632 
TH& TROPICAL AGRIOULT URI8T, 
[March 2, 1891. 
He would be more thankful if be received small 
aub?criptions yearly, as large annual subsoriptions after 
a year or two died out. By this he did not of course 
mean to discourage those who were desirous to pay 
large sums annually. They could get funds through 
the students’ fees and other sources. In conclusion 
he hoped erelong to receive some information that 
the school was established, and he promised to render 
every assistance to them in the matter of getting for 
them anything they required from the manufacturers in 
London in order to carry on their work here. (Applause.) 
Mr. Geohge Wall in supporting the motion, said 
that the importance of the subject had been recog- 
nised for a long time, especially by Mr. Green, during 
the time when he was Director of Public Instruction. 
It had been said that hitherto the scheme had not 
assumed any definite form. That was true, but he 
thought it would have been a mistake to put before 
the public anything of a particular definite nature 
until the views of those interested had been ascertained. 
He thought that after the pertinent, practical 
observations which had been made by Mr. Schwann 
they had sufficiently defined the subject and not 
too much defined, but left in a condition, so 
that those who had the interests of the scheme at 
heart could with sufficient freedom of action do what 
in their judgment seemed wise and good. He had no 
doubt that the gentlemen who composed the Com- 
mittee would fulfil most of the conditions that were 
primarily necessary for the carrying out of the 
objects they bad iu view. In their own community 
there were men who were acquainted with 
special industries so intimately that their advice 
would be of paramount value, and he had no doubt 
but that that advice would lie given by them with 
all cheerfulness. He believed that by the excellent 
management and thoughtful attention which had 
been given to the subject by the late Director they 
were likely to have the use of the necessary build- 
ing without the formidable cost of having to erect 
them. He thought that they would have also to 
obtain appliances to^furniah the workshops, and he 
had no doubt that those who were deeply in- 
terested in the project would liberally subscribe 
towards the purchase of the necessary materials. 
He believed firmly that when the objects required were 
more clearly made known to those men, that they 
would come forward with a liberality which would 
enable theOominittee to go to the Government and 
say ; “ We were able to help ourselves to this extent, 
we pray that you would give us some help; ’ and he 
believed that such help would not be wanting. He 
thought there'ore that the resolution proposed by 
hlr. Schwann would go a long way towards supplying 
the loug-felt (Applause.) 
The resolution was then put to the meeting by the 
Chairman am' carried unanimously. 
Hon. W. W. Mitchell followed and said that it was 
not necesstii'y to dilate at length upon the advantages 
of technical education to be gained by those for whom 
it was intended. The subject had been occupying a good 
deal of attention, and the classes for which it was more 
especially intended were the sons of the better classes 
for whom it was difficult to adopt the profession of 
lawyers or advocates. It was desirable that men 
should be trained to become foremen in some of the 
large establishments which were being created in 
Oeylon.and that others who might not occupy that 
position should bo trained to some other work. One 
thing which had struck him in connection with a 
technical school was that practical education should 
go hand-in-hand with theoretical education. It was 
cheering to learn that Government had promised to co- 
operate with them in the matter of granting a sum 
of K5,000 per aunura, which would go towards the 
fcilary of the Superintendent, and it was very ne- 
cessary that an ab'!? man should bo selected for the 
post for iho success of the 
They would of course, require a gallery C- ' 
illustrating the ditferent industries, and they r*’'* ° 
carry on iu tlio Acricultural Hohool itself such work 
as carriage-building, mechanical work, engineering, 
telegraphing, &o., and those boys who wished to enter 
upgi[ comugrcinl pursuits ooulU get a knowledge of 
all these subjects. As far as the revenue was con- 
cerned, they could make up that from the students’ fees 
and Government grant. He thought that a good deal 
of progress had been made towards the inauguration 
of the scheme by two gentlemen who were in the room, 
and therefore moved the following resolution ; — “That 
the thanks of the meeting be given to Mr. Green, late 
Director of Public Instruction, for his eminent services 
on this behalf and to Mr. Gull for his zealous pursu- 
ance of the line of policy initiated by his predecessor 
for the furtherance of a Technical Institution for 
Ceylon.” 
Mr. Ramanathan in seconding the motion said that 
the subject had been occupying the attention of the 
community tor many years. It formed the subject of 
an important debate so far back as 1875 in the Legis- 
lative Council, but the gentleman who led the 
debate. Sir Muttu Coomara Swamy was no longer 
alive. He believed Mr, Mitchell Was also then a 
member of Council, and he could bear testimony 
to the fact that be had been greatly interested 
in the establishment of a Technical Institute for 
Ceylon. (Applause). 
Mr. Green said that on his own behalf and on 
behalf of Mr. Cull he felt very grateful to them 
for the compliment accorded to him. He had been 
working away at the question like a mole for years 
with a view towards forming a Technical Institute 
in Ceylon, and like a mole had thrown up a lot of 
earth, but had only got one step iu advance. He 
thought that Government had done pretty well in giving 
a grant of K5,000 per annum for the salary of a Super- 
intendent, and there was also the implied promise 
held out that the Agricultural School might be utilized 
as a sort of a general Teohnical and Agricultural School. 
There was sufficient accommodation for the purpose in 
the Agricultural School. One wing of the School was left 
open when the school was being built aud he thought 
that that could be utilized for the purpose and they 
would have shortly one good central Technical In- 
stitute, combining a technical as well as a good 
general education. They had a capital Professor in 
the school in Mr. Drieberg, aud if Messrs. Schwann 
and Mitchell sent out a properjman to deal with other 
brauches of the technical side,these two gentlemen would 
be able to give lectures to the boys of both the Agricul- 
tural and Technical sides who wished to acquire a good 
knowledge of a general education. He had always 
intended the Technical School to be one side of 
the School of Agriculture. There were in the country 
what we might call too many gentlemen and too many 
coolies and it was very desirable that they should 
make an effort to combine the two aud to get gentle- 
men not to think it below them to work technically 
and with their hands, and not to call it “ cooly work,” 
They were all grateful to Mr. Schwann for his efforts 
iu the matter, but he thought that they should hold 
the reins tightly aud not go too fast. Some of the 
speakers suggested that they should have a “ Gallery 
of Illustration,” and second-rate Workshops, but he 
thought it would be better to establish classes and 
march the boys round to the Government Faotorj', 
Messrs. John Walker & Oo.’s workshops, the Cotton 
Spinning and Weaving Mills, so that they might get 
some practical training in those establishments, instead 
ot having to^put up workshops in the school itself, at an 
expensive figure. He referred to the Industrial School 
at Tellippalai at Jaffna, where the boys worked at all 
manner of things from excellent wire-mattresses down 
to turning out photographs and this he thought 
should serve as an encouragement to them as 
showing what could be done even in a mere In- 
dustrial school. He was glad that Mr. Schwann 
had mentioned the question of fees, for when 
he was Direotor he was severely anathematized by 
by Managers of Sohools for charging fees and he hoped 
that the Executive Committee would attend to that 
matter aud make it a source of revenue. (Applause.) 
Mr. Gull also thanked the meeting for the com. 
pliment paid to him and humorously remarked that 
- once had a peripatetic school of botany, and 
- " -'‘n nroposed to haye a peripatetic tech- 
now it had 
nical school. (Applause;, 
