proceedings of the Victoria institute. 339 
by this Institute now, the number of skilled workmen is poor 
and insufficient ] and as long as it is insufficient, we must go to 
England and get men. As Governor of this Colony I should 
like to see among the applicants for every post a native of this 
place whom I could select. When I want somebody to drive 
the engine on board a steamer, I do not want to find someone 
who has done nothing but drive a cart. We want men with 
certificates of the necessary knowledge. Follow these classes, 
and you will thank the Victoria Institute some day for having 
given you the means of a comfortable and honest living, and not 
only that, but for raising your country in the opinion of the 
labouring world. I am so interested in this Institute, and so 
desirous of seeing it successful, and so grateful to the ladies and 
gentlemen who have helped it all the time I have been Governor 
here, that I appeal to the Colony generally to take an interest 
in its work. On reading a very remarkable address delivered 
by Mr. Guppy in this very hall, I came across this passage i 
“ Whatever neglect or ill-treatment the Victoria Institute may 
meet with now or later will be the worse for all concerned. It 
must in any case be the public Museum and Scientific Institu- 
tion of the Colony. Neglect or ill-treatment will certainly lead 
to the impairment of its usefulness ; so that when the necessity 
for the existence of such an Institution becomes properly recog- 
nised, people will say : ‘ Why was such neglect and ill-treatment 
suffered to be ? * ” When I read those words I found my excuse 
for giving you my inaugural address on this subject. 
ADDRESS ON TECHNICAL EDUCATION. 
Delivered by Sir John Goldney to the Students of the 
Technical Classes on the 7th of October, 1899. 
T HE Victoria Institute was built in commemoration of the 
fiftieth year of Her Majesty's reign. Nothing could be more 
appropriate to the purpose than the initiation of technical classes 
to enable those bearing the honourable name of artisans not only 
to do their practical work, but to know the scientific reasons 
why they did their work. No person in this world, however 
clever or good a workman he might be, could possibly fail to 
learn something if he attended lectures of this sort. At the 
time when her Majesty came to the Throne, the British artizan 
of that day was above the workmen of the world. The English 
artizan was not a more able man than his Continental neigh- 
bours, but he had the advantage of living in a country which 
