Page:The library a magazine of bibliography and library literature, Volume 6.djvu/184

 172 The Library. Last year thirty-five subjects were included in the pro- gramme of classes held at Wolverhampton ; twenty-one of these were on technical and science subjects, and were carried out in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Science and Art Department, and the City and Guilds of London Institute ; the remaining fourteen included many of the subjects necessary for a successful commercial life, and which are included in the syllabus of the Society of Arts. During the year 1,072 students joined the classes. The total number of students who have received instruction in science subjects only, amounts to 2,842 individuals. This, then, is the history of Wolverhampton Public Library Technical College as briefly as I can give it. There still remains the question of cost of maintaining a school of this description ; before concluding this paper I hope to say something on this point ; but before entering upon its consideration, I desire to bring before your notice one or two examples of the students who have profited by attending these classes. A large proportion of those attending the technical classes at Yolverhampton, belong to the industrial or working class popula- tion ; and it is a remarkable, yet gratifying fact, to find that whenever any special distinction is obtained by a student, that student is generally an artisan. I have in my mind at the present time three or four students who have distinguished themselves ; the first is by trade a fitter, who entered the mechanical classes either immediately before or immediately after leaving school ; he was a most diligent student, and much of his spare time when unoccupied with his trade or classes was spent in the reference department of the library, studying the most difficult problems of science. After several years in the library classes, this student was successful in secur- ing a Whitworth Exhibition Scholarship value ^50, for one year. The name of Sir Joseph Whitworth should be honoured by all who care for the development of technical education : he set apart the sum of ^"100,000 for encouraging the study of mechanical and engineering subjects. The interest of this sum is devoted to the maintainance of scholarships, which are open to all the subjects of the Queen. The student I refer to was successful in obtaining one of these scholarships for passing the following subjects : Metallurgy, honours ist class; machine construction and drawing, advanced ist class; magnetism and electricity, ad-