436 TECHNICAL EDUCATION xvil 



who has taken more pains to insist upon the com- 

 parative uselessness of scientific teaching without 

 practical work than I have ; I venture to say that 

 there are no persons who are more cognisant of 

 these defects in the work of the Science and Art 

 Department than those who administer it. But 

 those who talk in this way should acquaint -them- 

 selves with the fact that proper practical instruction 

 is a matter of no small difficulty in the present 

 scarcity of properly taught teachers, that it is very 

 costly, and that, in some branches of science, there 

 are other difficulties which I won't allude to. But 

 it is a matter of fact that, wherever it has been 

 possible, practical teaching has been introduced, 

 and has been made an essential element in exam- 

 ination ; and no doubt if the House of Commons 

 would grant unlimited means, and if proper 

 teachers were to hand, as thick as blackberries, 

 there would not be much difficulty in organising a 

 complete system of practical instruction and exam- 

 ination ancillary to the present science classes. 

 Those who quarrel with the present state of affairs 

 would be better advised if, instead of groaning over 

 the shortcomings of the present system, they would 

 put before themselves these two questions Is it 

 possible under the conditions to invent any better 

 system ? Is it possible under the conditions to en- 

 large the work of practical teaching and practical 

 examination which is the one desire of those who 

 administer the department ? That is all I have to 

 say upon that subject, 



