340 PROCEEDINGS OF THE VICTORIA INSTITUTE. 
had been free for more than a century from civil wars and from 
the presence of armies marching backwards and forwards. In 
other countries as soon as workmen were beginning to learn 
what could be done with coal and iron their industry was upset 
by wars. There is an example of it even now in some of the 
South American Republics. The want of peace is opposed to 
trade. Although England had been fighting abroad, when 
steam became the great power of the world she was the first to 
cultivate and understand it. I can remember going down the 
Rhine in a German steamer on which the engineers were all 
English and all the words of command were given in English, 
because there were no German engineers to speak of. The result 
was that the German and other Continental Governments asked 
themselves why they should employ all those British Workmen 
to do the work which they ought to do themselves ; and many 
years ago they started technical schools, of which these lectures 
are a very humble imitation. The result is that in mechanical 
art, I do not think there is any difference between the best 
Continental work and the best British work. The whole of the 
British Empire now feels that to keep their position in the 
mechanical and artizan world, it is necessary not only to know 
the practical work, but to know the reason why certain things 
should be done. In all these schools the object is to teach 
people, first of all. that the most honourable thing a man can 
do is to earn his living hy his hands, and that in order to make 
himself master of his work he must learn the reason why he 
does things. When these technical lectures were started, the 
Institute had to call upon those in the Colony who had scientific 
knowledge to come to its assistance, and there is not a single 
gentleman with technical knowledge who has not come forward 
to assist us. Mr. Hahn, Mr. Gillies and Mr. John voluntarily 
gave up their time in the evenings to assist their fellow colonists 
by trying to impart to them the knowledge which they had 
themselves, and it. must be as gratifying to them as it is to the 
Board of Management that you have tried to take advantage 
of those lectures. Nothing could be more gratifving than the 
actual results. In the first class there was an introductory 
address on the 25th of February, the number of pupils was 61, 
and the a\ei.ige attendance was 30, which was very ff ood indeed 
The second course was started on June 3rd and ended on the 
9th September. I he subject was masonry, and of 2S pupils 
the average attendance was 15 That was not quite so good, 
but the result of the examination was very satisfactory The 
winner of the first prize got 207 marks out of a possible <>61 
The Building and Construction class was even better, as “the 
total possible marks was 161 and he got 14$. In drawing the 
work done has been most praiseworthy; and the energy and 
