30 EDUCATION IN FORESTRY. 



the usual amount of mathematics and science, he should be thoroughly pre- 

 pared to take a graduate course in forestry to the extent desired. Such men 

 would not only have a breadth of vision and understanding of actions and 

 reactions and acquaintance with economic laws; they would elevate the whole 

 profession. In addition they would certainly become leaders of thought and 

 molders of sentiment in their various communities along broader lines than 

 forestry. They would possess a tolerance, a philosophy, resources of mind that 

 would make them delightful companions, well-balanced as to soul, able to 

 maintain forestry upon a high plane, which is the ambition of every member 

 of the profession. 



Such is the kind of preparation for our profession that should be encouraged 

 in cases where time, funds, and necessary patience are present. The broad 

 vision which characterized the early plans of the forestry movement in America 

 is but a reflection of the liberal education of the leaders of forestry at that time. 

 That the value of the broad cultural education is shared by others can be 

 proven by experience of men teaching science* and men employing engineers 

 in an executive capacity.* 



We regret a change in the entrance requirements of the Yale School of For- 

 estry making prerequisite some sciences and other subjects like mechanical 

 drawing, which makes entrance difficult for B. A. men receiving diplomas from 

 such colleges as Amherst, Williams, and Bowdoin. While it is true that most 

 of these subjects with the possible exception of mechanical drawing can be 

 obtained in our classical colleges, the preforestry course would have to be 

 carefully planned. 



To us at Syracuse the problem seems different. We do not give a professional 

 degree at the end of four years. We award the straight bachelor of science 

 degree. In addition we consider the men who go into the industries as mere 

 four-year apprentices, and want it clearly understood that no graduate is 

 considered a technical forester until he has received a master's degree. 



The war changed many things. Not only did it stimulate educational activi- 

 ties, as the increased enrollment in all our colleges and technical schools proves, 

 but it increased the impatience and the restlessness of the American student, 

 never inclined to prolonged study and patient preparation evidenced by students 

 at continental universities. Always eager, anxious to get into life as soon as 

 possible, the average American student now demands all the short cuts pos- 

 sible. To such men, and probably they are in the majority, the four years of 

 cultural study, plus two to three years of graduate work, is out of the question 

 both from temperamental and financial reasons. Institutions of learning must 

 plan to meet the situation which exists, all the while hoping and planning to 

 change conditions and provide for more prolonged instruction men who are 

 to be leaders in research. Another factor which enters into the educational 



2 A prominent botanist who for many years has carried on research along lines of forest 

 pathology, himself a graduate of one of the leading State colleges and the recipient of a 

 doctorate from a German university, told me that in his earlier years he had scoffed at 

 the theory that a liberal education gave better mental discipline than science. After 15 

 years of graduate instruction, during which time he had opportunities to compare men 

 from a near-by classical college specializing in botany and forest pathology, wkh holders 

 of a B. S. degree whom he himself had taught, the conclusion was forced upon him that 

 the men with liberal education made greater headway, had more poise, greater self-reliance 

 and initiative in attacking new problems than the men trained in science alone. 



3 The president of one of the largest manufacturing concerns in central New York, 

 employing in its many plants and departments engineers from practically every technical 

 school of standing, was asked what he considered the best preliminary education for an 

 engineer. His reply came back instantly, " One of the prerequisites for a broad-gauge 

 engineer who will serve later as an executive is a thorough knowledge of Latin." 



