for the purpose of giving instruction to young men and women in sewing, spinning, and weaving. In a number of cities elementary technical schools have been founded which prepare students to enter the royal technical institutes in Stockholm and Gothenburg. The elementary school in Boras is intended especially for weavers and has a workshop fitted up for practical instruction. The evening preparatory school in Eskilstuna trains young men to work with iron and steel, while those in Filipstad and Falun are preparatory schools of mining. The course of instruction given, on the whole, in these schools covers the following subjects: In 1868 a Danish officer named Clauson-Kass made a thorough study of the conditions surrounding the house industries in the country districts of Denmark. He found that the people were not only industrious, but that the skill with which they had adapted themselves to producing all the necessities of everyday life was something marvelous. His investigations led him to the conclusion that every effort should be made not only to preserve the house industries, but that a system of education should be introduced whereby the youth of the country might receive training in the hand trades. In order to put his theories into practice, he resigned his commission in the army and founded a small school in the little town of Nestved. All his energies were directed toward classifying the different kinds of hand trades and house industries, with a view to founding schools. all over the country wherever the same might be systematically taught and fostered. His efforts attracted the attention of the Government, and State aid on a small scale was soon forthcoming. The industrial schools in Denmark to-day pay especial attention to basket weaving, brush making, bookbinding, wood carving, straw weaving, and cabinetmaking. SWITZERLAND. Advanced technical education in Switzerland may be secured in the polytechnicum of Zurich. The instruction is theoretical, combined with excursions to the factories in the city and neighborhood. The middle sphere of technical education is represented by industrial schools which are divided into three departments, as follows: 1. The technology of mechanics (mechanisch-technische). 2. The technology of chemistry (chemisch-technische). 3. Commercial (kaufmännische). Workshops in connection with the industrial schools, when compared with those in Saxony, for example, are but little developed. There is a tendency, however, on the part of these schools to adapt themselves more and more to local conditions. The weaving schools, for example, in Winterthur and St. Gall enjoy an excellent reputation. The first industrial school for weavers in Switzerland was established in Wattwys, Canton of St. Gall, in 1881. The hours devoted to practical and theoretical instruction in the industrial weaving schools of Switzerland usually number ten each day. During the forenoon, from 7 o'clock until 12 o'clock, the pupil is taught how to sort, prepare, thread, mount, and weave. During the afternoon, from 2 until 7 o'clock, the theory of weaving is taught in all its details. For practical instruction many of the schools are supplied with hand weaving machines, while a number of the most important ones have mechanical machinery. The courses. of instruction are divided into two parts, namely, theoretical and practical, each course lasting six months. During this time the pupils manufacture large quantities of handkerchiefs, napkins, and ordinary cloth. During the latter part of the course they are thoroughly instructed in the art of weaving damask, ordinary piqué, and double piqué. The pupils in every case are so grounded in the technicalities of weaving that they step from the school to the factory, and from the spindles of the factory there is nothing to prevent those gifted with exceptional skill from rising to the positions of foremen and managers. The industrial schools of Switzerland have left their stamp upon the industries of the country and have materially assisted in placing Swiss manufacturers in a position to compete with the laces, ribbons, cottons, silks, watches, and clocks of other European countries.* There are industrial schools for clock and watch making in Geneva, Locle, Chaux-de-Fonds, etc.; there are art and industrial. working schools in Zurich and other cities for women; and there are industrial schools for the hand trades in most of the cities and towns of the country. The subjects taught in these schools are drawing, arithmetic, geography, bookkeeping, German, French, and practical instruction in the trade chosen by the pupil. AUSTRIA, The exposition of 1873 in Vienna exercised a great influence upon technical education in Austria. To-day there are industrial and trade schools in every part of the country, as well as numerous special schools for weaving, wood carving, basket making, and for * The total exports declared from the various consular districts in Switzerland to the United States during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1902, amounted to $18,126,431.56. practical instruction in making firearms, machinery, glass, watches, clocks, etc. There are at present in Austria between 400 and 500 industrial schools of all classes and grades. Advanced technical education may be had in the polytechnicums of Vienna, Graz, Prague, Brünn, and Lemberg. Technical education in Austria may be divided into six classes, as follows: I. The technical university or polytechnicum. 2. State industrial trade schools. 3. Industrial art schools. 4. Specialized industrial schools, with workshops. 5. Primary industrial school classes, where instruction is given evenings and on Sunday. 