Position of Belfast in Relation to Technical Instruction. 53 



that boys should not be debarred from taking advantage of the 

 superior classes of the technical schools it was necessary to 

 have preparatory classes. The schools were to be built 

 exactly opposite the building in which they were < ssembled, and 

 pupils would not be admitted to the regular technical classes 

 who were not properly prepared. A subject which had not 

 been mentioned by the lecturer, but which he (Professor 

 Fitzgerald) hoped would be included, was cookery. It was an 

 historical fact that the ancient Irish never seemed to mind what 

 they ate. He himself thought the preparatory classes should 

 be held in various parts of the city, but he believed they were 

 to be held only in the central institute. With regard to the 

 breadth of the scheme, he did not know whether those present 

 in the Y.M.C.A. when Mr. Balfour was there paid sufficient 

 attention to the strong reference that was made to the necessity 

 in Ireland within the next few years of training a large number 

 of teachers. That appeared one of the primary difficulties with 

 technical instruction. In the scheme special provision was 

 made both for the agricultural and technical instruction teachers. 

 The agricultural teachers, he thought, meant nothing more 

 than teachers in technical schools outside the county boroughs. 

 He had noticed in the papers that a considerable number of 

 national school teachers were wanting to be trained in manual 

 instruction, and existing teachers, with few exceptions, had no 

 training in work of that kind ; but to that he would not refer. 

 The agricultural teachers would be paid out of the grant which 

 would go to the agricultural division out of the ;z^55,ooo to 

 which reference had been made. 



Mr. Stevenson was of opinion that the apathy with which 

 technical instruction \.as regarded in Belfast was decidedly 

 disheartening to all interested in the subject. It would' seem 

 as if Belfast manufacturers had a poor opinion of their fellows 

 when it came to anything affecting the arts or sciences. He 

 believed a great number of the young people in Belfast who 

 used their hands might increase their comfort and usefulness 

 very much if they could add a little brainworkto their labours. 



