifi- 

 cation of founders, patrons, Ac, which justly occupied the recent 

 meeting, there was a serious omission, viz., to do honour to the 

 labours of such men as W. Matthews, George Dawson, Sam. Timmins, 

 Dr. Badham, and others, who worked as unpaid volunteers in tho 

 pioneer labour of teaching classes when the Institute was too poor 

 to pay professional teachers. Tho Institute now counts 2,088 

 students in the industrial department, against tho 85 with whom I 

 commenced, and 2,,")01 memliers in the general department. It 

 has branches and affiliated institutions in every important suburb 

 of Birmingham. Besides these, there is an " Institute Scientific 

 Society," where original papers are read and discussed, an<l 

 possessing a good lending library of scientific books ; also a 

 " Union ef Institute Teachers and Students," for promoting the 

 welfare of the Industrial department. 



These, with the unrivalled Board schools, the King Edward's 

 school and its branches, the great free library and public reading 

 rooms and the Mason College, are effecting a wonderful transfor- 

 mation of tho hardware metropolis, which will probably render it 

 the most intellectual town in England. 



I must'not touch upon what may be termed the external history 

 of the Institute, tho visit of the great and good Prince Consort to 

 lay the foundation stone of tlie building, and the many other public 

 incidents connected with its growth ; these will be duly recorded in 

 " The Institute Book of Glory," promised by the lion, secretary ; 

 but I cannot conclude without a word or two respecting the analogy 

 before-named between the work of the Midland Institute and that 

 of KN0m,EDGE. 



If Mr. Proctor were just emerging from Cambridge in the full- 

 blown pride of newly-acquired Academical honours, I should despair 

 of the success of this important effort to diffu.^e scientific know- 

 ledge among all classes of men, women, and children ; but learning 

 by the prospectus lately placed in my hands that ho has been taking 

 lessons from his own pupils, I have no doubt that ho will successfully 

 apply them. 



Had I commenced as an Academical purist, with a cut-and-dried 

 course of instruction framed on academical lines, tho first classes of 

 the Birmingham and Midland Institute would have failed, with 

 serious consequences to the whole project. In like manner any 

 attempt to popularise science by jiresonting to non-technical readers 

 mere technical abstracts of technical papers or essays, must of 

 necessity fail again, as it has failed before. 



As an example, I may mention the fact that in my first Physics 

 class not one of about forty students, mostly adults, knew what was 

 a parallelogram or a diagonal. How, then, could I teach them tho 

 composition and resolution of forces ? Such questions I had to ask 

 and solve continually, and though I have not seen Mr. Proctor since 

 his return from the Antipodes, I have no doubt that, during his 

 lecture tours, similar questions have been thrust upon him, and that 

 he has found answers for them, and will proceed accordingly. 



The translation of the Latin word " Science " into plain Saxon 

 " Knowledge " is a good beginning, and as Science, thus translated, 

 is the natural food of the intellect of all human Ixjings, there can 

 be little doubt of the success of a well-conducted, non-pedantic 

 (or, I would rather say, anti-pedantic) effort to supply the natural 

 demand. 



