57 § 
On Technical Education . 
[October, 
education : this forms the alpha and omega of the speeches 
of our scientific men when they refer to education ; it formed 
the note of lamentation in the opening address at the com- 
mencement of the winter session (1880) of the Society of 
Arts, delivered by Sir F. J. Bramwell, Bart., Chairman of 
the Council of the Society, and Vice-President of the City 
and Guilds of London Institute. The appointment of the 
Royal Commission to inquire into the subject is a tacit ad- 
mission of the fadb ; and the admission is still further 
endorsed by the Lords of the Committee of Council on 
Education, for it is evident they think there requires such a 
thorough investigation into the Art-teaching in Germany, in 
order to improve the Art-teaching in this country, that it 
was not to be expedted that the Diredtor and Assistant- 
Diredlor for Art, of the Science and Art Department, should 
themselves defray the expenses incurred by the inquiry, as 
they would naturally have done if they simply visited that 
country to add to their own knowledge of Art-teaching; and 
therefore the cost must be borne by the nation. Yet all who 
take an interest in education must or ought to be aware of 
the reasons which cause German education to be so superior 
to our own. We will notice in the next article some of the 
essential differences in the education of the two countries. 
The non-success on our part does not arise from the State 
not supplying sufficient money for the purpose ; for if we 
take a survey of the expenditure on the various educational 
institutions and schemes, the only conclusion that can be 
arrived at is that, if the expenditure of money was all that 
was required to obtain success, we ought to have the best 
general, scientific, professional, and technical education of 
any country. When we acquaint ourselves with the amount 
of money that is expended on education in the United 
Kingdom, we must all confess, I think, with Dr. Wiesse, that 
“ the results are glaringly disproportionate to the enormous 
sums spent upon the education of young Englishmen ; there 
is no department of human energy in which there is such a 
portentous display of power with such a beggarly amount of 
result.” Again, the same high educational authority ob- 
serves, with regard to our unorganised educational system, 
“ If we except the elementary schools, public instruction in 
general does not in any way show a progress towards objects 
clearly recognised and defined. An extraordinary amount of 
power , time , and money is still wasted from a want of plan and 
unity.” Our expenditure is so excessive on occasions that 
we have sometimes to forego what more economical nations 
can undertake i the management of the English Department 
