00 STArE BOARD UK ACiRlCULTURE. 



iu 1890. At the present time two years of foreigu lauguages, oue year 

 of English, one year of mathematics, iu addition to that required in 1890, 

 are required at entrance. The fact that such an increase iu require- 

 ments is possible indicates great improvement in the work done by 

 the high schools during this period. It also makes it possible to give 

 the students much more technical training. The experience at Cornell 

 indicates that studies of the nature of foreign languages and English 

 are taught with better results in the high school than in the university. 

 This is probably also true of geometr3' and trigonometry, but possibly 

 not so true with respect to advanced algebra and other studies which 

 require well develoi)ed reasoning powers on the part of the students. 



It is, I think, universally conceded that a college course should not 

 compete with home schools in the education of students, and that the 

 requirements to colleges should be based on the possibilities of obtain- 

 ing trained students in the various home schools. For this reason the 

 location of a college must have much to do with the requirements for 

 admission, since the college work naturally should begin at the point 

 in a young man's educational course where the training of the prepara- 

 tory school is completed. 



I have intended to convey the idea in the foregoing discussion that 

 the work of the engineer is one of great responsibility and requires 

 thoroughly trained minds as well as natural ability. Considering the 

 engineering profession as compared with others, in my opinion it is 

 the most important from all points of view of any. Financially, it con- 

 trols practically all expenditures for material improvements of any 

 kind. It deals with sanitary, life-saving structures, and with every 

 mechanical construction productive of better health and increased life. 

 It deals with the production of manufactured articles and consequently 

 the demand for engineering work must increase so long as the industries 

 of our country improve. 



From these various facts, the importance of engineering schools ap- 

 pear obvious since without them we could not have properly trained 

 and qualified engineers, and without engineers little material progress 

 of the world could \)e made. 



I have not touched in my discussion on the subject of what is termed 

 "industrial education," which is generally defined as one which will 

 provide for the world its supply of skilled mechanics in various lines. 



This branch of education is one of extreme importance and at the 

 present time it is scarcely developed to any great extent. Until ver}' 

 recently schools for such lines of education were not needed because 

 skilled mechanics could be trained as apprentices in the various work 

 shops. The tendency of trade unionism is to kill the apprentice system 

 Avithout supplying a substitute for it. At the present time there is an 

 actual scarcity of skilled men due to this condition of affairs and it has 

 bc^n proposed as a remedy to educate workmen and give them skill in 

 special schools. It seems probable that the demand for these schools 

 will at no distant time lead to their formation in nearly all the large 

 cities. 



It is evident that a course of study for such a school would be very 

 djffei'ent from that for engineering and Avould involve what is com- 

 monly known as a grammar schopl course combined with n shop course 



