70 



statement made by Mr. John R. Froeiiinii. vicc-pivsidont of the American Sooioty 

 (if Mechanical Eiifjcineers, on the occasion of tlie inan^nration of Charles Snnnier 

 Howe, of the Case School of Ai)i)ruMl Sciences, Cleveland. Ohio, in INIay, 1!t()4. 

 He .smnnied mi a very clear and forceful ai'.ii;nnient for a i)road and thoi-onyh 

 culture in technical schools in the following sentences: 



" Recognize the fact that these four years' time with their attendant ex- 

 penses are too valuable to be devoted to the attainment of mere nnuiual dex- 

 terity. This can be more cheaply learned in the field or workshop than in the 

 school. Do not shrink from turning out graduates who will be strong on theory 

 v>-hile perhaps weak on practice. They can get their practice outside after 

 graduation, and perhajis under the (luickening intiiience of some short-lived 

 ridicuU» by the routine workman, but the sound foundation of mathematics, 

 the facility in handling and transfornung ditticult equations, the mental gras]) 

 of difficult considerations so as to state them in the language of mathematics 

 and quantity, nmst be accjuired in the technical school or the chances are that 

 they will never be acquired." 



Manifestly room should be found in every course that claims to be broadly 

 educational for some comprehensive study of history that a man may be some- 

 what intelligent as to the forces and evolution of the political, social, and in- 

 dustrial institutions which he enjoys. Manifestly, too, he should study some 

 other language than his own that he may have some facility in the use of a 

 language as a means of expression. Manifestly, too, he should be a student 

 of the English language throughout his entire course. He should be drilled 

 constantly in the expression of his thought upon the subjects in which he is 

 most interested. Of ccmrse the fundamental sciences — chemistry, physics, and 

 mathematics — nuist have their place. They are fundamental not only in giv- 

 ing knowledge of principles, but as instruments of discipline. Along with 

 these must be placed botany and zoology, the one or the other receiving em- 

 phasis according to the main course of study that may he taken. And along 

 with the study of English nuist go the study of literature to a sufficient extent 

 to give young men and young women somewhat independent standards of test. 

 Civics and economics also may not be omitted. I would not go so far as 

 President Howe has in his inaugural address, maintaining that philosophy 

 and ethics antl the history of art must also be included even in a technical 

 course, but I would say with him, concerning the subjects that I have included, 

 that a student can learn something of all these subjects during his college 

 course and yet have a great deal of time left to follow his own individual 

 tastes. 



We must, indeed, prepare men thoroughly and not be content with super- 

 ficial work in our technical courses. But the time has not come, and I believe 

 it never will come, when the land-grant college should be severely and exclu- 

 sively technical in its courses. 



The question as to the amount of time to be given to general culture studies 

 will be modified considerably by the nature of the entrance requirements. We 

 in Iowa, for example, are now requiring for admission to the freshman year 

 of engineering courses, besides English and elemental rhetoric, a semester of 

 English literature, five hours a week ; two years of French or of (Jerman ; 

 plain and solid geometry ; history, and civics ; or, in general terms, graduation 

 from an accredited high school or its equivalent. Indeed, in mathematics few 

 of the Iowa high schools are as yet including solid geometry. Many students 

 will need to enter conditioned in solid geometry in the freshman year. In the 

 civil engineering <-onrse. German or French five hours, both semesters; ad- 

 vanced rhetoric, five hours, one semester; composition, one hour, .second sem- 

 ester; English history, one hour, first semester: formation of the Union, one 

 hour, second semester ; mathematics, five hcmrs throughout the year ; elemen- 

 tary engineering studies, three hours, first semester, and two hours, second sem- 

 ester, with possible election of two hours each semester in addition. The 

 sophomore year, in addition to mathematics five hours tln-oughout the two 

 semesters, we have physics and chemistry and English, four hours of surveying, 

 and one of drawing. In the junior and senior years the student's time is given 

 almost exclusively to his technical engineering stu<lies. with electives in history 

 and English of two and of one hour. We would not claim that this arrange- 

 ment of studies is entirely satisfactory, but it is the best that we have thus far 

 been able to arrange. If the entrance re(piirements are low. relatively more 

 time must he given to general studies within the college cour.se proi>er. It 

 should be recognized that a thorough high-school course is not in itself a mean 



