COMMERCIAL EDUCATION

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4259, 19 January 1901, Page 4 (Supplement)

COMMERCIAL EDUCATION

‘By G. H-r.cli. N.Z.. of Pai-mcr.-iuvi North, ‘ A Papsr Read Before the Kevent Con-ior-'ice cf i i; ■ of Commerce, at Christchurch. That v.i- .ive and loam i- amply shown by (l ie history of education in {l;o past t—n>ury. From having been c:nii;.-. art of education become scientific. Other■■■;:e it had come home to u.; tint ;hc nuut make it possible that every <hihi%.-hal! get enough education do have a. riiar.ee of t»ucce.-3 in life: and that there must ho ako education cf Midi a kind that- wo as a rr.mrnuiiify can ho!;! cur own in competition witii other communities.,. It is a. yeat thing to change cur methods ci elementary tuition-- to start teaching young humanity in accordance tvjtii physiological psychology : and it w ar. another step in the right direct ion to make elementary education compulsory : i- it not. the foundation for bringing up anybody, duke's son or cook's .son Bud trliat aftor Y The old apprenticeship system had neon abused ami fast decaying, when necessity crime to the rescue with her invention—the invention of (rade schools—the schools in which young people can receive instruction (;> enable them to work skilfully and intelligently at a trade, and so we. got to technical education. Here, as well as in the Mother Country, there k usually understood by that f.--rm Hie instruction necessary to train persons for some particular industry, trade or handicraft. But technical education is; also the term often applied to the special scientific training requisite for (ho professional man, say, the architect, the engineer, the scientific chemist, or miner, etc., etc., and some such education is obtained here at institutions affiliated to the New Zealand University, or at the University Colleges Ihonisel vcs. In the United Kingdom there are, as you are aware, a great many schools devolcd to'high .scientific technical education, and on the Continent of Europe there are the Polytechnic school.' 1 —institutions in all respects equal to universities in organisation and standing, with numerous professors and frequented by many students from all over the world. ‘die special, high-class technical schools, such as the Royal School of Mines, the Cooper’s Hill Engineering College, and the South Kensington Science and Art Schools, occupy a very high position, but they are modelled on but a, small scale as compared with the large Polytechnic institutions cf the Continent,'’ thus reported to the New South Wales Government its special Commissioner (the late Professor Liversidge) twenty yean; ago; and from the latest evidence, it may be gathered that the excellence of the Continental instnlions have been maintained up to date. I should like yon to have heal’d one of our latest educationists, Professor Easter field. lecture on the ‘‘Romance of Coal Tar,” and to have listened by the. way to his remarks illustrating how scientific technical schools with eminent professors, and supported by the State, are followed by original research and discovery, by new productiveness on a largo scale, and by expansion of commerce. It. may bo ax once admitted that New Zealand is not yet ripe for a polytechnic institution similar to the magnificent institutions of Europe. What we can do in furtherance of technical and commercial education will bo to utilise and extend" our schools* the university colleges included. In an address to the Educational In-

.•jlitulc of Otago ! 1878-9), tho Hun. it. Stout (now Chief .Justice) said : “To have a true university there must ho provision, not only for teaching the arts, but there must be special training given to our doctors, our lawyers, our engineers, and, .1 hope, our manufacturers,” To this wo must now add ‘‘’and our commercial men.”

The subject of commercial education was considered at the recent Congress of Chambers of Commerce of the Empire. There may be attending the present Congress those who wore at that of the Empire in London. If so, wo others who were not at that brilliant function, may perhaps loam to-day what wore the particulars which led up to the resolution passed, and which roads as follows ;

' . “.That it is most desirable to- take steps to urge the extension of technical and commercial education throughout the Empire, and that, wherever pos- , siblc, this education should bo placed under public control; and that this Congress is of opinion that the utmost efforts should be made throughout the Empire to encourage and furnish, facilities for commercial education as a branch of technical and scientific study, and that the Home and colonial Governments be moved to give grants in aid thereof, equal in amount- to those bestowed on other science and art schools; and, further, that it is - very desirable that Chambers of Commerce should lie represented on Boards of Education in order to advance the interests of commercial education.” In this resolution wo have at first “Technical education” in juxtaposition with ‘‘commercial education” denoting, evidently, co-cxtensivcness; and afterwards wo find “commercial education” as branch of technical and scientific study. That seems to imply that the Empire Congress was cognisant of an intimate connection of the two educational subjects, and desired to suggest that they be taught by similar methods. As far as 1 am aware, there arc as yet no commercial schools under Stale control in this country; perhaps (here are no private commercial schools either. The young person who enters upon a commercial career goes into a shop, warehouse, bank, or office, and piexs up his commercial education by flie way. That being so, it is useless to look locally for guidance. IV e must look abroad : there we find a. pretty good deal of information, which, however, can only be glanced at on the present occasion .

