I 54 On Technical Education. [March, 
The necessity for our having a good system of Scientific 
and Technical Education is becoming more urgent every 
year ; the commercial monopoly we possessed is departing 
from us ; and if we do not adopt, and that speedily, a good 
system of Scientific Education, so as to provide our manu- 
facturers and their managers with the knowledge and skill 
necessary for progress in scientific industry, other nations 
will outstrip us in the race. Germany, by reason of the 
excellent scientific education she provides for her sons, has 
taken the lead in the new industry — the manufacture of 
artificial dyes. Yet the raw products required for their 
manufacture are exported from England, and manufactured 
in Germany, and the manufactured article imported for use 
into England. It is estimated that the consumption in 
England of alizarin and the coal-tar dyes cannot be less in 
value than £1,000,000 per annum, and these are manufac- 
tured very largely, in faCt principally, in Germany. 
America, with her vast and varied natural resources, will 
become England's most dangerous competitor ; she possesses 
in addition to all the raw materials we possess several 
others. The result is that, whilst the United States in 1880 
produced 95 per cent of all the raw materials consumed in 
their factories, we imported 93 per cent of all that was con- 
sumed in ours. 
There are likewise flocking to that country some of the 
most skilled workmen from the different European countries, 
taking with them a Technical Education and Skill in many 
different industries. Then, again, America and England 
commenced at opposite poles in manufacturing industry; 
they were deficient in human labour, we had an excess : 
hence the greater development of automatic machinery in 
the one country than in the other. The want of sufficient 
capital, which has hitherto held in check their industrial 
enterprise, is being rapidly supplied. It is estimated by 
American statists that the annual savings of the people 
amount to about 200 millions sterling. 
In addition to the good school system they have esta- 
blished, they have likewise excellent colleges, where the 
students receive a good scientific education ; and many of 
the students, after having finished their college course in 
their own educational institutions, take advantage of some 
of the German ones ; or they visit the different European 
countries to see for themselves how various industries are 
carried on in the old world, before they commence as owners 
or managers of industrial factories in their own. 
We need not again refer to our dependence on France for 
