May io, 1906J 



NATURE 



ITi 



Serious English-speaking students of Central 

 American archJEology must know the writings of the 

 distinguished German scholars whose names appear 

 in Bii'llclin 28 under review; but even they will be glad 

 to have these scattered papers translated for more con- 

 venient reference and collected in one volume. Other 

 students who like to know what is being discovered 

 in ihis region will be very thankful to Mr. Bowditch 

 for his enterprise and labour in translating these 

 papers, and to the Smithsonian Institution for placing 

 all this material at their disposal in so convenient a 

 form. On the whole, these papers will be of most 

 value to those who concern themselves with the 

 chronology and history of the Central American 

 peoples; but there is a great deal to interest the 

 general ethnologist, though he will have to search 

 for his material, as most of it is scattered all over the 

 volume in diverse papers. Particularly interesting in 

 this respect are the papers on " Zapotec Priesthood 

 and Ceremonials," " Deities and Religious Conceptions 

 of the Zapotecs," and " Comparative Studies in the 

 l'"ield of Maya Antiquities "; the last paper deals with 

 the clothing, personal decoration, and utensils of the 

 Mayas as illustrated in the manuscripts, or on the 

 monuments or other remains. According to a wide- 

 spread tradition, the Toltecs were the originators of 

 all arts and sciences; and the invention of the calendar 

 is ascribed to them, and we are informed they 

 carried their book with them on their migrations. 

 The calendar is the fount of the Central American 

 sacerdotal wisdom, and the great mass of Mexican 

 and Maya manuscripts is nothing more than an 

 elaboration of this calendric system in respect to its 

 numerical theory, its chronology, and its system of 

 divination. The book is copiously illustrated, and 

 altogether it will form a most welcome addition to 

 the working library of various kinds of students 

 of archeology and ethnology. 



Mr. Swanton gives literal translations of a number 

 of Haida folk-tales obtained on the Queen Charlotte 

 Islands, British Columbia ; this careful piece of work 

 will be much appreciated by folklorists. 



When one looks at the bulk of ethnological matter 

 published by the United States Government, and 

 realises the enormous value to students of these full, 

 accurate, and well-illustrated memoirs, one cannot but 

 feel ashamed of our Government, which, possessing 

 every opportunity and inducement to study and report 

 upon our own native races, does absolutely nothing. 



A. C. Haddon. 



THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING OF THE 

 ENGINEER. 



ENGINEERING in its various branches takes so 

 large and important a part in the industrial 

 activities of modern nations that no pains are too great 

 which will secure for our engineers a suitable and 

 adequate school and college training, supplemented by 

 a judiciously organised scheme of practical work in 

 the shops and drawing office. More especially is this 

 the case in this country, where, owing to the satisfac- 

 tion which has followed previous success, manu- 

 facturers have been insufficiently alive to the fact that 

 for many years other nations have been steadily build- 

 ing up efficient schemes of technical and professional 

 education at the cost of much enterprise and greater 

 self-sacrifice, with the natural result that our 

 supremacy, long undisputed in these spheres of 

 industry, has been undermined, and in some degree 

 wrested from us. 



It is for reasons such as these that the investigations 

 inaugurated and carried out under the auspices of the 

 Institution of Civil Engineers, the results of which are 



NO. 1906, VOL. 74] 



embodied in a rCcent report on the education and train- 

 ing of engineers, are to be welcomed. In November, 

 1903, the council of the Institution appointed a com- 

 mittee to consider and report as to the best methods 

 of training for all classes of engineers, including both 

 scholastic and subsequent technical education, it being 

 a'l instruction of the council that the principle was to 

 be maintained that the education of an engineer must 

 ijiclude both practical experience and scientific train- 

 ing. The constitution of the committee was completed 

 in February, 1904, and owing to the wisdom and 

 breadth of outlook of the council of the Institution of 

 Civil Engineers, accredited representatives of the 

 various institutions of mechanical, electrical, gas, and 

 mining engineers, naval architects, shipbuilders, and 

 others were added to the committee, which under the 

 able chairmanship of Sir William White, K.C.B., 

 F.R.S., was soon actively at work. 



The inquiry, which has extended over more than 

 two years, proceeded under the following sections : 

 (i) Preparatory education in secondary schools; 

 (2) training in offices, workshops, factories, or on 

 works; (3) training in universities and higher technical 

 institutions ; (4) post-graduate work. The investiga- 

 tions under the first heading were entrusted to a sub- 

 commitee, while the committee as a whole undertook 

 the consideration of the questions arising under the re- 

 maining three sections. The inquiries of the committee 

 have been prosecuted by obtaining, sometimes orally 

 though generally by correspondence, the opinions of 

 teachers and professors with experience in erigineer- 

 ing education, and of eminent engineers practising in 

 various branches of the profession. The ultimate 

 result is that, though diversities of opinion' have been 

 disclosed in regard to some details, yet, in all the main 

 features of its recommendations, the committee has 

 support from the great majority of professional 

 engineers as w-ell as of the professors of engineering 

 subjects in our universities and higher technical insti- 

 tutions. 



Prep.aratory Education. 



The subcommittee, entrusted with the work of 

 ascertaining the views of authorities competent to 

 speak concerning the most suitable form of secondary 

 education for boys destined to become engineers, 

 issued a schedule" of questions to 120 representative 

 teachers in engineering colleges, headmasters of 

 secondary schools devoting special attention to scientific 

 training,' and engineers not engaged in teaching. The 

 queries raised in the schedule dealt with such points 

 as the proper age for leaving school, the desirability 

 of a leaving examination for secondary schools, the 

 extent and methods of the teaching — suitable for 

 future engineers — in English subjects, languages, 

 mathematics, science, drawing, and surveying. The 

 schedule of questions raised, in addition, the important 

 subject as to how far schoolboys should have, as a 

 school exercise, practice in ordinary handicraft work, 

 such as carpentry or turning; and to what extent it 

 has been found better to make all " practical " work 

 into laboratory exercises in science. Replies were 

 received from' 80 per cent, of the gentlemen whose 

 opinions were invited, and from these definite conclu- 

 sions were deduced as to the prevailing opinion on 

 the points raised in the schedule of questions. These 

 conclusions were embodied in a report of the sub- 

 committee, which was eventually approved and 

 adopted by the main committee. The following 

 recommendations are the outcome of the exhaustive 

 inquiry. 



A boy intended for the engineering profession should, 

 before leaving school and commencing to specialise, 

 have attained a standard of education equivalent to 

 that recognised by universities for matriculation 



