EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS. 



(^ii 



training and a clear exposition of vary- 

 ing views. No class consists of more 

 than thirty students, and comprise 

 twenty-four two-hour lessons each 

 winter, with twelve fortnightly essays 

 Each student pledges himself to attend 

 unless illness, employment, or, if he be 

 an official, meetings of his trade union 

 intervene. No one under iS is admitted, 

 but there is no other age limit. The 

 teacher is regarded not so much as an 

 instructor, rather as a comrade, who has 

 great skill in imparting knowledge 

 which he has had special opportunities 

 of acquiring. A teacher who had been 

 most successful confes.sed himself ner- 

 vous before meeting thirty students. 

 " W'hat right have you to be nervous," 

 he was asked, " )'ou are only one thirty- 

 first of the class?" That 'is true, and 

 represents the spirit of the tutorial 

 classes. It is a mutual relation. None 

 before and none after. As one student 

 said, the teacher addressed the class for 

 one hour and the class addressed the 

 teacher the second hour. 



What sort of subjects are taken up ? 



Mainly industrial history and c'^no- 

 mics, but literature, history, nn' 

 science, philosophy and psychology a;_ 

 have a place. 



Do fees have to be paid ? 



Usually, I '- for twelve lessons. This 

 does not oi course do much towards 

 meeting the cost of the work. The 

 working people who helped devise the 

 scheme said that no man should earn 

 less than iJ"400 per annum if he took five 

 classes. In addition to the teacher the 

 chief expense is in buying books. The 



:\rK. ALBERT MAXSRRIIXJE. 



and callings are represented, there being 

 - . '"e a large number of unskilled 

 urers. 



wo you find the attendances keep up ? 



The average works out at 75 per cent. ; 

 illness and overtime are responsible for 

 the 25 per cent. 



What are the prospects of starting 

 similar classes here ? 



Very bright. The Trades Hall and 

 the University are now conferring in the 

 matter. There will probabl\- not be the 



finance of the classes is arranged upon same difficulty over finance here as we 



a triple basis. The Universities give a 

 grant towards the tutor's fee, the local 

 education authority gives one, and so 

 does the Board of Education. 



And these grants cover the cost ? 



By no means ; both State and local 

 authorities will have to give larger sums. 



About how many classes are there in 

 England now? 



One hundred and twenty. A health}' 

 tutorial class speedily develops classes 

 round about it. One, for instance, in 

 the midlands was the means of starting 

 no less than 23 others. There are now 



have experienced at home, but there will 

 be difficulty until the value of the classes 

 is realised in jiractice. 



Do you find much interest taken here 

 in the scheme ? 



The enthusiasm of the audiences I 

 ha\e addressed indicates clearly that 

 there are great reservoirs of educational 

 enthusia.sm, and of powers as yet un- 

 tapped. One of the most pleasant ex- 

 i)eriences I have had in this country has 

 been meeting men who, having 'been 

 through the classes at home, now offer 

 to place their services entirel\- at the dis- 



some 3700 students, of whom only about r-.osal of the movement here.' These will 

 400 are women. All kinds of trades form a very fair nucleus. 



