74 



SCIENCE 



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



It is a platitude that the example of the 

 technical schools has revolutionized the 

 programs of the older colleges within a 

 generation; and that their students are 

 prompted to strenuous endeavor, such as is 

 unusual among students in the general 

 courses. Indeed, one college president has 

 commonly said to young men about to 

 enter the engineering courses that they are 

 expected to do about a third more work 

 than the other students. 



Nevertheless, as we have already noticed, 

 there is much questioning of results in and 

 among the engineering schools, and doubt- 

 less room for improvement. Each institu- 

 tion has its peculiar situation and its own 

 pi'oblem. The individuality, determined 

 by past history, traditions, resources, 

 equipment, specific aims, personnel of the 

 instructors and acquired momentum, must 

 persist. We can not entirely harmonize 

 ideals or secure uniformity in results. 

 But all schools and their teachers may 

 share in certain practicable ideals and 

 some possible results which we may term 

 characteristics of the best technical educa- 

 tion. 



In this aspect of our subject we may 

 premise a broader definition, to wit: 

 Technical education is a course of instruc- 

 tion (including suitable training) which 

 will best prepare a man to adjust himself 

 to his future opportunities in technical 

 pursuits. Usually the man can not choose 

 as he would; only a few find ideal oppor- 

 tunities after graduation. Most men do 

 not find themselves until they face the re- 

 sponsibilities of their vocation. Hence the 

 unwisdom of trying to make choices (or 

 elect) too closely within the jurisdiction 

 of the school. There should be, above all, 

 a readiness to face the vicissitudes of 

 choice afterwards. 



A first and indispensable characteristic 

 is thoroughness. "Whatever is worth do- 



ing at all is worth doing well." If you 

 say this is an admitted maxim of life in 

 any business, we reply that it is system- 

 atically violated in the whole range of 

 American education, from the bottom up. 

 There is a woful lack of sanity in over- 

 doing the schooling all along the line, and 

 too little thoroughness anywhere. 



We develop this characteristic by living 

 up to certain principles of action. Among 

 these we specify {a) : A man must check 

 his work. Here is a marked contrast to 

 some literary training. It is not enough 

 for the man to suppose results to be right, 

 when he hands them in; he must know 

 that they are right. In leveling, he must 

 close on his benches within the allowed 

 limit of error; in other surveys, he must 

 close his circuits; in the shop, every piece 

 of his work must pass the tests of the 

 gauges. In the draughting room, every 

 computation must be proved by himself or 

 another, and every drawing verified by 

 methods which he can apply for himself, 

 so that he can confidently invite any scru- 

 tiny. Such training makes the man sure of 

 himself, and develops the sense of personal 

 responsibility. This is so elementary as al- 

 most to need no statement, yet right here 

 has been much complaint from the prac- 

 ticians. They say that in the attempt to 

 cover too much ground, the schools do not 

 teach the men to do their work well; that 

 the young graduate makes many mistakes; 

 that he does not check his results ; that he 

 does not keep a neat note book, or have 

 care enough to take sufficiently complete 

 notes ; that he is not sure of himself in use 

 of instruments, and can not be trusted to 

 go ahead without supervision. There is no 

 exciise for this; such fundamental train- 

 ing is the business of the school; whatever 

 else is done, this must not be left undone. 



As a case in point, a yomng man, out of 

 college for an intermediate year of prae- 



