SEPTEMBER 4, 1902] 
NATURE 
443 
Lunge observes that in our grammar schools the faculty 
of observation is too little developed, and that mathe- 
matics, drawing and modern languages should be more 
thoroughly taught.. “At present there is no time for this, 
because far too much time and interest are devoted to 
athletics. The idea that secondary education should 
mainly aim at breeding manly characters is very fine, 
but the hardly veiled contempt of positive knowledge 
which this implies causes much mischief, and this is, of 
course, much worse if you substitute ‘ gentlemanly’ for 
“manly.” The committee is convinced that scientific 
industries have suffered, not only through defects in 
higher scientific education, but to an even greater extent 
through defects in general secondary education. Mr. 
Levinstein, in his presidential address to the Society of 
Chemical Industry at Liverpool, also refers to our want 
of a sound system of secondary education ; he considers 
that our primary education is fairly good, but what we 
require is “ general non-specialised secondary education.” 
Those engaged in the educational profession must surely 
have had it forced upon them that the crying need of 
the country is specialisation ; but it is useless. and worse 
than useless, to attempt to specialise without first having 
the sound foundation of a thorough general education. 
Dr. Merz thinks that science teachers in secondary 
and public schools are not of a sufficiently high standard 
as compared with the teachers abroad. They have too 
little time for improving their knowledge by further 
study, the result being that they soon become disciplin- 
arians only instead of men of science. Our teachers 
often seem unable to instil the love of science into their 
students, who lack the enthusiasm which exists abroad, 
and may almost be compared to the tradition which 
is found in our public school life here. How often one 
hears a graduate say, “Ah! that’s finished ; I ground up 
science for my degree, but I shall drop it now.” To such 
men the degree isa qualification and that is all. 
In referring to the London polytechnics, the committee 
recognises the difficulties under which the heads of de- 
partments labour if they desire to carry on research. 
They are understaffed and underpaid, and almost the 
whole of their time is taken up in teaching or in superin- 
tending the teaching of all branches of their subject. It 
might here be pointed out that in many cases the 
governors of the institutes, with the exception of those 
appointed by the Technical Education Board, have 
absolutely no idea what research means, and strongly 
object to chemists and others taking up expert work 
whereby they would obtain an insight into the technical 
side of their subject, which otherwise it is almost im- 
possible for them to do. 
A generation ago the bulk of the manufacture of fine 
glass for scientific and optical purposes was in English 
hands. Now it is almost entirelyin the hands of Ger- 
mans. “ German chemists have succeeded in introducing 
such modifications in the manufacture of optical glass 
that opticians have been enabled to place on the market 
lenses approaching more closely to mathematical perfec- 
tion than any previously manufactured in this country.” 
Mr. Conrad Beck says, “there is no place in the whole 
of England where a man can learn optics in a way that is 
of any use to him for practical application to optical in- 
strument making. . . . It is a positive fact that if I 
desire to employ a mathematician to work out my lenses, 
I cannot find any ready-made man in England.” The 
German Government has not only endowed institutes 
where optics, among other subjects, is taught in a prac- 
tical way, but has granted large sums of money “by 
which costly experiments on a manufacturing scale have 
been rendered possible.” 
Mr. Levinstein’s presidential address to the Society of 
Chemical Industry has already been mentioned, and per- 
haps a short notice of some of the points in it may be of 
nterest. 
NO. 1714, VOL. 66] 
In directing attention to the unsatisfactory condition 
of our trade, he points out that in 1890 our total exports 
amounted to 328 million pounds. The average amount 
during the decade 1891-1900 was only 300 millions. That 
is to say, during these ten years we exported 280 million. 
pounds’ worth of goods less than we should have done 
if the figures for 1890 had been maintained. With 
Germany it is otherwise; in 1890 the total exports. 
amounted to 3409 million marks, while the average for 
1891-1900 was 3688 million marks. Germany has gone 
forward, we have gone back; this can hardly be called 
satisfactory. Mr. Levinstein suggests the followin as 
some of the reasons why Germany has advanced so 
markedly :— 
(1) Superior economy, thoroughness, a/tention to detail. 
(2) The possession of a far larger number of thoroughly and 
systematically trained men than any other country (not men 
only trained technically, but with a thorough genera/ training). 
(3) A close alliance of legislation and of science with the in- 
terests of trade and industry—a result no doubt indirectly due 
to the high average of general education and training. 
(4) A national system of railways and canals, with a scale of 
internal and external freights averaging less than one-third of 
our own. 
(5) Cheaper skilled labour, wéth longer hours than our own. 
(6) A large supply of unskilled labourers, trained to habits of 
punctuality and discipline through a system of universal military 
service. 
(7) Protective tariffs, 
(8) A system of patent laws which takes the interests of the 
public as well as those of the inventor into consideration. 
Some of these conditions obviously could not be intro- 
duced into this country, but Mr. Levinstein suggests the 
following four measures which he considers require im- 
mediate attention :— 
(a) The appointment of a competent and expert Minister of 
Commerce. 
(6) The nationalisation and extension of our canals and water- 
ways. 
(c) A measure for greatly extending and improving our 
secondary education. 
(2) A sensible reform of our patent laws. 
It does seem an anomaly that a commercial empire 
such as ours should be without a Minister of Commerce. 
The Board of Trade is so tied up with red tape and so 
steeped in routine that deputations upon trade and com- 
merce often receive but scant attention, and have to be 
content with hazy assurances of good will which are often 
forgotten almost as soon as uttered. 
Mr. Levinstein pays considerable attention to the 
question of freights. In France and Germany, the con- 
bined network of railways and canals enables mer- 
chandise to be carried at extremely low rates. Un- 
doubtedly our railway companies might learn a good 
deal from America as to the handling and haulage 
of goods, by which means very considerable savings 
in the cost of transport could be made. But owing 
to the enormous cost of construction and over-capitalis- 
ation of our railways, even if all possible improvements 
were introduced and the boards of directors were 
business men and not appointed because of their 
social position, we could not compete on level terms with 
other nations. But how about our 4000 miles of canals ? 
For years they have hardly been used at all, and many 
of them have become antiquated and are almost, if not 
quite, ruined. In contradistinction to our want of fore- 
thought, France, Belgium and Germany have been con- 
tinually increasing and improving their canal system, 
and America, that land ot restless energy, is building 
canals. Before the opening of the Erie Canal the cost of 
moving one ton of freight from Buffalo to Albany was 
100 dollars ; on the opening of the canal this immediately 
1 The tendency here seems to be a general shortening of hours and extra 
holidays to watch others playing games. 
