FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTIONS 545 



Thirdly, a distinct desire to encourage, 



(a) research into the nature of the practical facts essential to any 

 art, with a view to finding out reasons for the same in the known 

 laws of nature, thereby giving workmen the opportunity to work 

 intelligently; 



(V) original research into the problems arising out of industrial 

 processes, with a view to finding out unknown laws of nature, and 

 especially those which must be investigated on a large scale. 



We may observe that this classification includes in the third divi- 

 sion a kind of research, (a), which, though not exactly pure science, 

 as it does not seek for unknown laws but only for known laws which 

 will fit a particular case, yet partakes of the same nature as far as the 

 action of the mind is concerned. It is practically useful and necessary 

 as a part of technology, because it supplies to the workers in any 

 art the fundamental reasons which justify the employment of a 

 certain procedure (whether such procedure has been developed by 

 practical experiment or whether it has been developed as a result of 

 theoretical research). This search for causes will naturally increase in 

 importance with the growth of knowledge as to the scientific carry- 

 ing out of any art, or, in other words, as trades and arts tend to 

 become more scientific. 



In practice it is found that foremen, educated in a knowledge 

 of fundamental laws as well as in scientific processes, are far more 

 valuable, and that the workmen also will be all the better, for 

 whatever knowledge of this kind can be given them. Numbers of 

 firms and corporations are now acting on this principle, some 

 even refusing to accept a messenger-boy unless he has passed through 

 a high school. 



Further, this training, which enables a worker to recognize essential 

 principles, has the great advantage of showing to the worker in what 

 direction it is possible to make advances and improvements and no 

 less important a matter in what direction progress is impossible. 

 The history of invention will emphasize the truth of this statement. 

 How much time and brains, for instance, have been wasted in devis- 

 ing mechanism which involves the fallacy of perpetual motion! 



We notice also that, in the second department, the classification 

 includes instruction in the scientific process of carrying out any art 

 required by a student for his future work. In any true university this 

 practically useful plan is made to subserve the end of mental develop- 

 ment in the student. This department naturally takes up a great 

 deal of space in an institution, as there may be almost as many 

 options as there are students. Partly for this reason, partly because 

 it is the easiest end at which to begin a technical school, and partly 

 because it appeals most strongly to the non-university man, as being 

 apparently a short cut to success, it is not infrequently all that is 



