TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION L. 631 



the dregs of our schools ; he passes through them but never reaches further than 

 a middle standard. Inquiry shows that there are from 2 to 3 per cent, of 

 children in the elementary schools who are two years behind the average of the 

 class they are working in. This is a mass of useful human material which 

 deserves study. The city of Mannheim has made a most interesting attempt 

 to grapple with this problem. 



TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5. 

 1. Discussion on Practical Education in Dockyard ard Naval Schools. 



(i) The Royal Dockyard Schools. By T. Dawe. 



These schools, which were founded by the Admiralty in 1843, have played 

 an important part in the development of naval architecture in this country. 

 Nearly all our leading naval constructors of the past half-century commenced 

 their careers as dockyard apprentices, attended classes in the dockyard schools 

 for four or five years ; and, for the exceptional ability shown by them in those 

 classes, were selected for a higher course of professional training. Among these 

 may be mentioned the late Sir E. J. Reid, Sir N. Barnaby, Sir W. H. White, 

 and Sir Philip Watts, successive Directors of Naval Construction. 



Boys enter the dockyards as apprentices between the ages of fourteen and 

 sixteen years by means of an open competitive Civil Service examination, the 

 subjects of which are English, mathematics, elementary science, and drawing. 

 They are allowed to attend school for two afternoons and three evenings per 

 week, the remainder of their time being devoted to the practical acquisition of 

 their trades. The full school course extends over a period of four years, but 

 there is a ' weeding-out ' process at the end of each year, so that only the best 

 of the apprentices take the full course. A few (from one to four) of the best 

 of these are selected by examination from all the yards for a further three years' 

 course of advanced instruction at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, after 

 which they become (if qualified) members of the Royal Corps of Naval 

 Constructors. 



These higher appointments can, however, only fall to a few, but the others 

 are eligible for the considerable number of minor but important posts at the 

 Admiralty and in the dockyards — such as those of foremen, inspectors of trades, 

 and draughtsmen — for which a trained intelligence and a well-stored mind are of 

 very great value. Most of these posts are filled by men who have had the 

 advantage of a dockyard school training. 



The subjects taught are : practical mathematics (including plane trigonometry, 

 co-ordinate geometry of two and three dimensions, the calculus and easy 

 differential equations) ; theoretical and applied mechanics (including graphical 

 statics, strength of materials, balancing of engines, mechanism and elementary 

 hydraulics)-; elementary chemistry; heat and steam; metallurgy; magnetism and 

 electricity ; and mechanical drawing. English history and composition are 

 taken during the first two years. Every apprentice works in the school labora- 

 tory for about two hours per week. Lectures on naval architecture, marine 

 engineering, and electrical engineering are given to apprentices during their 

 third and fourth years ; and fourth year apprentices who attend school are 

 given special facilities in the yard for acquiring a practical knowledge of the 

 drawing appertaining to their own trades. 



(ii) Schools for Boy Artificers. By W. H. T. Pain. 



2. The Present Position of German in Secondary Schools. By G. F. Bridge. 



In the Report of the Board of Education for 1900-07 it was stated that 

 ' German, in Wales, as in England, is finding a difficulty in maintaining its 

 ground.' The reports on Scotland for 1907 and England for 1908 contained 



