Arthur John Pressland (1865–1934) was a British educational theorist, linguist, schoolmaster and writer.
[Obituary in '']The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'' by Sir Michael Sadler, ''Mr A. J. Pressland'', Thursday 11 October 1934, p.19 He was for most of his life a mathematician but after
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...
spent time in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
and became a committed linguist and educational theorist, the author of a Royal Commission Report on Physical Training in
Switzerland in 1902, the translator of
Kerchensteiner’s ''Education for Citizenship'' in 1911 and the author of ''Education and Social Welfare in Switzerland'' in 1927.
Pressland’s obituary written by
Sir Michael Sadler in ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'' in 1934 stated that ‘Few men in England knew so much as he did about the educational experience of Switzerland, which has had repercussions in this country from the days of
Pestalozzi and
Emmanuel von Fellenberg to the publication in 1898 of
Sir Robert Morant's Special Report on "The National Organization of Education of all grades as practised in Switzerland"’.
Early life
Arthur John Pressland was born in 1865.
[Obituary in ''The Eagle'', Magazine of ]Bedford Modern School
Bedford Modern School (often called BMS) is a Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference independent school in Bedford, England. The school has its origins in The Harpur Trust, born from the endowments left by Sir William Harpur in the six ...
, Easter 1935, Vol. XX, No.2, p.87 He was educated at
Bedford Modern School
Bedford Modern School (often called BMS) is a Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference independent school in Bedford, England. The school has its origins in The Harpur Trust, born from the endowments left by Sir William Harpur in the six ...
where he was a senior exhibitioner in 1881 and made Head of School in 1882.
He later won an open exhibition to
St John’s College, Cambridge where he won two more open exhibitions and graduated as
Twelfth Wrangler in 1886 at the same time as gaining a Foundation Scholarship.
Career
After
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...
, Pressland went to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
spending some time as a teacher in
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
.
He then taught in Brecon before joining the staff of
Edinburgh Academy
The Edinburgh Academy is an independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, is now part of the Senior School. The Junior School is located on Arboretum Ro ...
where he taught mathematics for thirty five years.
Aside from mathematics, Pressland mastered several modern languages and was a researcher of different methods of education he observed on the Continent.
As a committed linguist and educational theorist, Pressland was the author of a Royal Commission Report on Physical Training in
Switzerland in 1902, the translator of
Kerchensteiner’s ''Education for Citizenship'' in 1911 and the author of ''Education and Social Welfare in Switzerland'' in 1927.
Pressland’s obituary written by
Sir Michael Sadler in ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'' in 1934 stated that ‘Few men in England knew so much as he did about the educational experience of Switzerland, which has had repercussions in this country from the days of
Pestalozzi and
Emmanuel von Fellenberg to the publication in 1898 of
Sir Robert Morant's Special Report on "The National Organization of Education of all grades as practised in Switzerland"’.
In 1890 Pressland moved to Edinburgh to teach Mathematics at
Edinburgh Academy
The Edinburgh Academy is an independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, is now part of the Senior School. The Junior School is located on Arboretum Ro ...
. He lived at a flat at 51 Dundas Street near the school.
In 1890, Pressland was elected a Fellow of the
Mathematical Society of Edinburgh and in 1892 a Fellow of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh.
His proposers were
John Steggall
Prof John Edward Aloysius Steggall ARIBA FRSE LLD (1855–1935) was an English mathematician and professor at the University College, Dundee (now University of Dundee).
Life and work
He was born on 19 November 1855 in London, the son of Dr J ...
,
John Sturgeon Mackay,
Peter Guthrie Tait
Peter Guthrie Tait FRSE (28 April 1831 – 4 July 1901) was a Scottish mathematical physicist and early pioneer in thermodynamics. He is best known for the mathematical physics textbook ''Treatise on Natural Philosophy'', which he co-wrote wi ...
and
Sir John Murray.
Later years
In 1925 Pressland retired to
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...
where he died on 8 October 1934.
He left a legacy to
St John’s College, Cambridge in which he requested that ‘no monument be erected to his memory and that no photograph of himself should be kept’.
Sir Michael Sadler wrote in ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'' that ‘The comparative study of systems and atmospheres of education has lost an ardent and purposeful worker. From his long experience as a schoolmaster, Pressland had drawn up a plan for a staff college for English teachers in higher schools-a rough sketch to which administrators are not unlikely to turn in future’.
Following the obituary by
Sir Michael Sadler, Mr M.R. McLarty wrote to
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
on 15 October 1934 stating that ‘who can appreciate the amount of invaluable 'work which he quietly and unassumingly accomplished in their interests… Mr. Pressland guided those who had been his pupils throughout their entire academic career. His assistance did not stop there, and there are many to-day who owe him not only their vocations but also the inspiration which guides them.
Selected works
* ''On The History And Degree Of Certain Geometrical Approximations: Part I'' by Arthur John Pressland. Published 1892
* ''Geometrical Drawing'' by Arthur John Pressland. Published by
Rivington, Percival & Company Limited,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, 1897
* ''Elementary Trigonometry'' by Arthur John Pressland and Charles Tweedie. Published
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
, 1899
* ''Elementary Trigonometry II'' by Arthur John Pressland and Charles Tweedie. Published by Oliver and Boyd in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
and Simpkin Marshall & Co Ltd,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, 1899
* ''The Annual Report Of The Central Board Of Education For Zürich'' by Arthur John Pressland and Francis Galton. Published by Oliver & Boyd,
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
and
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, 1902
* ''An Introduction To The Study Of Geometry'' by Arthur John Pressland. Published
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, 1904
* ''Murray’s School Arithmetic For Pupils Between The Ages Of Ten And Seventeen'' by Arthur John Pressland. Published by
John Murray,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, 1907
* ''Education For Citizenship'' by Georg Kerschensteiner and Arthur John Pressland. Published by
Rand McNally & Company
Rand McNally is an American technology and publishing company that provides mapping, software and hardware for consumer electronics, commercial transportation and education markets. The company is headquartered in Chicago, with a distribution c ...
,
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, 1911
* ''A Primer Of Geometry'' by Wilfrid Parkinson and Arthur John Pressland. Published by
Clarendon Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
,
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, 1923
* ''A Second Geometry'' by J Davidson and AJ Pressland. Published by
Clarendon Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
,
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, 1926
* ''Education And Social Welfare In Switzerland: to commemorate the Pestalozzi centenary 17th February 1927'' by Arthur John Pressland. Published by
George G. Harrap and Co.,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, 1927
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pressland, Arthur John
1865 births
1934 deaths
Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
English educational theorists
People educated at Bedford Modern School
Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge