1883.] On Technical Education. 93 
should not go there, of course: we have, in the meantime, 
lessened our own designing power very greatly. 
Fifty thousand a year must have been by no means an 
unimportant fadtor at that time in fostering art in Paris, by 
giving employment to no inconsiderable number of French 
artists : in any inquiry, therefore, at the present time, into 
the technical education of this country, it ought to be a 
matter of great importance to ascertain accurately whether 
our calico-printers are still indebted to French artists for the 
majority of their best designs. 
Some at least of our Statesmen and Members of Parlia- 
ment, and others of the community, have been led to believe 
that the system adopted by the Department for teaching 
Science in Elementary Science Schools is both efficient and 
economical, and that no other system could produce equal 
— not to say better — results at the same cost to the State. 
I think it can be shown — and shall now attempt to show, 
and I hope convincingly to the majority of impartial per- 
sons — that a system more in accordance with sound educa- 
tional principles, and which would therefore produce better 
practical results for the nation, could be devised, and would, 
at least, be no more costly to the State than the present 
one. 
In the evidence I shall adduce to show the defeats and 
deficiencies of the present system, I shall take my fadts from 
three sources : — 1st, Public documents. 2nd, From personal 
knowledge. 3rd, Fadts that have been accidentally given to 
me by gentlemen who have taught under the Department. 
I say accidentally supplied to me, because I did not go in 
search of them; and I shall be most careful in stating them 
— they are not in the smallest degree distorted. And this 
question of whether we have or have not adopted the best 
system for the teaching of subjedts the pradtical applications 
of which ought to lead to the improvement of old, and the 
establishment of new, industries in the country, is by no 
means an unimportant one for us at any time ; but it is 
especially important at present, when we as a nation have 
to face a stagnant, if not a declining, revenue, occasioned by 
a serious falling off of our exports both in quantity and value i 
owing to increased and increasing foreign competition. 
It has already been pointed out that under certain circum- 
stances the teacher may receive no payment from the 
Department for his year’s work ; but there are other excep- 
tional cases, besides those stated in the Science Diredtory, 
which will forfeit the teacher’s earnings. I will relate two 
that have been brought under my notice : — A few years ago 
