Schools For Technical Education

ïho Massachusetts Board of Education in its last annual report, recommends "that the State authorize all cities and towns hiwing a population of 5,000 or moro to establish freo technical schools," t'or tiiving "instruction in tho peculiar knowlüduo or special skill requirod in any business ív oceupation." Thoy intend to maso suoh a school boar the samo relation to tho corainon sohool that divinity, law, and othor professional sohools bear to the collcgo. In that State, out of lesa than a million and a half. 250,000 persons are meehanios. This class is tho bone and sinew of tho country. And yet, while we have ondowed seminarios for tho proriuction of bachelors of divinity, and havo kept up law and medical schools and sciuntific schools, littlo or nothing bas been done to give mechanics a knowledgQ oí tho Boientilic faots undorlying thoir business. In the great exhibition at London, in 1851, English workracn oxcelled all othor workmen in nine-tenths of the one hundred departments ; in tho exhibition at i'.nis in 1SG7 they excelled in ouly onetenth. During those intermedíate years, technioal schools had sprung up In many other pavts of Europe, and to their influenoe is asoribed this njarvelous ohange. If we edúcate tbe workmen in scienoe, t.hey will nflver be lured by fhe falselight i of comnumsim.