, 1874-09-02

AuOA W uO any lhluS oJOCOhNtASOA'J VI "O
The youth of the country have been for forty
years left to the care Of uneducated parents
who have had no experience or appreclatlve
knowledge of what discipline and training (such
as European parents and masters %entorce) may
efect-the consequence is, the population Of
Jamaica increases year by year, but never pro-
crosses by industrial knowledge or experience,
not even in domestic usefulness, and Christmas
comes round year after year finding Jamaica
further and further behind the progress which
is achieved by other and certainly less favored
spots through the exercise Of a better policy.
We would delight to see our native population
owning their own land, and working their own
estates, but they have never been taught 10 see
the benefits Of industry and perseverance, or
even q common ambition to rise to the position
of masters themselves, and the fault lies with
the Administrator in a great measure, for we
have never had a government bold enough to
face the situation or to introduce any industrial
measure by which the natives of the colony
should be forced to habits of industry, that they
might in time learn to direct and instruct others
in obedience as they had been instructed in
their turn; q man must himself have learned
to obey before he can expect to rule.
INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION.
Is sadly needed in this island, and IS the
colony advances in prosperity this becomes
SV6Ey QdG tu6 AlAOLS dppdI6ul' L AdF6
no conception of training, and trades are
everywhere regarded as occupations only suit
ed for the humble class, and rather than put
their childfen to any Industry of this kind,
they aim at professions which these Juveniles
are incompetent to fill, su3h as sohoolmasters,
ministers, lawyer, clerks, and statesmen in fam
cy warehouses. There is no such thing as ap-
prentice5hips, a lad goes to be a shoemaker
until he takes o flnor TO become \ coaehbuildec,
when perhaps his master koows as much about
his business as his pupil dJes, and from that he
goes to keep a provision shop, and eventually
TO become a Spectator in Coffee, s~windling
the honest Coffee growers in his weight to
adapt the price to he requirements Of the mer-
chant for whom he purchases, and 50 years
are lost without these youths gaining enough
knowledge to fit them for any steady industrial
calling, and they are too far advanced in life
to bogia at the foot Of the lald3r again. We
spend twenty THOUSAND sterling on education
every year which shows no practical results at
the end Of s3ven years, save and except he pa
per on which tho School Inspectors Report
is wrItt0n, shelving so many thousand children
in schools! We want Industrial, Schoo'9 and com
pulsory Iabour, and these only are snited to the
country, the people, and public requirement.
Schools whilst they teach children to read, will
OF the same time teach them to work, and
where is there a parish in the country that
would not support a few Industrial Schools ?
and whore the children with reading, wiring,
anl arithmetic might not be taught to b. car
penters, blacksniths, taiIJrs. 3hoema1ers, coop
era, tins nithJ, bri~ek'ayaIs, tanners, bo -tmeo,
fishermen, glrdeae ). Il. in ollel times gangs
of handicraftsmen found lucrative employment,
why should they not fad omD'oymeut now,
when skilled Iabour is 81 difficult to procure in
the country a? If rewards we're offered 10 pa
rents 50 iudanturiny heir Children - Govern
ment Instructors for this purpose, and sn5stan-
tial prizes we're to be awarded every year to
those who after two years service did best at
some competitive Exhibition, vs. would very
soon hago these Industrial S bool5 filled with
ambitious youths, and we should then 500 some
thing for our hitherto m~isspent 100000. If
added to ibis preferential employment was
given to native youths who distinguished ihan-
selves at these Industrial Schools, how much
more good might not be done, aud how much
moro spirit might be thrown iato a notoriously
%unambitious people, while society would be
proportionately benefited and industry greatly
inspirited BY competition.
ALWAYS AND STEAM COMMUNICATE
Are equally powerful in the inspiration Of
Industry, and they speak quite as powerfully as
the pulpit and the s~choolmaster. It is a most
daniorah1a irnunoStonna tb1t tbic IL en- rouob