Abstract
IN the early eighties of last century the great Livery Companies of the City of London combined for the promotion of technical and scientific education in this country; by reason of their great wealth, the administrative capacity at their command, and their complete freedom from State interference, the City Companies were admirably fitted for this task. Amongst their circle they numbered many men of high scientific and technical standing, such as the late Sir Frederick Abel and Mr. George Matthey, both of whom worked nobly to ensure the success of the new movement. Without describing in more detail the scheme which was adopted, it will suffice to note that the great Livery Companies established and financed, first, the City and Guilds Technical College, and, a year or two later, the larger Central Institution at South Kensington. Both these institutions were designed with the view of popularising scientific and technical education and of counteracting to some extent the overwhelming influence of the older universities; both Oxford and Cambridge, with their glorious history and their scholastic traditions, remained very exclusive, and contributed but little at that time towards the advanced teaching in pure and applied science of which our country stood in urgent need.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chemistry in Education and Industry 1 . Nature 102, 196–197 (1918). https://doi.org/10.1038/102196b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/102196b0