Polytechnics

POLYTECHNICS. Polytechnic is a term used in modern phraseology to describe an educational institution equipped to teach many scientific and technological processes (Gr. roXvs, many, and an art). The word, however, has no common meaning either in Great Britain or in other countries. In France, the name ecole polytechnique was applied in 1795 to the Ecole des Travaux publics, which had been founded by the National Convention a year earlier as a protest against the almost ex clusive devotion to literary and abstract studies in places of higher education. The ecole polytechnique was devoted largely to the instruction of recruits for civil and military engineering. In Germany also, numerous technical colleges were founded for a like purpose. In Switzerland, the Zurich Polytechnikum has been provided by the Federal Government as an institution of uni versity rank teaching commercial and industrial processes.

In London, the word polytechnic connotes an institution pro viding not only technological instruction in many forms, but also one which has definite social and civic ideals. In the report to the special committee on technical education of the London County Council in 1892 Llewellyn Smith (now Sir Hubert Llewellyn Smith, G.C.B.) defined a polytechnic institute in London as an "institute carrying out the double purpose of providing evening recreation and education for persons of both sexes engaged in industry in the day. Such of these institutes as already exist and others for which funds are now being collected are governed by, or for the most part conform to, certain schemes of the charity commissioners framed under the City Parochial Charities Act, and most of them are endowed to some extent out of the funds of the city parochial charities applicable under that act to the benefit of the 'poorer classes' of London." In other parts of England the term "polytechnic" is frequently used as an alterna tive title for a technical school; in Glasgow it is the name appro priated by a large and popular store or shop. In America the word

is seldom used; for a discussion of American technical education see ENGINEERING EDUCATION and TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

The London Polytechnics.

The London polytechnics, with their distinctive purpose and organization, spring from the social ideals of Quintin Hogg, an old Etonian, who, in 1865, began classes for street urchins under the Adelphi arches by the side of the Thames. Later, in 1882, he purchased a disused building in Regent street which had been called the Polytechnic, and had enjoyed an ephemeral popularity as an institution for the exposition of Pepper's Ghost and other scientific novelties. This enterprise rapidly developed from an evangelistic effort into an educational institution which provided instruction in many subjects and pro moted spiritual, intellectual, athletic and social ideals. In 1927 the Regent street polytechnic was attended by over 13,000 day and evening students, taught by 35o full-time or part-time lecturers and instructors, while its social activities covered athletics and social organizations of all kinds.

The success achieved by the Regent street polytechnic led to the formation of other institutions, which were also called "poly technics." In 1878 a royal commission was appointed to report on the parochial charities of the City of London, as it appeared that by reason of the increase in the funds and the diminution or extinction of the objects of these charities the income was far more than sufficient to provide for all the proper objects of such charities. The outcome of the report was the City of London Parochial Charities Act, 1883. Among other things, the act pro vided that the charities in 107 parishes of the City of London should, after seven years, be administered by a corporate body (the trustees) of the London Parochial Charities. Schemes were drawn up for the utilization of the secular part of the income derived from the consolidation of the charities towards the estab lishment and maintenance of polytechnics and kindred institutions.