SECTIONAL TRANSACTIONS.— L. 515 



Monday, August 22. 



DiscvssiON on Education for a changing society. (Continued from Friday) 



(lO.O.) 



(a) Technical. 



Mr. J. Paley Yorke (10.25). 



Dr. W. A. Richardson (10.50). 



The modern world has awakened to its responsibility to youth, and 

 unfortunately many countries exploit it. There is increased thought and 

 expenditure for the recreation, physical culture and education, both general 

 and vocational, of young people. In work of this kind, technical colleges 

 have been pioneers and take still an active part not only in making actual 

 provision, but in supplying ideas and inspiration. There are two ideals, 

 not necessarily antagonistic, which functioned in the founding of technical 

 institutions. One is exemplified fully in the movement which led to the 

 growth of the London Polytechnics, and is essentially social. They started 

 as clubs for young people, and their educational provision was in a measure 

 supplementary to their main social purpose. The other conception, namely, 

 vocational or further education, inspired the development of provincial 

 colleges, which in many instances arose out of the Mechanics Institutes. 

 Colleges to-day do not normally receive students until the age of sixteen, 

 and since their accommodation is limited, have to decide upon their policy. 

 The social ideal means admitting all youths to their activities, whether they 

 engage in education or not. On the whole the idea of the local college is 

 gaining ground. Such a college is a community of students, whose main 

 purpose in attending is educational, but for whom the authorities must 

 provide facilities for social and physical development in the fullest sense. 

 For education to be effective it must be continued until the age of mental 

 maturity — at least until eighteen. The full benefit of educational effort and 

 expenditure will only be secured if continued education is compulsory, at 

 least until this age. And in this continuation technical colleges have a 

 great function in providing young people with wide educational opportunities 

 for all phases of life, although such institutions have, and must ever have, 

 a vocational and industrial bias. 



Mr. F. Pick (11.20). 



Education has been conservative. It has not given to the newer subjects 

 bred of an industrial civilisation the breadth and quality which was given 

 to the older subjects bred in the classic ages. 



A liberal education usually means education in and through classic 

 literature. There is a liberal education to be got through the discipline 

 of tool and material, differing in kind but the same in substance. There 

 should be a liberal education to be secured from trade and industry conceived 

 as elements in an ideal life. 



Art and technology have been largely divorced and the liberal education 

 of the master craftsman destroyed. This must be restored. The sickness 

 of industrial production may be attributed to this lack. A fresh conception 

 of a school embracing both art and technology is needed. 



The practical and pragmatical classes in subjects related to trade and 

 industry must be infused with a philosophic content. The trained and 

 broadened mind must be applied to the building up out of the mass of 



