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Industrial Training . 
[January, 
III. INDUSTRIAL TRAINING. 
By An Old Technologist. 
S HIS subject is now, under two distindt points of view, 
drawing the attention of the general public. On the 
one hand, taking account of the steady growth of 
foreign competition* backed and fostered by protedtionist 
laws, we ask what are our chances of making head against 
a number of rivals, all literally hungering and thirsting for 
the overthrow of our industrial prosperity ? Superiority in 
every branch of manufadtures has become for us a question 
almost of life and death, but many ugly fadts seem to show 
that we have lost not a few of those attributes on which our 
old reputation was based. 
Turning, on the other hand, in a direction apparently 
quite different, we find that a growing proportion of our 
people, especially of the rising generation, shrink from 
manual labour, and prefer the precarious and wretchedly 
paid career of the clerk to that of the artizan. These two 
elements of our national position have not escaped the 
notice of thoughtful men. Still, believing that the last 
word has not yet been said, I venture to offer a few observa- 
tions on the subjedt. 
I am far from supposing that the twin-evils which I have 
mentioned are solely due to any one agency. But among 
their many causes there is one which is deeply connedted 
with both ; I mean the nature of our industrial training, or 
the manner in which a pradtical knowledge and a mastery 
of any useful art has to be obtained. That manner or that 
process fails, on the one hand, to answer the purpose in- 
tended, and on the other hand it keeps aloof many who 
would otherwise be well fitted for an industrial career. I mean 
the system of apprenticeship, which has been handed down 
from the dark ages, and which, though corrupt in itself and 
quite out of harmony with the times, is recognised by the 
law, and is enforced by a power which is above the law. 
The leading features of this institution scarcely need men- 
tioning. Even in its palmiest days it was objectionable, 
because the pupil was during the course of his training 
* It is significant that a statesman of a modern type publicly expressed his 
pleasure that we had no longer the monopoly of the world’s manufadtures ! 
