The Portland daily press., 1883-10-23
Technical Schools.
a Prominent Defect in Our Educational
System.

Mr.. William Mather, of Manchester, Eng,
representative to the United States Of the
| Royal English Commission on Technical Edu-
cation, appeared before the Senate Labor Com
mittee on Friday. Mr. Mather said:
Ny visit here is TO ascertain as far as possible
| the opportunities afforded working people here
| TO gain technical education. The commits
| sion was instituted because it was recognized
| in England that some advances must be made
in technical training If England would retain
her position In the world as purveyor OF many
articles which other countries have ceased TO
be dependent on her for, and to regain this po-
sition and retain IL it is necessary to educate
the working people iuto still greater skill, de-
rived from higher Intelligence, the demand
for which they cannot nov respond to. Tech
nical schools, in which ahal be fought, not
trades, bat the science which undenies all me-
chanical operations, in company With 8 techni-
cal training. Such schools have been estsb-
lished 70: scme time in many parts Of the Con-
tinent, and it is because America is Considered
to be in the lead in mechanical genius aud in
venton that I have come here to see whaNhas
been accomplished by your universal edusa-
tion. The only thing at present being done IN
England is the work of the science and art
school at Kensington, with certain schools 70, fci
technical education, establissheJ ~; O.e
tees. and which, under certain conditions, are
the recipients of pecuniary support from the
government. These schools are increasing
rapidly.
| fortune that it tends so mnch to the literary
| side and so little to the scientific. The ten
dency of teaching in America lays uncalled for
| stress on temporary teaching, the scholars oe-
| ing well grounded in the rudlments, and then
| filled with mass OF knowledge which they do
not require and which they soon forget. There
| is lamentable want OF means to make pupils
successful men either in commercial or 1ndus-
trial pursuits and il only needs the action OF
public men of known reputation to change all
that we are now trying to introduce industrial
education or shop instruction in our element
ary schools, and all scholars are compelled 70
take this portion OF the instruction; it has al
ready had wonderful effect upon the lads; It
has frightened them up intellectually, and
the three hours week given to it appears to
make them more capable OF understanding all
| other teaching, and they keep fully up to the
| amount Of work in other directions done by
| them before this system was introduced Such
| technical schools rs there here are unsur-
passed anywhere in Europe, but they are not
| for the working people; they are only such as
| can be attended by those of higher social rank.
There is more money spent here for educa-
tion, both by private bequest and public sP-
preparation, than anywhere in the world. and
the working classes have nothing to complain
of in regard to education except that there is
not strong enough relation to the industries
which they are to pursue. One evil Is that
| the present system in America does not devel-
| op any taste for entering occupations which
| involve manual labor; there is, rather, ten
dency to what we call in England polite occu-
| pations.
In answer to question concerning the present
| conditions Of the working-people in England,
and trades unions there, Mr.. Mather said that
| trades unions have become part and parcel OF
| the English life; they have become accepted
1 as necessity, and by them the working
i classes have become much less violent; their
/ demands have become moderated, and when
| any demands have been made, they have been
| in more moderate language and politer ways.
Both classes have learned by experienced the.
| none of the interests OF capital are served
/ which are inimical to labor, and the laboring
| classes find that capital has many troubles OF
which they know nothing. A great deal OF
| information has passed from one to the other,
| and strikes, although they may be long, are
/ never violent. A simple means, by which
much good has been brought about, 10 BY
| lessening the hours of labor from ten to nine
| day, and by endeavoring to show sympathy
| in the social life of all the people.
Mr.. Mather described at some length the
social amusements provided in England, and
| said that it was found to be of great benefit,
both from a business and humanitarian point
| Of the American working-people have
| greater activity and intsnsty-a greater
nervous energy than ours, so that they do
more and can do more work than ours, and
/ nine hours here with their intensity Of dill
| gence are equivalent to more than ten hours Of
| the work of our people. With our reduced
hours of labor we find that less diligence is
| necessary on the part Of agents and super
| intendents to get the same amount of work, at
the same wages, and ouE production remains
as great, or even greater. There is one thing
that surprises me, and that Is the enormous
amount paid for house-rent, the rates being at
least double those paid in England
for the same degree of comfort. While
giving high praise to the manner of con-
Quoting manufactures in this coantry, Mr..
Mather considered that they had been built up
on An artificial basis-one brought about by the
intensity of life here, and which can only be
corrected by natural means. Interference by
government cannot accomplish much, except
in SO far as it looks to the preservation OF life
and health, the regulation of the bours of la
Dor of women and children and the recognition
of all voluntary efforts to improve the condi-
tion of the working-people. The workng-pub-
lie the world over making progress, and
considerable progress, toward a much better
condition. The American working-msn
should look rather to his own efforts than to
legislative action; you are the best governed
people in the world, and that is your great
blessing, and the working-classes will make
great mistake II they seek paternsl aid from
the government, which need do nothing more
for them than it has already done, but society
should do much for them. In closing, Mr..
MAther said that, except in the ways named,
the American working people had the greatest
privileges, and should be the happiest and
most contented in the world.