technology or engineering school. The departments for instruction in physics, in mechanics, in mechanical, geometrical, and architectural drawing are unusually well equipped.

The chemical department includes a large laboratory for general chemistry, a smaller one for analytical chemistry, and a dyeing laboratory has been added this year. The rooms for instruction in drawing are three or four in number, each of which can accommodate 100 students. There is an excellent museum of fabrics and another of mechanics and the usual lecture halls for chemistry, textiles, etc.

The weaving shed contains 25 handlooms and 5 power looms, three of the latter being of English make and two of local make. The power looms are all arranged for the weaving of broad woolen goods. At the time of my visit the spinuing department had not been equipped, but I was informed that arrangements have been made for the carding, combing, and spinning of wool, the principal machinery of which will be of Belgian make, with probably Swiss combs.

The course of instruction in the day school occupies four years, the first two years being applied to the study of sciences, especially of applied science, and the last two years being devoted to spinning, weaving, and dyeing. Languages form a portion of the instruction in all the four years. Instruction in the first year includes physics, elementary mechanics, organic and inorganic chemistry, pure and applied geometry, and botany. In the second year instruction is given in applied mechanics, industrial physics, industrial chemistry, mechanical analysis, principles of machinery, natural and artificial dyestuffs, and the study of textile fabrics, French and German languages, and laboratory work. In the third year the following subjects are taken up: The theory of dyeing, electro-technology, weaving, mill architecture, machinery construction, bookkeeping, French and German languages, drawing, practical work in the laboratories in dyeing, spinning, weaving, and in drawing. The programme of the fourth year is practically a repetition of that of the three years, the students, of course, being more advanced.

There is a very successful evening school in connection with this institution, the course of instruction occupying three years, in three different divisions.

The first is called the industrial division, which includes geometry, physics, mechanics, organic and inorganic chemistry, general and applied mechanics, architectural drawing, hygiene, etc. The second division is that of chemistry and dyeing, which includes the study of geometry, physics, political science, hygiene, mechanics, architectural designing, organic and inorganic chemistry, and the theory of dyeing, laboratory work in chemistry, and experimental dyeing. The third division, that of weaving, includes geometry, physics, the principles of designing, political economy and hygiene, practical weaving, lectures on weaving, and weaving calculations.

The evening school is practically free, a nominal charge of 40 cents being made for the entry of the student's name. The fees for the day school for native born or naturalized Belgians are $50 per annum, and for foreigners, $200.

ITALIAN SCHOOLS.

There is a very admirable little textile school at Como, which is arranged on a good system and does excellent work. It is situated in the silk manufacturing town of Como on the banks of the lake of that name and consists of a two-story straggling building, of which the principal rooms are the reception hall, the offices of the secretary, 2 power loom-weaving rooms and machine shop, gas engine house, 2 chemical laboratories, physical laboratory, and an art studio. There is also a gymnasium and the usual class rooms. The school is equipped with 9 power looms and 13 hand looms, the power looms being all different and all made by continental loom builders.

The first year is devoted to the study of science, including chemistry and physics, the two succeeding years are devoted to the study of weaving and weaving machin

ery, and two years are given to the study of desiguing, making a course of five years in all. The instruction is undoubtedy very thorough, and the work done, especially in the designing department, is excellent. The design rooms are very well equipped for the purpose. The director of the school is Prof. Luigi Ponci, and the professor of weaving is Peitro Pinchetti. There are 18 masters and professors, with a total staff of 25, and the number of students averages from 150 to 170.

FRENCH SCHOOLS.

Roubaix-The National School of Industrial Arts.-The French Government has recently erected in this textile manufacturing town a fine school for designing, weaving, and dyeing, on a scale to compare, and perhaps compete, with that of Crefeld. It is not yet completely fitted. The building is also designed to contain an industrial museum, picture gallery, and library. A splendid collection is already made of patterns of dyed, printed, and woven goods of all kinds, the productions of many years back. The samples in the cases are frequently changed from the stores, and the collection is freely accessible for study. The dyeing and weaving schools are in the rear of the building. They are fitted up much after the manner of Crefeld. There are 700 to 800 individual students enrolled, 400 of whom come in the evenings and on Sunday mornings. Excellent courses of lessons in artistic design are given, and on the occasion of my visit the works of the students were on view. Workmen come, especially on Sundays, to consult books of patterns.

