G.— ENGINEERING 143 



combatants. Then ensues that apotheosis of wicked absurdity which 

 was to be seen in Switzerland during the Great War. A works normally- 

 devoted to machinery for the preparation of cereals, consisted of two long 

 bays. Up and down one bay went the inspectors of the Central Powers, 

 checking the production of their shells. Up and down the other bay 

 walked the inspectors of the Allies on similar work for their countrymen. 

 And this ironical madness still exists ; for only a few weeks ago I received 

 a letter from an old student, which contains the following sentence : ' The 

 torpedo works where I am at present working is very busy. We are 

 producing these instruments of war for most of the European nations, 

 and, as far as I can gather, the works will be up to full capacity for several 

 years.' Verily for the promotion of peace and understanding, engineering 

 easily outclasses every religion ; and for battle, murder, and sudden death 

 it has no equal. 



Status of the Engineer. 



To each nation then, as well as to the world, the activities of the engineer, 

 and the uses to which they are put, are matters of supreme importance. 

 His position in peace and war is very different from that of the devotee 

 of pure science. True, great physicists and great chemists may be called 

 upon in times of emergency, but they then renounce their ordinary occupa- 

 tion to take up employment akin to the normal work of the engineer. At 

 all times, in peace or in war, the engineer must be intimately concerned 

 with human relationships. This fact gives him proportionately greater 

 opportunities both for the development and for the loss of character : 

 his chances of salvation and of damnation are alike increased. For 

 character does not mature in cloisters and exposure is necessary to prove 

 immunity. 



To what extent do his fellow subjects recognise this national im- 

 portance and this difficult dual role ; and to what extent does the engineer 

 abuse his unique position or allow himself to be made the tool of less 

 scrupulous men ? In short, what attitude does this nation adopt towards 

 the engineer, and how does the engineer respond ? 



In any community, the status of an individual should depend upon the 

 extent to which his occupation is fiduciary, upon the measure of responsi- 

 bility which he incurs, and the nature of the services he renders. The 

 doctor is held in esteem largely because his patients are dependent upon 

 his honour and good faith, as well as upon his knowledge and skill. He 

 is in a position of trust as well as of responsibility, and his conduct is 

 expected to be unaffected by the lure of private gain. His motto is, or 

 should be, noblesse oblige, not caveat emptor. On these assumptions, 

 the status accorded to him is deservedly high. It is nationally defined 

 by the General Medical Council and jealously guarded by the British 

 Medical Association and the legal insurance societies. The present 

 period of training for a general practitioner is six to seven years from 

 matriculation. At the end of that time, he steps straight into a great 

 profession with a tradition of noble service and unhesitating devotion to 

 duty. The protection afforded him is proportionately great. He may 



