444 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



ties to existing universities, because both institutions differ in their 

 character and method of instruction." Those assembled, after laying 

 stress on the fact that members of the engineering profession should 

 be judged by the same educational standards as other educated pro- 

 fessional men, adopted the above resolution in substance, but, in defer- 

 ence to the university men, the last clause of the resolution was not 

 emphasized; I think, though, that the correctness of the statement is 

 generally admitted. 



In spite of these conclusions we find in this country at least a tend- 

 ency in the opposite direction. In our strongest state universities and 

 in others built on private foundations, we find either engineering de- 

 partments or colleges. The union of Harvard University and the 

 Institute of Technology is under consideration. Something can, there- 

 fore, undoubtedly be said in favor of this arrangement. Of course, the 

 presence of the ' sublimated tinker ' in the university has been depre- 

 cated, but not by the leaders of educational thought in America. 



It is recognized that the presence of a body of hard working, 

 straight thinking young men in a university, even if they intend to 

 make some practical use of their education, is a good antidote for 

 intellectual snobbishness. On the other hand, it must be conceded 

 that the technical student, too, is benefited by being thrown in contact 

 with men in other lines of work, many of which have no direct practical 

 application. Students become acquainted with one another, learn to 

 appreciate one another's point of view, and mutual respect and good- 

 will result. 



While fully recognizing the benefits which come in a general way to 

 the engineering student from this environment, it must, nevertheless, 

 be asserted that, as our universities in their development follow in the 

 wake of the German universities, they too, like them, become unfitted 

 for doing the general culture work, not only for engineering students, 

 but for all students. The tendency toward specialization in subjects 

 and subdivisions of subjects leads to the offering of many undoubtedly 

 valuable courses. But they are courses for the specialist, fitted for his 

 needs, and capable of being understood by but few. The giving of 

 general culture courses is discouraged; and there is some justification, 

 as long as the aim of many so-called students is merely to get hours 

 enough to graduate. The summing up of the results in any given 

 line of work and its presentation, so that the non-specialist may get a 

 general view of the field, are dangerous, because of the ' little learning ' 

 thus imparted, which, of course, is ' a dangerous thing.' 



Even in poetry : " The learned guardians of these treasures insist 

 that they can not be appreciated unless there has been much prelim- 

 inary wrestling with a ' critical apparatus ' and much delving among 

 ( original sources.' " 



