Evening Post. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 1904. THE PROMOTION OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

Evening Post, Volume LXVII, Issue 147, 22 June 1904, Page 4

Evening Post. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22, 1904. THE PROMOTION OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

Thr City Council, by the adoption of tho report of its representatives on the Boaid of Managers of Associated ' Classes, has materially helped forward the interests of technical education in the city. The land convoyed to the Board lies oppoMte tho Libiary and the Education Board Buildings, and has a frontage ofi 120 ft to Mercer-street, witli a depth of 135 ft. It is admirably suited for the purpose, being central, and in close "proximity to the centre of the municipal and educational activities of the city. In taking this step of definitely including the technical education of its youth among its legitimate functions, the Corporation has taken its stand with the leading municipalities of tho world. No one cm doubt the trend of municipal activities in our modern times. The magnificent gifts that havo been made by the Corporations of London, Manchester, Birmingham, and other centres in the Motherland, and the still more* magnificent -contributions made by German municipalities towards* the promotion of sound technical education, are signs of the timeu which are unmistakable in their significance. They are tlio most convincing demonstrations of the silent tiansformation of tho conditions of civic life characteristic of the times. While on the one hand they express the deepening interest of the time in scientific method, they are no less the product of the de-" sire to mako the modern city .something more than huge industrial and distributing centres The inevitable outcome of this trend lies in the direction of raising the, tone of our civic life, by enlarging tho opportunities for culture, and especially by stimulating and educating the artistic sense of the community. The reproach of ' an earlier da}' which found expression in the statement "God made Ihe country, man made, the town," is gradually being wiped out ; and the city is coming to be regarded % more and more as the highest embodiment of everything that is highest and worthiest in human life ; thus returning to the ideal of tho City States of the past which rendered Greece illustrious. Technical education, with all that it represents, has received a new stimulus by tho part which the Corporation has taken in its management. In saying this we are not reflecting on the management of the past. No one .doubts the splendid work which the Education Board has accomplished for technical education in the city. It is to it and to its energetic Director (Mr. A. D. Riley) that the present outlook is due, and tne work that lies before the Board of Associated Classes is to continue and perfect that which the founders have well begun. The task that lies before the Board is not a light one. During recent years (he difficulties that stand in the way of sound and practical instruction have increased. The attention of the youth of the country has been diverted from a genuine course of instruction in technical subjects to courses which offer an easier, because less laborious, means of attaining tho goal. The übiquitous American has appeared on the scene with his up-to-date methods, and bis guarantees of immediate success. With laboratories nnd workshops in America and textbooks in the colony the achievement of a successful coureo of study is rendered simple. This is a serious difficult}*, because naturally it is felt that if a diploma may be gained in any subject, carrying with it tho qualification of expertness in that subject, without the necessity for practical work in a laboratory or workshop, why should a j'oung man subject himself to the inconveniences of laborious days? The path of least resistance is the ono that is most pleasing. This is an aspect of the subject that the Board will have to face, and to face, seriously, not only in the inteVest of true education in Iho ' abstract, but in the interest of the trades and professions of the country. For a technical course that does not include workshop practice nnd laboratory experiments is not technical. -It is in this connection that the gift of the Corporation is Significant. It is contemplated that at an early date up-to-date workshops Avill be established on the site conveyed'to the Board, and as funds will be available additional buildings will bo erected wherein the latest apparatus in mechanical and electrical science will be installed, thus making the Technical ( School a centro of np-to-date culture in all the branches of its work. The primary condition of success is already secured, for as Mr. La Trobe, the new director, said nt the welcome meeting recently held, "it is the teacher that counts in all education." With the enthusiastic co-operation of the contributing authorities, tho Board of Managers, and- the staff of the school, we can look forward to a period of prosperity which will eclipse anything hitherto achieved in the history of tfye school.