DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 65 



educated man. Such discussions have been of intense interest to en- 

 gineers and thej have generally conceded that additional so-called cul- 

 ture studies in history, economics and philosophy would doubtless be 

 desirable for the engineer, although I do not know that any engineer 

 has admitted that mental discipline of high value was not obtained in 

 the arduous mental work required to complete the various engineering 

 studies. It is also interesting to note in this connection that the en- 

 gineering college course has obtained an excellent reputation as being 

 of great value to men having business interests of any kind, and this 

 has been one of the reasons why there has been during the last few 

 years, such an increase in numbers in the engineering courses and a 

 corresponding diminution in the old classical courses. I am certain 

 that Sibley College has graduated in its engineering course many stu- 

 dents Avho never expected to be engineers but who took the course 

 believing that the combination of theoretical-practical training would 

 give them culture of a useful kind which would be of more benefit to 

 them in business than that obtained in any other course. As indicat- 

 ing how prevalent such sentiments are, I merely quote a few words 

 from a recent letter of a graduate in our course of mechanical engineer- 

 ing : 



"I am intruding further upon your time only to say that since 189G 

 I have been permanently located in Toledo, engaged in real estate 

 development. My technical training, however, stands me in good stead 

 in the work I have to do, and I seem never to lose the deep interest 

 I have aways had in mechanical matters." 



It has even been proposed to increase the length of the engineering 

 course by requiring additional studies along the lines of philosophy, 

 economics, history, etc., and such a proposition has been received with 

 considerable favor by most of our engineering papers and by a few of 

 the engineering colleges. This proposition if accepted would require 

 the students to spend an additional year in obtaining what are fre- 

 quently called culture studies before taking up the technical work. 

 The objections which have been urged to such requirements are mainly 

 those of a practical nature. It is not, for instance, certain that many 

 students who are now able to take the engineering courses could afford 

 either the time or money for the additional culture studies which have 

 been suggested. It is not certain that even if these additional culture 

 studies Avere taken the men would become better engineers or that they 

 would be better trained for performing any work which engineers, are 

 required to do. It is generally considered a calamity if a man is kept 

 in college too long. The effect of too long a course is to dampen his 

 enthusiasm and reduce the energy which is necessary in order to ob- 

 tain and successfully prosecute engineering work. 



There is danger as well as benefit in tlie proposed addition to the 

 engineering course and for that reason the large engineering colleges 

 are proceeding cautiously in increasing the length of the course although 

 generally agreeing as to the advantage of the additional year for the 

 broader training. 



The engineering courses during the last thirty years have been greatly 



advanced in colleges principally by increasing the entrance requirements. 



As an illustration, the entrance requirements for the courses in Sibley 



College take two more years in high school at the present time than 



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