use of coal gas, worked until over forty years old for a wage of a pound
a week; Davy had been apprenticed to an apothecary; Bramah, who invented
a new hydraulic press, once worked with a village carpenter; Bolton and
Watt and Nasmyth, the inventor of the steam hammer, were practical
engineers. Never in the world's history has there been such a galaxy of
practical talent and inventive power as those whose portraits are shown
in this picture. Now a larger amount of preliminary knowledge as to what
has already been done and of the sciences is necessary, in most cases at
least, before useful inventions can be made. The more widely this
scientific knowledge can be made available throughout all classes in the
country the greater is the possibility of maintaining our lead. It is
also important to maintain, so far as technical education can give it,
skill in carrying out methods already established and improving them,
and also in making the worker more adaptable to new conditions and
altered circumstances instead of being a mere machine able to do one
class of work only, and adhering simply to the one rigid method which he
may have learnt. But knowledge and training are not all that is wanted.
It is essential that all classes connected with industry should realise
that increased production in established and well-understood industries
is essential, and that it can only be obtained, first, by willing and
vigorous work on the part of the workman, aiming at producing as much as
possible in the hours during which labour can be efficiently carried on
without detriment to health or depriving the labourer of the
opportunities of enjoying a life outside his daily routine; and,
secondly, by the increased use of the best machinery and labour-saving
appliances and working such machinery to its fullest capacity. Instead
of that, it has often been the policy to restrict the production of each
man's labour, one reason being lest there should not be enough
employment to go round, and also to view the introduction of machinery
which might displace labour with hostility and suspicion. In order to