Abstract
IT is only in recent years that any attempt has been made to supply the demand for technical education in London. Not so very long ago the question as to whether such education was desirable for the working classes was gravely discussed; now the necessity is recognised by everyone, and the subject under consideration is the best method of carrying on the work. The commercial world has begun to realise the importance of training workmen on scientific lines; it has been led to see that the encouragement of science means the advance of industry and increase of trade. These lessons were difficult to learn, and, even at the present time, the connection between science and manufactures is not properly understood. But a beginning has been made. London, the city that prides itself upon being the largest and richest in the world, but which until recently ignored the need for technical instruction, has begun to foster the, child it had done its best to kill by neglect. A comparison with the educational work carried on in Polytechnics on the continent has served to accentuate the deficiencies of London, and to create a desire to follow the lead there indicated. The awakening was rather abrupt, and it was thought by some that the time lost could be rapidly made up again. But this mistaken idea has now been given up, and it is seen that the only way to improve our arts and industries is by slowly educating the mind and training the hand of the mechanic.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
GREGORY, R. Some London Polytechnic Institutes. Nature 50, 87–90 (1894). https://doi.org/10.1038/050087b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/050087b0