6. Technical trade museums, in connection with which instruction is given in a general way. The average industrial school is supported by the State, but the local authorities and private individuals in most cases furnish the school rooms with light and heat. The schools are under the immediate control of a school committee, the members of which reside in the community. This committee, however, acts in harmony with the wishes of the Minister of Commerce, who reserves to himself the right of confirming the appointment of the various directors and of directing the educational policies of the schools in general. FRANCE. Technical education has been the subject of much attention in France since 1878. In addition to the technical universities and technical schools for roads, bridges, mines, and civil engineers there. are industrial art and trade schools for textiles, tobacco, powder, clocks, gloves, porcelain, and every other article of manufacture in France which has claims to any importance. There are many industrial schools in France which are worthy of special attention. This is true of the one in Cluses, Savoy, which was established in 1863 for the clock and watch industry. It admits pupils between the ages of 14 and 20, but every candidate must have a good elementary education. The aim of the school is to train up practical workmen for the watch and clock industry of that district. There is also an advanced course for those who wish to become manufacturers in this branch. The industrial textile schools in France are numerous, but they have not all attained the same degree of efficiency. These schools may be divided into two classes, namely, those which serve the interests of the textile industry in general and those which serve only the interests of some specific textile branch in some particular locality. When Alsace belonged to France the industrial textile school in Mülhausen was considered a model of its kind. When Alsace was ceded to Germany in 1871 the French Government established in Epinal and Rouen two industrial textile schools, which to-day are superior to the one in Mülhausen. These two schools may be considered as belonging to that division of French industrial schools which serve the interests of the textile industry in general. The course of study at Rouen lasts three years, and the curriculum is as follows: First year.-Mathematics, physics, chemistry, English, and practical work in laboratories. Second year.-Weaving, spinning, raw materials, German, and drawing. Third year.-Applied mechanics, dyeing, art of making samples, Italian, and machine construction. Similar schools have been founded by the Government in Lille, Roubaix, and Lyons. The city of Roubaix gave the lot, library, and furniture, while the State erected the building. Both city and State support the school with annual subventions. In all the industrial schools of France great stress is laid upon practical instruction in workshops. These workshops or laboratories, as the case may be, are the counterparts of machine shops and factories, so that the pupil on leaving the school may enter the ranks of the industrial army of France trained and ready for active work in the various branches of industry. ERNEST L. HARRIS, EIBENSTOCK, GERMANY, August 13, 1903. INFLUENCE OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION. (From United States Deputy Consul-General Hanauer, Frankfort, Germany.) The great influence of technical education in developing industries, increasing export trade, and augmenting a country's wealth is shown by a report which the British consul at Stuttgart lately sent to his Government concerning the technical high schools of Germany. There are nine such created and conducted by the Government; two more are now being established. Besides these State institutions, many others under private management, but subject to governmental supervision, exist in Germany, which turn out able engineers and scientifically educated craftsmen. The British consul points out that Germany, in consequence of its thorough and widespread system of technical education, has surpassed, within the last fifty years, all other nations, and now holds first place in chemical manufactures. He estimates the value of the chemical products annually made in Germany at 1,000,000,000 marks, or $238,000,000. A very large part of these (especially dyes made of coal tar) are exported to the chief manufacturing nations-the United States, England, Belgium, France, etc., as also to China, Japan, India, etc. There is scarcely a country in the world which does not use German chemicals of some sort. The transformation of Germany from a poor agricultural country to one of the first and richest manufacturing and exporting nations is, to a considerable part, due to German superior technical training. Some of the German chemical works have branch establishments in foreign countries. The German capital invested in these earns big profits and adds to the national wealth of the country. SIMON W. HANAUER, FRANKFORT, GERMANY, August 10, 1903. Deputy Consul-General. SCHOOLS FOR AGRICULTURE IN QUEBEC. (From United States Commercial Agent Johnson, Stanbridge, Quebec.) Under date of April 25, 1903, there was incorporated under the laws of this Province a royal school for the purpose of establishing and carrying on an agricultural school, experimental farms, and all works in connection therewith and subjects kindred thereto. This school is to maintain two or more schools and experimental farms in the Province of Quebec, one to be located in the district of Montreal and one in the district of Quebec. Each of the two said schools is to contain accommodations for at least 50 pupils, who will be given a full course of three years' tuition, together with board, free of charge. The school may provide educational facilities for other pupils for full or partial courses and may charge fees for such tuition. The course of tuition is to include all branches of agriculture, horticulture, and arborculture, dairying in all its branches, slaughtering and curing of meats, and carpentering, blacksmithing, and such other trades as may be useful to agriculturists. The school will establish experimental farms and farms for tuition purposes and will clear and improve land and dispose of the same to graduates of the schools and others, and will make advances to settlers to enable them to take up lands. The school can, for the purposes above mentioned, lease, buy, sell, exchange, and deal in lands and all products of the lands, and may manufacture any and all of said products and dispose of the same. FELIX S. S. JOHNSON, STANBRIDGE, QUEBEC, August 18, 1903. |