Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 19.djvu/107

* TECHNICAL EDUCATION. 81 TECHNICAL EDUCATION". are strictly professional in character. Many of the Fucliscliulen of Austria, although aiming at trade instruction, might well ho classed as tech- nical schools on account of the character and ex- tent of the technical instruction that is ottered in addition to the practical work. Another form of technical school is represented by a class of in- stitutions of the secondary grade, which aim to prepare rather for entrance into industrial work than for direct mastery of any one special branch. In these schools the courses commonly include instruction in the elements of a general educa- tion, as well as the study of applied science and practical training in a number of representative industrial processes. The Industrieschuh-n and GeKCrbcschulen of Germany and Austria are ex- amples of this type. Courses in these schools are generally from three to five years in length, and embrace, besides practical industrial work, in- struction in mechanical and freehand drawing, geography, business forms, mathematics, book- keeping, science, and technologj*. Schools of this kind are foimd at Chemnitz, Cologne, Ko- motau, ^Munich, and Nuremberg. In Austria the School of the Technological Industrial Museum, at Vienna, is the foremost example, and serves as a model for all other schools of this class throughout the Empire. France has a very important and highly or- ganized system of State schools for the training of foremen and superintendents in mechanical in- dustries at Chalons. Aix. .4ngers, and Lille. The courses are three years in length. The instruc- tion, both practical and theoretical, given in these schools, has been of so thorough a character that the result in large part has been to train man- agers and mechanical engineers rather than fore- men. Other technical schools of an advanced character in France are the Industrial Institute of the North of France, at Lille, and the Institution Livet. at Nantes, which is a private foundation. A school of a special type exists at Lyons, the Ecole Martini&re. Distinct courses are provided for boys and girls. In the former the sciences and arts are studied in their relation to commerce and industry. The object is not to prepare for any special trade, but to develop general capacity for an industrial or commercial career. The course, which lasts for three years. is very similar to those of the American manual training schools. The courses for girls aim to furnish a trade training in commercial accounting, embroidery, industrial drawing, and women's tailoring, together with a general education. The Finsbury Technical College, in London, is the most important institution of this class in England. Several well-equipped schools of this general type exist in other parts of Eng- land, among which are the Manchester Technical School, the Birmingham Technical School, and the Sheffield Technical School. In the United States the manual training high schools (see Manual Training) approach quite close to this last category of schools, but devote a larger proportion of time to general branches. Schools of industrial or applied art have also reached their highest point of development on the Continent of Europe. In Austria and Ger- many the KunfifgeiDerhpschule. often connected with an extensive and admirably filled museum. is found in all the large cities. Courses in draw- ing, painting, modeling, and design are provided, leading to some special branch of applied art. In some schools, notably those at JIunich and 'ienna, the handicraft side is prominent and much attention is given to practical work at carving, metal-chasing, stained glass, leather- embossing, fresco painting, cmbroiderj', porcelain- painting, lithography, smithing, and other lines. In France are to be found not only the first schools of painting, sculpture, and .architecture in the world, but also the most thoroughly organ- ized provision for instruction in decorative and industrial art. The Government lends liberal support to the art schools, and assists in estab- lishing new ones when the nee<l of such is mani- fest. Some are supported entirely by the State, and others are assisted through grants. All are under the direction of the Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Art. Excellent schools of applied art are to be found in all parts of France, often with a distinct trend of instruction to- ward the industries prominent in the locality, as in the case of ceramics at Limoges and textiles at Roubaix. In Paris there are three schools which afford instruction in industrial art — the Ecole Nationalc des .rts Decoratifs. the Ecole Germain-Pilon, and the Ecole Bernard-Palissy ; the first to teach the principles of design in relation to industrial art as a whole, the last with direct reference to certain trades, with a lib- eral amount of workshop and laboratory ])ractice. The great schools of the Government Science and Art Department (now under the Board of Educa- tion for England and Wales) at South Kensing- ton repre.sent the most important provision for instruction in indu.strial art in Great Britain. The work of these schools consists largelv of drawing, painting, and modeling, and although the application of art to industry is counted as the main purpose of the institution, no practical work is attempted. A large number of smaller schools patterned upon the same model exist in other parts of Great Britain under the guidance and financial assistance of the Science and Art Department. In the United States schools of applied art are not numerous, and in few cases is a training in the practical application of design attempted. Prominent among the institutions affonlinij in- struction in this field are the Cooper Union (q.v.), of New York City: the School of Indus- trial Art of the Pennsylvania Museum: Pratt In.stitute (q.v.). Brooklyn, N. Y. ; Drexel Insti- tute (q.v.), Philadelphia: the Maryland Insti- tute, Baltimore: the Art Academy,' Cincinnati ; the Chicago Art Institute: the Rhode Island School of Design. Providence: and the Lowell School of Design, Boston. Evening classes in science, drawing, design, and technical studies may well be considered in this second general group of schools. The Forthild- iingsschiilrn of Germany and Austria are both day schools and evening schools. Many communi- ties make attendance upon such schools compul- sory for both boys and girls between fourteen and seventeen years old. and such attendance is often a. condition of employment. Freehand and me- chanical drawing, and special instruction relatincr to the trades of the locality, are the principal subjects taught in such schools. In Vienna every prominent trade is represented by a special Fortbildungsschiile. and Berlin supports a great number and varietv of similar schools. Even-