Technical Education in Relation to Fishermen's 



Occupations 



BY 



James W. Robertson, C.M.G., LL.D. 



MR. CHAIRMAN and Gentlemen : Before stating some of the 

 advantages which would come to fishermen and to the fishery 

 interests from better education, and before outlining a plan whereby 

 such education might be provided, I would like to say a word or two 

 as to what the nature of education is. 



What is its aim and main purpose? In many quarters its chief 

 purpose has been regarded as the aboHtion of illiteracy, or the training 

 of boys and girls to read and write and reckon. Certainly that would 

 be a highly inadequate explanation of what is needed and what real edu- 

 cation must do for boys and girls and the community. Let me give a 

 brief statement of the least it should accomplish. It should fit persons 

 for their occupations as contributing earners; it should qualify them 

 for their duties as citizens and trustees of hfe, and make them ready 

 for such opportunities of service as may come to them as individuals. 

 To put it in other words, adequate education should provide a series of 

 experiences arranged in such sequence that through them boys and 

 girls, men and women, would become intelligent, continue healthy, 

 develop ability and willingness to work and live agreeably and effect- 

 ively, severally and in cooperation with others, cherish high ideals of 

 character and follow good ideals of conduct. 



For the most part the education of the race in all nations has been 

 gained through the occupations followed by the people. The processes 

 have been slow and very costly. I do not mean costly in money spent 

 but in lives wasted, opportunities missed, and the hindrance of real pro- 

 gress towards satisfaction and happiness. All the processes of educa- 

 tion, whatever its form of organization, consist of series of experiences 

 which bring about changes in individuals. The changes which are 

 sought by intelligent teachers and leaders are those represented by the 

 change from ignorance to intelligence, from helplessness to personal 

 ability, and from the utter selfishness of the very young child to public 

 service for the common good. 