First , Ihcra is something _to bo said about book-keeping, <fae theory and Practice of. which is an essential pari of commercial education, fhe law say,-; in effect that- everybody in business must keep' books. True, the obligation is not called in question long ns there is payment of twenty shillings in the - pound. But, let a trader become bankrupt, and if he hare not- kept . a proper record of his transactions ho is liable to punishment, to which tic others say “Quite right/’ That being, so, ought there nob to bo provided greater facilities for the acquisition of elementary book-keeping, a knowledge of .which seems to be- almost as necessary as the knowledge of arithmetic. The Society of Arts rLondon) holds examinations in commercial knowledge throughout the United Kingdom wherever a local board connected with the society is willing to make . the necessary arrangements. Every candidate for examination must be fourteen years' of age. The subjects for examination arfi ; -LArithmetic, English (composition, correspondence and precis writing), book-keeping, commercial geography and history, .shorthand,, political economy, French. Ceflnart,. Italian and Spanish.

In order to obtain a '‘certificate in ecmmercial knowledge’' a candidate must pass in- three subjects at least,

two cf which must be arithmetic and English. Candidate:, who pnoa in csri or more rubkcls. bin who do not obtain such. :• cerdtka: c will receive sinac c.-rtincate*. which -..ad ■• • ••••'*. i.-c.v.’.rd;-the certificate in commeic; d know ledge. ],n the ;;nin r ; 1. agi-muitinvil and commercial in.iutnte- ot the nevt'r ri ■ Franco (Luka the ■.•om-yerrial sihooi torwi-’o., tire fir : year ■_■ -rlcmeukry mnhematic.-, phyt-i'S. n’( m-.-‘ ry, m:-tor-d his! cry, uerouni s;:\.hip. uicvvi’andiio (study cf materia:.- and maiuifaeinrod product v b indie trial an-i c.ni;-sni'ifi-il geography. Saw i EngiiHi cut German, both obligatory, Italian -w Spanish). The second ycs.w —(Emim. itim arit hmo tic and account nut’’-hip. (km’km 5 economy. commercial law, increhamn-.c, commercial geography, history of rm;mercc. fiscal and C'listoudiouse legist ;- (•ion, hygiene, Hug H-h and (h-nmiu, Italian or Spanish. Practical Exercises: ( aligraphy. commcifal office (booi,-keel-ing, preparation of all documents nwd in . ini-,mess, and of a complete senes t.t snpjv.M'd commercial opera) ions), ilrawir.y anil sketching, practical si inly oi the. processes cf testing goods, such as ere used in commerce, lor finding Hie degree of purity or adult oral ion. visits to commercial os tablishnicni s. There are similar school.-, in of tier countries; but the last novelty ui cwr.iverciai education comes troni Germany. The innovation .lr*s been siu-cesr.iul. America, always eager to secure latest, improvements, has a! ready sent er pc is-, to the commercial University in .Leipzig, ami they speak so enthusitiEticnllv of what they have seen that the foumiaUou of American institutions of a similar nature is already under serious contemplation. Before giving a short sketch of the new departure, it is necessary to give a . few preliminary explanations. In Germany the highest school for what Englishmen sometimes call a lib■cral prolosvion. such tvs jurisprudence. v meciicino. theology, philology, is the uni- \ vcrsily, The highest school giving the technical scientific- instruction necessary to qualify students for Hu; service of the State, to teach tiie higher branches ol technical knowledge connected with the various industrial occupations, and iho arts and sciences more or loss .allied to such matters, is the polytechnic school. The secondary schools, from which students pass'to university and polytechnic school, aro. for tho former, the gymnasium, for the latter the real schule. In the gymnasium special attention is paid to classical, in the -real sclmle to modern languages. Students in either school are matriculated for university or polytechnic by passing an examination on leaving, called the ‘‘Abitiirien- j ten Examen" ''leaving examination). Be- ‘

tween the elementary school and Iho.e 1 1 igheslf tccondary schools there are other schools which I need hot describe. 1 shall just mention two sorts, of commercial schools, (he “Commercial Continuation School'’ (ForlbilduugscchnJei, giving elementary education to young clerks, especially those, employed in tho retail trade, and the so-called “Commercial School” (Handelr-seluile).. offering a thorough practical education in tlic requirements of a commercial career, 'similar to the commercial colleges in lingland and elsewhere. There was. however, up to between two and three yearn ago, in Germany no educational c>l abashment ranking with, the university nr polytechnic for commercial students. Tho new school at Leipzig, under the title of “Handclshochsehnlc” is the first experiment of its hind. Mince its inception the number of students—matriculated and so-called ‘‘hearers"— ( h-‘ s increased at a remarkable rale. ■The instruction is to prove useful io heads of commercial e.i-tabb’shnionU;, or to those in charge of extensive commercial enterprises. Amongst the subject;; arc practical economic?., public finance, commercial and mail time law, history of trade, history of colonisation, theory of modem social institution.?, international law, (itati.slic:;, social problems, commercial geography, modern political history, economic and constitutional history, chemical technology, practical training in .modern languages notably Chinese, French, Italian, English, Spanish and RusKia.ii., The languages are studied with a view to efficiency in conversation and correspondence. Besides such instruction as is given in this commercial university, the students may attend lecture:.; at tho ordinary university of Leipzig, whore they can select any subject of spebia! interest to thou. Alter a two years' course students may graduate cither for engaging in trade nr for becoming teachers, by passing prescribed examinations, which are (airly difficult to pass. It is said that Iho training is such that graduate-; will find it comparatively easy, to find good positions, and that '-he country in which '&‘ueh a school exists must be benefited thereby. The aim of this paper is (1) To make dear jyhat. the, resolution of the Empire Congress demands. (2) To further commercial education in New Zealand.