NATURE 



381 



THURSDAY, AUGUST 



1S84 



TECHNICAL INSTRUCTION 1 

 II. 



IN a former article the Report of the Royal Commis- 

 sioners on Technical Education was reviewed so far 

 as relates to the technical schools and colleges of the 

 Continent. The present article deals only with that part 

 of the Report which relates to the United Kingdom. 



In the Report of the Royal Commissioners we have a 

 very careful and full account of the various colleges and 

 technical schools that are in existence at the present time. 

 The condition and history of each of these institutions 

 has been thoroughly looked into, and their importance 

 has been fully estimated. 



After having passed in review all the important institu- 

 tions of this kind, the Commissioners devote an exceed- 

 ingly important part of their Report to conclusions which 

 they have drawn up from the facts placed before them 

 in their various inquiries. 



The early part of this chapter is devoted to comparing 

 the development of the various industries both at home 

 and abroad. The fact is pointed out that we were practi- 

 cally the sole possessors of modern appliances until the 

 early part of the present reign, when the Continental 

 nations, settling down to peace after troubled times, 

 found that to compete in any way with us they must give 

 every facility to the then rising generation to improve 

 their position. For this purpose, as was shown in the 

 previous article, technical or polytechnic schools were 

 instituted in most of the Continental States. It is within 

 this period that most of our present institutions for 

 technical education have sprung into existence ; but now, 

 on all hands, we find that the advantages obtained from 

 these are acknowledged both by those who directly benefit 

 by their teaching and by manufacturers, who are able to 

 advance the perfection of their products through the 

 higher state of education of those serving under them. 



One great aim of the Technical Commissioners has 

 been to examine into the condition and systems of work- 

 ing of these institutes, and in this point they have to be 

 congratulated upon the care and thoroughness with which 

 they have sought and grappled with the weak points of 

 the present system of education. Not only have the 

 Technical Commissioners so carefully considered the 

 defects in our system of education, but they have just 

 as laboriously and skilfully offered suggestions and made 

 recommendations of reform which it is only right that the 

 nation should insist on being carried out. 



One of the first weak points noticed is that almost all 

 the colleges and technical schools stand in need of funds 

 to enable them to cope with the demand made upon them 

 for larger teaching staffs, greater accommodation, and 

 better equipment in their art departments, laboratories, 

 and workshops. Another great need that is pointed out, 

 is the non-existence of modern secondary schools, which 

 are necessary to give a preliminary training to students 

 before entering one of the higher colleges or technical 

 schools, where they can continue their study side by side 



1 Continued from p. 358. 



Vol. xxx. — No. 773 



with their practical work. In this case the Commissioners 

 are of opinion that this, the greatest defect of our system, 

 should be made a matter of legislation, and that local 

 governing bodies should be empowered to found technical 

 and secondary schools wherever necessary. 



In discussing the value of the existing colleges the 

 Technical Commissioners remark that " It is most praise- 

 worthy on the part of the professors and teachers that 

 they devote themselves to the important work of tuition 

 for salaries so small as those which they as a rule receive, 

 when many would, by employing their scientific and 

 technical knowledge in private enterprise, obtain much 

 larger pecuniary remuneration." This is of course a fact 

 due in most cases to the lack of funds in such institutions, 

 and in all probability would be considerably remedied if 

 they were relieved from this trouble. 



Again, in discussing this same question the Commis- 

 sioners are of opinion that all colleges do not need to be 

 of the highest type, but of those that are, they say : — " It 

 is, however, of national importance that these few should 

 be placed in such a position of efficiency as to enable 

 them to carry out successfully the highest educational 

 work in the special direction for which the circumstances, 

 particularly of locality, have fitted them ; your Commis- 

 sioners believe that no portion of the national expenditure 

 on education is of greater importance than that employed 

 in the scientific culture of the leaders of industry.'' Surely 

 the Commissioners could not have spoken plainer. They 

 have without doubt placed on record the fact that such 

 colleges are necessary for the increase of education ; and 

 that as yet they are not sufficiently well supported to 

 carry on the duties intrusted to them to their fullest 

 extent. 



Two points are well worthy of note in reference to in- 

 struction in elementary schools. The Commissioners 

 call attention to the fact that on the Continent drawing 

 is an obligatory subject and is held as of equal importance 

 with writing ; this is a point which seems to have im- 

 pressed them, because they are of opinion that " instruc- 

 tion in the rudiments of drawing should be incorporated 

 with writing." This is a point referred to repeatedly in 

 the Report, and great importance is attached to it, as will 

 be seen by the recommendations quoted below. 



The second point is the employment of a special science 

 teacher, as at Liverpool and Birmingham, who devotes 

 his time to going round to the various schools giving 

 sound scientific instruction ; each lesson being repeated 

 during the week by the schoolmaster. 



The whole Report is one mass of useful information, 

 and the suggestions and recommendations which it con- 

 tains are very valuable. The following are among the 

 most important recommendations quoted at the close of 

 the Report : — 



I. As to public elementary schools : — (a) That rudi- 

 mentary drawing be incorporated with writing as a single 

 elementary subject, and that instruction in elementary 

 drawing be continued throughout the standards. That 

 the inspectors of the Education Department, Whitehall, 

 be responsible for the instruction in drawing. That draw- 

 ing from casts and models be required as part of the 

 work, and that modelling be encouraged by grant, ic) 

 That, after reasonable notice, a school shall not be 

 deemed provided with proper " apparatus of elementary 



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