Research in Engineering Colleges 6i 



made in Roman numerals ; although the Arabic notation was theii coming 

 into universal use. 



Not only did it thus take some 150 years for the present Arabic 

 numerals to come into public and general use after the astronomers and 

 scientists had adopted them; but the expu^lsion of the cumbersome old 

 Roman numerajls met with much opposition from the merchants, many of 

 whom seem to have tenaciously resisted the innovation. Brown's 

 History of Accounting alrealdy quoted, says, in a footnote on page 107, 

 speaking of the chajnge from Roman to Arabic figures: 



" In 1299 we find the guild of bill-changers of Florence forbidding 

 the use of the 'new' figures, while as late as 1520, the mu'nicipality 

 of Freiburg refused to accept entries as legal proof of debt, unless 

 they were made in Roman figures or Wiritten out in words.'' 



If, therefore, the simple Arabilc numerals took 150 years to supersede 

 complex Roman numerals in business transactions, we need not be 

 surprised at the time it takes for the simple metric system to supersede 

 the complex inch-bushel system. The complete chaVge ought not to be 

 due, on that basis of estimation, until about 1950. 



lyooking forward, the future of research in the engineering schools is 

 very bright. There is likely to be good co-operation between the colleges, 

 the industries and certain powerful co-ordinating institutions. In the 

 United States, the National Research Council in its Engineering Division 

 (16) is making great efforts to advance the same movement. 



In its international aspect, the progress of research seems likely to 

 foster trade, commerce, and goodwill among the nations. Nations, like 

 individuals, tend to develop specialties in production, and their applied- 

 science researches tend to follow corresponding lines. In times to come, 

 we may expect that the external search for new world markets may 

 become less keen and the internal search for improved processes of pro- 

 duction may develop in its place. 



Indeed, the prospects of research, in colleges, schools, national labora- 

 tories, business laboratories, industrial laboratories and fattories, is at 

 present so bright that there is, in the opinion of some, a danger of our 

 being carried away too far in these directions, to the detriment of other 

 interests and activities of a more artistic type. Production and con- 

 sumption occupy a large share in human life, but they are not the ultima 

 thule of existence. There are also the claims of the arts, of history, of 

 literature, and of the spiritual world. We must hope that in the 

 development of the material world, the aspirations of the soul shall not 

 suffer. If we bend all our energies upon producing more things, there 

 is a danger that our morale, as citizens of the world, may not keep pace 

 with the production, and that we may fall out among ourselves in the 



