Added  as  a Monthly  Supplement  to  the  “ TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST, 
THE  MAGAZINE 
OF 
TFjG  $W0L  OF  AGRICULTURE, 
COLOMBO. 
Vol.  IV.]  JANUABY,  1893.  [Nos.  6.  & 7. 
TECHNICAL  EDUCATION— ITS  AIMS 
AND  METHODS. 
{Concluded  from  page  87.) 
HAVE  already  shewn  you  how  it 
is  possible  to  combine  Elementary 
with  technical  teaching,  as  in  the 
Glen  Allen  School,  even  for  boys  of 
6 or  7.  I do  not  see  why  it  should 
not  be  done  here.  But  I have  no  desire  to  encroach 
on  the  province  of  the  Director  of  Public  Instruc- 
tion, and  very  many  innovations  which  I should 
like  to  see  introduced  into  our  school  system  of 
education,  i.e.,  the  bifurcation  of  classes  as  in 
Germany  and  Italy  into  a classical  and  scientific 
side,  the  establishment  of  Kindergarten  schools 
all  over  the  island,  the  institution  of  at  least  one 
Manual  Training  School  in  which  the  American 
system  of  combining  instruction  in  Science  and 
Literature  with  training  in  Drawing,  Modell- 
ing, Wood-carving  and  Workshop  Practice  could 
receive  a fair  trial — these  and  other  such  matters 
I refrain  from  entering  on  here  for  much  the 
same  reason — not  to  speak  of  tin;  lateness  of 
the  hour. 
I cannot  conclude  this  part  of  my  subject 
without  reference  to  two  papers  which  I hold 
in  my  hand : one,  a rather  elaborate  scheme  for 
Technical  Education  drawn  up  by  Mr.  Marsh,  the 
organiser  of  the  present  series  of  lectures,  so  fin- 
back as  1876  ; the  other  a provisional  scheme  for 
a Technical  School  by  Mr.  Wall,  thoroughly  prac- 
tical, and  built  almost  on  the  same  lines  as  those 
followed  in  the  American  Manual  Training  schools, 
but  wanting  the  combination  of  Scientific  and 
Literary  coursesof  instruction  with  Art  Training  and 
Workshop  Practice  which  forms  such  an  essential 
feature  of  the  latter.  Mr.  Marsh’s  paper,  originaily 
published  by  the  local  Education  Department, 
has  been  reprinted  in  a recent  number  of  the 
Literary  Register,  and  as  a thoughtful  well- 
matured  proposal  for  the  introduction  and  en- 
couragement of  Technical  Education  in  all  the 
schools  throughout  the  Island,  showing  besides 
a clear  appreciation  of  the  industrial  needs  of  the 
country,  and  a wise  provision  of  the  growing  im- 
portance of  Technical  Institution  16  years  ago, 
when  there  was  barely  any  public  interest  aroused 
on  the  subject  even  in  England,  I have  no  doubt 
it  will  receive  due  consideration  from  the  Govern- 
ment in  any  scheme  that  my  be  organised  for 
Technical  Teaching  in  our  public  schools.  I 
regret  that  the  lateness  of  the  hour  as  well  as  the 
limits  of  my  lecture  preclude  me  from  reviewing 
either  of  these  papers  here  ; but  as  they  are  both 
accessible  to  the  public,  I would  commend  them 
to  your  attention  as  well  deserving  of  careful 
persual. 
And  now  to  come  to  a conclusion  of  the  whole 
matter.  The  problem  of  Technical  Education  for 
the  people  of  this  country  cannot,  in  my  opinion, 
be  solved  by  any  slavish  imitation  of  Western 
institutions,  however  successfully  conducted 
elsewhere.  The  method  of  education  adopted 
must  suit  the  genius  loci — the  character  and  apti- 
tudes of  the  people  as  well  as  the  resources 
and  needs  of  the  country.  Any  complete  scheme 
of  Technical  Education  will  have  to  begin  by 
modifying  the  instruction  given  to  the  children 
in  our  Elementary  and  Higher  schools.  Our 
schools  are  in  one  sense  already  technical  in 
that  the  majority  of  the  children  are  prepared 
(if  the  present  one-sided  grammar  school  training 
can  be  said  to  be  preparatory  in  any  sense)  for 
the  so-called  liberal  professions.  Let  them  be- 
come avowedly  and  distinctly  technical,  in  the 
widest  sense  of  the  word,  i.e.,  preparatory  for 
special  callings  in  after  school  life. 
Let  us  recognize  the  fact  that  the  classical 
system  of  our  public  schools,  however  suited 
as  a preparatory  training  for  the  Universities 
and  for  the  learned  professions,  is  a stupid 
and  senseless  method  as  regards  the  majority 
of  our  boys  who  will  have  to  fight  the  battle 
of  life,  notin  the  ranks  of  the  learned  professions 
but  in  the  overcrowded  fields  of  productive 
toil  and  industry.  Let  us  recognize  the  fact  that 
this  system  has  been  denounced  by  the  oldest 
