292 ROBERT HEYWOOD FERNALD 



Before beginning the historical portion which applies 

 to the United States alone it is of interest to inquire what is 

 regarded as the proper education for an engineer, and later 

 to observe, as far as space will permit, the conditions pre- 

 vailing in the technical institutions of this country, to ascer- 

 tain v/hether these institutions are doing all in their power 

 to meet the educational demands of the present generation 

 of engineering students. 



To educate her youth should be one of the highest privi- 

 leges of any state. Whether in peace or in war, the engineer 

 is found to be an indispensable factor in a nation's efficiency. 

 Naval battles are fought by the engineer, the manipulation of 

 the land forces is possible only through the work of the engi- 

 neer, and, in times of peace, manufacturing, commerce, and, in 

 fact, nearly all the arts and sciences depend upon the engineer. 

 What is more natural than the tendency of a large percentage 

 of the young men of to-day to train themselves along the lines 

 offering such vast opportunities? 



What then should be the nature of this education? 

 Should the engineer be a specialist only, or should he have 

 a broad and liberal education coupled with special train- 

 ing? 



Ruskin says that ^^An educated man ought to know 

 these things : First, where he is — that is to say, what sort of 

 world he has got into, how large it is, what kind of creatures 

 live in it, and how ; what it is made of, and what may be made 

 of it. Secondly, where he is going — that is to say, what 

 chances or reports there are of any other world. Thirdly, 

 what he had best do under the circumstances — that is to say, 

 what kind of faculties he possesses; what are the present state 

 and wants of mankind ; what is his place in society, and what 

 are the readiest means in his power of attaining happiness and 

 diffusing it. The man who knows these things and who has 

 his will so subdued in the learning of them that he is ready 

 to do what he knows he ought, is an educated man, and the 

 man who knows them not is uneducated, though he could 

 talk all the tongues of Babel." Even after settling to his own 

 satisfaction these three conditions of Ruskin it is still a diffi- 

 cult question for a young man to determine what should be 



