The importance of the technical schools in the United States has been well shown by a special report to the English Commissioners on Technical Education by one of the sub-commissioners who has recently visited the educational institutions and industrial establishments of this country and Canada. The commissioner speaks, at the outset, of the pre-eminence of Americans in many branches of mechanical industry, and he makes this a reason for giving a general view of the character and scope of our public schools, as well as of the special provisions for industrial training. He was particularly impressed by the fact that there is not a school or college in the country in which may not be found the sons and daughters of the working classes. Frequently he found young working men spending a year in college in scientific studies, who intended to resume their manual employment after leaving it. Among the New England institutions which describes, the Boston Institute of Technology is prominent. He says: "This institution worthily enjoys a high reputation in America. Its graduates enter into the scientific professions, and the engineering, mining and manufacturing industries without difficulty or delay. I have experienced this in the far West, among the miners, on railway works, in machine shops and in the textile manufactories.

The absence of manual work in the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale is criticised as it gives, says the report, a theoretical tone in the instruction. Of the department of Practical Science at Brown University, he observes that "hitherto it has been chiefly distinguished for its thorough training in chemical science, as applied to the industrial arts, the effects of which have been largely felt and appreciated in the industries of the district, namely, bleaching, calico printing and papermaking."

A notice is also made of our Lawrence Scientific School which is commented upon favorably. Thus it will be seen that the technical and scientific schools of America compare very favorably with similar schools in Europe, although this is not generally supposed to be true.