The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-07-14
TECHNICAL SCHOOLS IN IRELAND.

1t affords us much pleasure to find
in the columns OF the Dublin Nation a
most interesting communication from
Bishop McGolrick of Duluth on the
value of a technical education to the
young men OF ireland, who have hither-
to had no opportunity for manual train
ing until they first became criminals.
The technical school at Artanc in
the Phoenix Park is government
institution similar to the reform
schools in the United States, and
none are admitted unless they are
committed thereto by the courts.
At present there are about 1000
boys from all Ireland learning trades
within its walls. under the supervision
OF the Christian Brothers. who also I'M
part instruction ~ the common branch
cs OF education In order to gain adj
mission to acquire a trade a boy must
be guilty of some misdemeanor, and
when he is discharged it is difficult for
him to secure employment and utilize
the practical knowledge he acquired in
the institution, from the fact that a
stigma is attached to his name for hav-
ing been an inmate All good boys
never can go inside the school for the
benefits therein obtained, and unless
their parents can indcnture them by
paying fixed sum and clothing them
during their apprenticeship, there is no
chance for them to become tradesmen
or mechanics. 1t is for the purpose Of
giving the honest, respectable boys Of
Ireland whose parents are poor an OPP
portunity to learn useful trades that the
technical schools are now being cstab-
lisled for the first time in Ireland.
Very Rev. Dean White, of Nenagh,
County Tipperary, has been the first
priest in Ireland to take advantage Of
what is known as the Technical In
struction Act" passed by the British,
parliament Immediately after its pass
age he proceeded to establish school
in the Tipperary town. and it is to him
that Bishop McGolrick addressed the
letter which appears in the Dublin Ma
ton i'll which he says:
For over thirty years l have seen
how our Irish artisans have been handi-
capped for want OF accurate technical
knowledge. Side by side, at the same
bench two carpenters are working
one Irish, the other Norwegian. In the
course OF a few years you can find the
Norwegian an employer, boss as
they say, and laying out work for his
Irish fellow carpenter Why? The Nor,
wegian knows the mathematics of his
work, can take a contract, draw plan
and make out his details. The Irishnan
better practical carpenter. knows
nothing OF these matters. and is. there
fore. deprived of splendid opportunitic.
ior advance. This is but one instanc.
amongst the many OF the injury done
to Our people by defective education.
Thank God, this whole system O
education is to be, hope. radically
changed confess it gives ME mucl
hope for the future in Ireland. While
the government has been slow to adop
any plan for the benefit of the country
often, OF set purpose, reducing the PEG
pie to beggary rather than encourage
honest industry, at last, there is the
dawning OF a happier day. What j:
particularly happy is to notice how the
Irish priesthood, the true friends of the
people, have fastened at once to identi
fy themselves with this technical pro-
ject."
In this connection it may be stated
that Archbishop Walsh of Dublin i:
deeply interested in the technica