Andrew Ure (1778-1857) was a professor at the University of Glasgow and an enthusiast for the Industrial Revolution s new systems of manufacturing.

As we know, a consequence of these new developments was the redundancy of many workers, just as we are experiencing today with downsizing and reengineering . This study details the creation of the general education system as an answer to the need for less self-willed and intractable workmen, which were unfit to become "components of a mechanical system."

In our times of permanent technological revolution, this is an excellent insight into...