Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1896-02-28
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND.
The Duke of Devonshire OH Technical!
Education.

The Duke of Devonshire OH Technical
| Education.
The Duke of Devonshire, speaking at a
meeting in connection with the opening OF
the new Municipal Technical School at
Birmingham, said that upon technical in
struction, which was being impaired in
Birmingham and throughout the country,
depended not only the maintenance of the
industrial supremacy our people have
hitherto enjoyed, but even their existence
as "a great industrial nation.
How much the people have zen
joyed'' their industrial supremacy is borne
ample evidence to by delightful conditions
under which they live in such centers of
commercial sweetness and light as Man
chester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Glas-
gov, to say nothing of Birmingham itself.
But is is necessary that the people should
be technically educated in order that they
should be able to compete with other
nations who are threatened to take their
work away from them. 1t would be so sad
for our people not to have plenty of work to
do! Said his Grace of Devonshire - In
our competition we have to contend with
rivals, many of whom possess natural
resources not inferior to our own, and
some Of whom, by longer course of
scientific preparation, have equipped their
people more fully than we have done for
the struggle in which we are engaged. To
IN Get those difficulties we must either pro-
duce more cheaply or better than our COM
petitors-either the British workingman
must consent to accept lower rate of wages,
which no one would dream of asking him to
accept unless in case of absolute self-pre-
servation, or else he must take advantage of
the facilities which are now off@ed him
for obtaining a higher, more practical,
scientific training for his work, and give a
greater value to his own labor. -
To this London Justice adds:
No one would dream of asking the British
workingman to accept lower wages, of
course, unless they saw their way to COM
pei his acceptance-and then they would
demand reduction without the
slightest hesitation. But while no
one would dream of asking
the British workman to accept lower wages,
the duke and his friends do ask him to
take advantage of the facilities which are
now offered him for obtaining a higher,
more practical, scientific training for his
work, and give greater value to his own
labor. -
In other words, the British workman is
not asked to accept lower wages. Oh, dear,
MOI He is only asked to give a greater
amount of labor, in quantity or quality,
or both, for the same wages. 81 don't
complain about the price of your 2-shlling
tea, Mr. Grocer, and shouldn't dream of
asking you to reduce it, but do ask that
you should give me two pounds, instead
of one for the Q shillings.' ~
| have not-no Social Democrat has q
single word to say against education, tech
meal or other. We demand the fullest
education, the widest opportunities for the
most complete development of all the
human facultes-physical and mental.
But what is the object for which technical
education is advocated by the Duke Of Dew
onshire and his friends? Not in order to
give people opportunities of better and
fuller life, not to make them more perfect
human beings; but to make them more
useful profit making machines.