68 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXX. No. 759 



knowledge and skill for the use and benefit 

 of others, and not for merely personal ad- 

 vantage. So that a so-called professional 

 man whose sole aim is selfish gain is dis- 

 credited. Hence the famous maxim of 

 Smeaton reveals the true professional in- 

 stinct of the engineer. He said: "The 

 abilities of the individual are a debt which 

 he owes to the common stock of public 

 happiness. ' ' 



Right here we may observe that the most 

 practical product of culture for the engi- 

 neer is literary ability. From the time of 

 Smeaton 's report on the Edystone light- 

 house to the latest papers and articles in 

 our technical publications, the writings of 

 engineers lose nothing, but sometimes gain 

 by comparison with other literature of like 

 kind. Instead of creations of sentiment 

 and fancy the engineer deals with plain 

 facts and procedure; knows exactly what 

 he wants to say; and is only concerned to 

 express himself with brevity and effective- 

 ness. His subject-matter almost naturally 

 leads him to adopt the prime qualities of 

 style. He may be classed with other 

 scientists who, in the words of another, 

 "have caught with remarkably close ear 

 the accents of the English tongue." 



Doubtless this ability must be cultivated ; 

 young graduates do not often have it, for 

 they lack the first essential, that is, having 

 something worth while to say. But they 

 may, and ought to have the preliminary 

 training derived from preparation of re- 

 quired reports on special topics, and the 

 graduating thesis. And many older engi- 

 neers might have more influence and bet- 

 ter professional standing by judicious 

 speech and Avriting. They hesitate to 

 "speak out in meeting," when it is their 

 duty to inform the community on ques- 

 tions of engineering in relation to public 

 affairs. The late Mr. Eads was a forceful 

 writer and speaker; otherwise he never 



would have persuaded Congress to author- 

 ize the construction of the Mississippi 

 (South Pass) jetties against the opposi- 

 tion of those who advocated the ship canal. 



Deficiency in this particular has pre- 

 vented capable and worthy engineers from 

 gaining proper recognition. So long as 

 the majority of engineers are content to 

 take the attitude and play the part merely 

 of the "hired man," so long will capital- 

 ists, lawyers and politicians "run the 

 business" and dictate terms to those who, 

 by their special knowledge and skill, are 

 entitled at least to equal voice in the 

 council, and often to direction of affairs. 



The society or congress referred to has 

 appointed committees of investigation 

 which have made extended inquiries and 

 rendered reports ; vital questions of general 

 policy and methods have been discussed; 

 and much attention given to details of 

 courses and subjects of instruction. A 

 very brief statement of some of their 

 findings will make the present situation 

 more apparent, and elucidate our theme. 



1. Entrance Requirements were formu- 

 lated by a committee which made the ideal 

 too high. In mathematics, they included 

 much of what is known as higher algebra, 

 advanced trigonometry, and facility in use 

 of logarithms; also a wide range of phys- 

 ics and chemistry and extensive work in 

 modern languages. Here was manifest the 

 influence of the extreme dictation of the 

 colleges and universities to the secondary 

 schools. The protest of the latter has be- 

 come very loud, both in teachers' conven- 

 tions and in current periodicals. Studies 

 that belong in college, perhaps to the ex- 

 tent of half a year of time, are crowded 

 back upon the high schools and academies, 

 which can not properly do the work, both 

 because of inadequate teaching force and 

 immaturity of many of the scholars. A 

 writer in a leading magazine for May has 



