ADDEESS. y 



various illustrations of the civil engineer's pursuits, introduces this preg- 

 nant sentence : — 



' This is, however, only a brief sketch of the objects of civil engineer- 

 ing ; the real extent to which it may be applied is limited only by the 

 progress of science ; its scope and utility will be increased with every 

 discovery in philosophy, and its resources with every invention in 

 mechanical or chemical art, since its bounds are unlimited, and equally 

 so must be the researches of its professors.' 



' The art of directing the great sources of power in Nature for the use 

 and convenience of man.' Among all secular pursuits, can there be 

 imagined one more vast in its scope, more beneficent, and therefore more 

 honourable, than this ? There are those, I know — hundreds, thousands — 

 who say that such pursuits are not to be named as on a par with those 

 of literature; that there is nothing ennobling in them; nothing elevating; 

 that they are of the earth, earthy; are mechanical, and are unintellectual, 

 and that even the mere bookworm, who, content with storing his own 

 mind, neither distributes those stores to others nor himself originates, is 

 more worthily occupied than is the civil engineer. 



I deny this altogether, and, while acknowledging, with gratitude, that, 

 in literature, the masterpieces of master minds have afforded, and will 

 afford, instruction, delight, and solace for all generations, so long as 

 civilisation endures, I say that the pursuits of civil engineering are 

 worthy of occupying the highest intelligence, and that they are elevating 

 and ennobling in their character. 



Remember the kindly words of Sir Thomas Browne, who said, when 

 condemning the uncharitable conduct of the mere bookworm, ' I make 

 not, therefore, my head a grave, but a treasure of knowledge, and study 

 not for mine own sake only, but for those who study not for themselves.' 

 The engineer of the present day finds that he must not make his ' head 

 a grave,' but that, if he wishes to succeed, he must have, and must 

 exercise, scientific knowledge ; and he realises daily the truth that 

 those who are to come after him must be trained in science, so that they 

 may readily appreciate the full value of each scientific discovery as it is 

 made. Thus the application of science by the engineer not only stimu- 

 lates those who pursue science, but adds him to their number. 



Holding, as I have said I do, the view that he who displaces unintelli- 

 gent labour is doing good to mankind, I claim for the unknown engineer 

 who, in Pontus, established the first water-wheel of which we have a record, 

 and for the equally unknown engineer who first made use of wind for a 

 motor, the title of pioneers in the raising of the dignity of labour, by 

 compelling the change from the non-intelligent to the intelligent. 



With respect to these motors — wind and water — we have two proverbs 

 which discredit them : ' Fickle as the wind,' ' Unstable as water.' 



Something more trustworthy was needed — something that we were 

 sure of having under our hands at all times. As a result, Science was 



