450 



NATURE 



[March 9, 1899 



cricket, rowing, photography, and many others), enrol tens of 

 thousands of members." It is to this part of the expenditure 

 that (besides members' fees, and the private subscriptions) part 

 of the contributions from the Parochial City Charities Fund are 

 to be regarded as contributing. 



The London Polytechnic is a pure addition to the educational 

 system, neither competing with, nor superseding, previously ex- 

 isting institutions. There is no reason to believe that the alleged 

 stagnation of the London University colleges and secondary 

 schools is in any way connected with the remarkable growth 

 of the polytechnics since 1890.' 



The Northern Polytechnic Institute - was founded under a 

 scheme of the Charity Commissioneis, in accordance with the 

 provisions of the City of London Parochial Charities Act, 1892. 

 The scheme provides for the governinent and administration of 

 an institute for educational and recreative objects, and endows 

 it with an annual sum of 1500/. for maintenance, on the sup- 



CMticn tiat suitable buildings are as.sured from other sources. 



grants made by the Technical Education Board of the London 

 County Council. 



The income of the Northern Polytechnic is made up as 

 follows: (I) the amount, previously mentioned, received under 

 the City Parochial Charities ; (2) special grants made by the 

 Central Governing Body, up to the present amounting to about 

 500/. per annum ; (3) grants from the Technical Education 

 Board, amounting for the session 1897-8 to 1900/. ; (4) grants 

 for attendance, or on the results of examinations, made by the 

 Science and ,\rt I )cpartment and the City and ( luilds of London 

 Institute, but which, in the absence as yet of a complete work- 

 ing year, cannot be exactly estimated ; (5) students' fees, which, 

 for the last working year amounted to 1300/, ; (6) fees received 

 for hire of the large hall, and private subscriptions. 



The more important items of expenditure are— salaries and 

 wages, 4100/. ; fuel, light, and water, 500/. ; advertising, 

 printing, stationery,' and postage, 500/. ; rates and insurance, 

 200/. 



Subscriptions to the amount of 25,000/. were secured for that 

 purpose, largely from private sources, but chiefly through the 

 munificence of the Clothworkers' Company, and a site was ob- 

 tained in the llolloway Road. Plans for the erection of an 

 institute were prepared in 1893, but, in the first place, only the 

 buildings necessary for educational purposes were erected. The 

 cost of the site was 8500/., and its total area is about one and a 

 quarter acres. The buildings at present completed, at an e)c- 

 penditure of 28,000/., cover some 3400 square yards of the site. 

 Up to the present some 8000/ has been spent upon the 

 equipment of the institute. In every department a fairly com- 

 plete set of apparatus and fittings for elementary work was 

 provided from the beginning, and instruments for more advanced 

 work have been added, as required, from special equipment 



* The reader is referred 10 Mr. Sidnej^ Webb's able paper in *' Special 

 Kcports on Educational Subjects," vol. li., for further general information 

 respecting London polj/lechnics. 



•-' See the excelk-nl illuRlr.iled accounl by Dr. Dunn in ihc Rtcord f/ 

 'I'cchnicnl and Secondary liitucation^ January 1899. 



NO. 1532, VOL. 59] 



The Work oi. the Northern T'I v i i.;rnNic. 

 Almost the whole of the work has as yet been carried oi> 

 in evening ckisses, but arrangements are to be made for com- 

 plete courses of study during the day. In the words of the 

 Principal, Dr. J. T. Dunn, "for the most part the work is 

 Brodsliidicn—xW object of the students is to gain knowledge 

 which will be of service to them in their dally work, present or 

 prospective, and any mental training which they receive is 

 incidental." Within this limitation, however, every effort is 

 made to co-ordinate the work of the ditierent departments. 

 Thoroughness is aimed at, and the students are encouraged to 

 study cognate subjects bearing upon their own particular work. 

 The artisan is urged to take up the branches of science upon 

 which the practice of his trade depends, and in both the science 

 and technological classes the greatest importance is attached to 

 practical exercises. As in nearly every other technical institute 

 m the country, the value of the work accomplished is very much 

 discounted by the want of general preliminary training exhibited 



