XX. S. H. BARRACLOUGH. 



a delay in providing the money, and meanwhile the work 

 of the school is greatly handicapped. 



OUR POSITION IN RELATION TO OTHERS. 



After thus briefly noticing some of the signs of progress 

 and movement in our local educational world, it is not out 

 of place to remark that progress is a relative thing, and that 

 the essential question is not, have we made an advance ? 

 but rather, has our rate of progression kept pace with that 

 of other countries ? And from this point of view the out- 

 look is not so promising. A short visit to Europe a few 

 months ago only served to emphasise to my mind the fact 

 that in the matter of engineering and technical progress, 

 and in industrial training we are distinctly falling back. 

 One is impressed with the fact that there is 



EXTRAORDINARY ACTIVITY IN OTHER COUNTRIES. 



Indeed, in noting the signs of progress in German institu- 

 tions during the last two or three years one cannot help a 

 slight feeling of depression on realising the almost impos- 

 sibility, as it seems, of keeping our institutions proportion- 

 ately abreast of theirs. Even England, although herself 

 in not too enviable a position, is leaving us distinctly behind, 

 which could not be said ten or twelve years ago ; and in 

 America it is almost impossible to keep oneself informed 

 of the rate of progress, and of the colossal sums that are 

 being invested in scientific and industrial training. I pro- 

 pose to attempt no sketch of this progress at present, but 

 as indicating the very genuine interest which is taken in 

 the subject I would like to call your attention to the fact, 

 probably not known to all, that there is a society in 

 America, of which I have the privilege of being a member, 

 devoted entirely to the consideration of the one subject of 

 the promotion of engineering and industrial education. 

 This society has now published 12 annual volumes of papers 

 and discussions, covering the whole field of education for 



