156 
On Technical Education. 
[March, 
In place of the present system I would divide the United 
Kingdom into what might very properly be termed collegiate 
districts, and I wouid assign the Inspection and Examination 
of the Science Schools to the Professors of the College 
situated in each of the collegiate districts. We will first 
investigate the educational advantages this system would 
have over the present one, and afterwards compare the cost 
of the two, including the payment of the teachers. 
By my plan not only would Inspection and Examination be 
combined, which is not the case at present, but the Inspec- 
tion would be conducted by those who were engaged in the 
work of Education ; whereas the Inspection is conducted 
under the present system by those who are not practically 
engaged in Education : it is mainly done by Officers in the 
Army. By the system proposed the examinations could be 
entirely, if desired, of a practical character, and the pupils 
would be examined of course as to “ how they were taught, 
as well as what they were taught.” It would prevent 
teachers from teaching any of the sciences of which they 
themselves had no experimental knowledge ; in other words, 
it would banish mere book teaching, which prevails under 
the present system. Under the new system each of the 
pupils would be separately superintended and instructed, because 
each mind is different, and has different capacities, and the 
difficulties of understanding and coming to a knowledge of 
any subject vary with each individual mind. Individual 
instruction being adopted, the teacher would be able to 
teach students in different stages of advancement at the 
same time, as is done every day in chemical laboratories. 
There would be, under the system proposed, a plan and 
unity in the instruction given in the schools, which is 
entirely wanting, as has been shown, in former articles, 
under the present system, owing in a great measure to the 
plan of paying the teachers. 
As the teachers would generally have less experience and 
extended knowledge of their subjects than the College Pro- 
fessors, great advantages would necessarily accrue from 
their coming into educational contact with the Professors. 
They would be able to apply to those more conversant with 
the subject of instruction in their difficulties ; for sugges- 
tions as to improvements of the working processes; and the 
College Examiners would see with their own eyes, which is 
not as we have seen the case under the present system, 
whether the work of practical instruction was efficiently 
carried on. The colleges and schools would in many ways 
beneficially aCt on one another, and meritorious teachers in 
