The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1883-09-13
Technical Education.

Gecnnical EdEcation.
The English Government is al
present giving considerable atten.
tion to the subject of technical ed
ucation. To put the matter briefly,
England is endeavoring to ascertain
how to impart the greatest amount
of information that will be of prac-
tical use TO a man in life, in a given
length of time. What is known as
q royal commission has been trav-
cling on the continent under in
structions from the educational de-
partment, seeing what other coun-
tries are doing in this line, and
William Mather, of Manchester,
England, is now in America on the
same errand.
Thinking people of this country
are rapidly reachiDg the conclusion
that our educational system is very
defective in that it resembles more
a sort of general stuffing operation
than a careful preparation of child
for the practical affairs of life. An
unexpected call upon a friend a
short time ago disclosed him in
disturbed state of mind. An ex-
PLANTATION revealed the fact that he,
an excellent mathematician by the
way, had been cudgeling his brains
all the evening in assisting his four
teen-year old daughter to work out
her algebra lesson. They both had
failed, and as a consequence, the IA
ther had lost his patience and the
daughter was in tears because she
would be marked down next day on
account Of not having her lesson.
Now, what ON earth is the sense of
making a girls life miserable by
compelling her to master the per
plexities of algebra? How many
girls out of a thousand ever have
occasion to think of algebra after
they are through with SCHOOL, But
tits excellent discipline for the mind,
say our wise men. True, but can't
the same degree of discipline be Sc
cured by something that will be of
use in after life? In discussing
this subject recently, with a friend,
who is a graduate of one of our best
New England colleges, he said: Il
spent my boyhood in preparing for
college; l spent four years in col
lege and worked hard; J. studied
the higher mathematics, Greek,
Latin, and all that is taught in
first-class college, and when 1 grad
uated after about eight years of
hard study, was fitted for abso-
lutely nothing. When / went out
into the world and hogan life in
earnest / had to go through another
course of preparation for the prac-
tical affairs of men,"
Is not there a great deal of point
to thiss A finished education is, of
course, a magnificent thing to have
But with men who have to struggle
for livelihood and have TO become
active pGrticipators in the world of
affairs, how many can afford to
spend the time requisite to acquire
a finished education, and afterwards
prepare themselves for business?
In other words, would it not be bet
ter to have some specific object in
view in the education of children,
and give them as much technical
knowledge as possible in that par
ticuiar line? The British govern
ment seems to have reached this
conclusion, and Is taking steps to
impsgt more technical knowledge,
particularly to those who can spend
only limited period in study. Mr..
Mather says that England has
found by experience that it is nee
essary to make the education of the
future more scientific and technical,
so that the working classes may
have some sound, if only element
ary, knowledge of the physical laws
which underlie the industries and
manufactures upon which they are
engaged.-ECin. Grange Bulletin.