The buildings stand on a site of nearly 15,000 square yards, of which they occupy about one-half and have cost about $600,000. Most of the machines have been given. The school is supported by a subvention of $8,000 by the town and $12,000 by the State. It is a remarkable and noteworthy fact that the costly instruction in this school and the use of all materials are absolutely free.

One of the most important features of the school, and, indeed, the chief motive in its establishment, is to be found in the encouragement given to the art of design. Complaint is made that even in France there is a great want of originality, and that too little attention is paid to the appropriateness of the design to the purpose intended, and the hope is expressed that the creation of the school at Roubaix may be followed by the erection of similar schools in other manufacturing districts.

The school was established in 1883 and a department of spinning, weaving, and dyeing added in 1890. The school is controlled by the town authorities and has a staff of 18 professors and 4 assistant instructors together with machinists and other skilled officers. The course of instruction is carried out in full and occupies five years. At the time of my visit very considerable additions were being made in the spinning department, including cards, combs, and spinning frames, both for woolen and cotton. It was stated that the machines were all being given, and this is more remarkable, as the machines were mostly of English and German make. The spinning plant, when complete, will be an excellent one, but at the time of my visit there were quite a number of examples of cards and combs and very few of the machines used in later processes.

The French schools, like the Belgian schools, do not favorably impress the visitor by the thoroughness of instruction given. The course of instruction in the carding department in Roubaix includes, firstly, the combing of wool, the different qualities of wool, picking, oiling, carding, gill boxes, wool washing, the manufacture of soaps for wool washing and conditioning; secondly, the spinning of combed wool, the making of woolen mixtures, natural and dyed, drawing boxes, finishers, reducers and rovers, spinning frame, twisting, etc.; thirdly, the spinning of wool, burr pickers and mixing pickers and finisher cards, including condensers, spinning mule, and also spinning of yarn from waste and recovered wool; fourthly, the spinning of cotton, different qualities of cotton, opening picker, carding, combing, slubbing, intermediate, roving, spinning frames, mules, gassing and polishing yarns, twisting. The method of treatment of the above subjects is: Firstly, to give instruction in

the calculations of speeds, treatment of power by pulleys and drums, friction, combs, belts, and ropes; secondly, to give lectures and instruction on the general principles as applied to all textiles, carding and combing, parallelizing the fibers by drawing, evening by doubling and further drawing, and strengthening by twisting and by doubling; thirdly, to give instruction of the peculiar conditions as applied to each industry, for example, cotton, wool, silk, linen, ramie, and jute, and also on the classification, principal markets producing machinery, sale of yarns, numbering of yarns, French and English systems, humidity, hygiene, etc.

It will be realized by any reader who has taken an interest in textile schools that the above is merely a suggestion of what can be said on the subject of such schools. In fact, this report is merely a summary of the more important points in connection with European technical education.

CHAPTER IX.

THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON TECHNICAL
EDUCATION.

By C. P. BROOKS, Director of Textile School, Lowell, Mass.

The International Congress on Technical Education, which met in London in June last, is an institution of French origin, having been first called to order at Bordeaux in 1886 as the Congrès International de l'Enseignement Technique. Since then there has been a meeting of the congress at Paris (in 1889) and another in Bordeaux (1895), but the attendance was not very large at either of these gatherings. The success of this year's meeting in London is one of the many indications of the increasing attention now bestowed on this important and too long neglected branch of education.

On the 23d of December, 1896, a proposition was submitted to the Council of the Society of Arts, of London, England, by Sir John Donnelly, the secretary of the science and art department, that the society should invite the Congrès International de l'Enseignement Technique to hold a meeting in London in June, 1897.

It had been proposed to hold the meeting for the present year at Madrid, but the arrangements for so doing had fallen through, and a desire had been expressed that the congress should meet in London. Sir John Donnelly further informed the council that he had reason to believe that the proposition for holding a meeting in London would be favorably regarded by the British education department, although it would be contrary to the usual practice that an official invitation for such a meeting should be issued by Her Majesty's Government. Sir John Donnelly further suggested that some of the city companies should be invited to cooperate with the society.

The council appointed a committee to consider and report on the subject.

The ancient guilds or livery companies of the city of London have for many years supported a system of technical education in Great Britain and now practically control the technical shools of that country through the association known as the City and Guilds of London Institute.

It was therefore appropriate that they should be asked to welcome the congress, which, it may be here remarked, they did in a hearty man