Daily Yellowstone journal., 1889-05-14
TECHNICAL SCHOOLS.


In Europe, at Lyons, Crefeld and
Como, Zurich, Muhlheim, Paris, Ber-
lin, Manchester, Bradford and other
cities, there are schools in which the
principles Of the textile industry IN
taught The silk association Of New
York has long advocated the school
and expended much money TO secure
il. One of its members said:
''The benefit which textile interests
would derive from a trade school Of
their own in this country could hardly
be estimated. The effect Of its uccess
could not, of course, be Immediately
felt, but the final result could hardly
be doubted and can be foretold in one
sentence: Absolute independence OF
all outside influences for these indus
tries in their creative. industrial and
commercial departments.
while the United States is second
10 no other country as far as the com
mon school and classical courses OF
study are concerned, in the matter OF
technical education we are sadly de.
icient even beside the smallest and
most Insignificant of European coun-
tries. A special school catering TO the
needs of the district in which it is
situated is indeed an establishment
which any town in Europe is proud TO
possess. In textile industries, particu-
larly, the number of technical schools
has been largely increased in Europe,
with the result that the improvement
in the process of manufacture has
been steady, and there is now hardly
any Kind of textile manufacturing in
Europe that does not possess an edu-
cational establishment in which the
principles of the industries Of the dis
trict are taught TO the young men who
have not yet entered practical life, as
well as to their older brothers, who
have already had the experience Of the
factory, but who wish TO perfect them
selves and are anxious TO learn the
scientific reasons why certain kinds of
work should be done in a certain way.
''In considering the foundation Of
technical schools in America the ex-
perience of other nations can be used
to advantage, and much experiment
ing will thus be dispensed with. In
order to profit by such experience, and
to save the first steps in the dark, 1t is
necessary that the various systems Of
technical education adopted in the diff
ferent European countries be made the
subject Of careful study and compare
tive observation, the best points being
taken from each and adapted TO the
condition required by the industries Of
the country.
1T would be useless at this stage TO
attempt to foreshadow the details re-
garding the actual establishment of
the first American technical school.
II it were intendedto establish a whole
national system Of technical education
the general plan might be TO have a
number of lower schools in all cities
of any importance. in which the prin-
ciples of all the sciences could be
taught; these schools 10 act as feeders
or nurseries, for a central technical uni
versity. Private effort could hardly
accomplish this. The establishment
Of such a complete educational system
would tend TO elevate the moral and
and material standing Of the country,
and especially of the various indus
tries; but the scope is so vast as 10 be
hardly attainable without the aid Of
the national government
If we consider textile industries by
themselves, we find that in regard To
tuition that can be given which would
be Of value 10 the students in their
future calling, there aH three chief
departments TO be considered-the me
chanical, the chemical and the artistic.
Although these departments differ
widely from each other, they are,
nevertheless, SO closely connected as
to be indispensable to each other. A
student who makes a speciality Of one
must, at the same time, know some
thing Of the other two, and it is there
fore necessary that all three directions
should be under the same roof il any
completeness is TO be the result.
THUS a single school may be made
to do for textiles all that circumstances
now so urgently demand. We Of the
textile industries may not hope TO build
to completeness the grand fabric of
technical education, but by co-opera-
ton we can rear and occupy one tower
of this great stronghold Of industrial
freedom and progress. New York
Star.