TBANSACTIONS OF SKCTION F. 845 



a boy might reasonably be expected to enter at the age of ten, the instruction 

 should be of two kinds. First, theoretical teaching, including geometrical drawing, 

 machine drawing and construction, mechanics, and chemistry. Secondly, practical 

 workshop teaching, including the production of simple geometrical forms in metal 

 or wood, such as the cube or prism. Wood joints, dovetailing, and other simple 

 work might be added. While very valuable results would have been achieved if the 

 child's school education terminated at that curriculum, he should propose to oflPer ex- 

 hibitions from these schools to higher grade or apprenticeship schools for the most 

 promising of the workshop scholars. The CLU-riculum in these apprenticeship schools 

 would vary according to the social and economical conditions of the district. In an 

 agricultural district the pupils should be taught the principles of agriculture and 

 horticulture. The nature and properties of soils and crops and their rotation would, 

 of course, come in. In a manufacturing district the technical teaching would aim 

 at the inculcation of the scientific principles which underlay the particular processes 

 of production. In a district, for example, such as Kidderminster, the scholars 

 would, besides being taught the processes of weaving, have special instruction in 

 design and the artistic grouping of colours. In this way our great centres of agri- 

 culture, of manufacture, and commerce could easily establish central technical 

 schools, dealing especially with the productions of their own districts. Applying 

 these general propositions to present circumstances, the author stated that of the 

 4,553,751 children on the register of inspected schools, 1,411,999 — very nearly one- 

 third — were under seven years of age. With reference to them not much change was 

 needed, except that more time should be given to elementary drawing and to object 

 lessons. Drawing could not be taught at too early an age : the moment a child 

 entered a school he should be taught how to use his pencil. With regard to the chil- 

 dren between seven and ten years of age, who numbered 1,606,479, a certain amount 

 of elementary disciplinary handicraft teaching might well be introduced as an inte- 

 gral part of the elementary instruction, with the object of training the hand and 

 eye to work together. The evidence collected by the Royal Commission was clear, 

 that our Continental rivals had demonstrated that most valuable rudimentary handi- 

 craft teaching could be given in the elementary and primary schools. In all the 

 new elementary schools in large towns in France instruction in handicraft teaching 

 would find an important place. It was greatly to be hoped that under the im- 

 proved Act of next session they would see sucla schools largely prevailing in this 

 country. The tax for education need not be increased. The total school income 

 was nearly seven millions — upwards of 21. per head. The State already contributed 

 17s. per child, and, with a judicious distribution of the income between the two 

 kinds of teaching, the State need not pay more. Into the higher elementary 

 school, or apprenticeship school, boys might be drafted at the age of ten, eleven, 

 twelve, according to proficiency, but he should hope in a few years to find most 

 boys of eleven entering such schools. The schools ought to spring out of the indus- 

 tries of their particular districts, and the courses of instruction should be carefully 

 gi-aded — the first and second year's courses aiming at teaching the scientific basis of 

 the various arts and industries of the neighbourhood, and the third being more dis- 

 tinctly professional in character. Schools of a description similar to that were to 

 be found in towns in France and Belgium. The technical schools of the Society of 

 Christian Brothers were well known ; and there were schools of the same kind in 

 Sheffield, Manchester, and Glasgow, It was not too much to hope that all over 

 the country there would not be lacking the funds and the public spirit required to 

 establish these much-needed technical schools, which, by judicious management, could 

 be made self-supporting. He strongly advised that night schools should be taken 

 advantage of for the purpose of promoting technical teaching. He believed it 

 would make them more popular, and he should like to see a National League for 

 the advancement and extension of evening schools. The question of the provision 

 of the teaching power was one not difficult of solution. Every training college 

 should be at once called on to provide skilled handicraft teaching for its students ; 

 and for the higher elementary schools the Science and Art Department and the 

 City and Guilds Institute would furnish an abundant supply of teachers. The un- 

 qualified success of the Science and Art Department argued that, with the permis- 



