106 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XXIV. No. 604. 



ing graduates of the institute, to make no 

 mention of an equal number who have 

 spent more or less time at the institute, 

 but who have not taken a degree, so that 

 at the lowest computation the work of the 

 institute since its incorporation, if meas- 

 ured in dollars and cents alone, would 

 represent a capitalization of over $34,000,- 

 000. This represents merely a capitaliza- 

 tion of the increased earning power of our 

 graduates and takes no account of the en- 

 terprises which they have developed and 

 which they direct, which would easily make 

 the pecuniary measure of the contribution 

 of our graduates to the world's assets a 

 sum not less than $50,000,000. 



Let us see if on this basis the state, the 

 county and the city have not been great 

 gainers by reason of the work of this in- 

 stitution. 



The commonwealth from the earliest 

 time has aided the cause of education, but 

 has now withdrawn pecuniary aid from all 

 the higher institutions of learning except- 

 ing from the three schools within her 

 borders which are occupied with the prob- 

 lem of technical education, namely, the 

 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the 

 Agricultural College at Amherst and the 

 Polytechnic Institute at Worcester. To 

 this school the commonwealth has given the 

 sum of $200,000 in cash and makes an an- 

 nual payment of $10,000 in consideration 

 of which the institute educates 40 students 

 who pay no tuition, at an expense to the 

 institute of over $12,000 annually. But 

 this by no means measures the benefit con- 

 ferred by the school upon the state. 



There are now engaged in active life in 

 this commonwealth 397 of our graduates 

 w^hich represents directly and indirectly a 

 wealth-creating power represented by a 

 capitalization of approximately $20,000,- 

 000, against which may be set the $225,000 

 which has been received from the common- 



wealth during the period, making the bal- 

 ance against the commonwealth a consider- 

 able one. There are now engaged in 

 active life in this county 214 of our grad- 

 uates who represent directly and indirectly 

 a wealth-creating power represented by a 

 capitalization of $10,000,000. Certainly 

 Mr. Boynton's gift of $100,000 for the 

 benefit of the youth of Worcester County 

 has borne fruit at least an hundred fold. 

 There are now engaged in active life in the 

 city of Worcester 17,3 of our graduates, 

 representing upon the basis we have 

 adopted a capitalization of $8,750,000. 



Including the recent gift and bequest of 

 Mr. Salisbury, the value of all our prop- 

 erty, real and personal, is in round num- 

 bera $1,300,000, of which $1,000,000 has 

 been contributed by citizens of Worcester. 

 What a rich return upon the investment! 



In addition to this, the institute, at an 

 annual expense of about $300 per student, 

 is educating at the present time over 100 

 Worcester boys a year, for which is paid 

 the regular tuition of $160 per year, which 

 equals but little more than one half of the 

 cost, so that the institute is contributing to 

 the youth of the city educational advan- 

 tages which cost it $15,000 annually. Is 

 there not abundant reason for the belief 

 that when the need arises the citizens of 

 Worcester will contribute generously to the 

 funds of the institute? 



Worcester is peculiarly dependent upon 

 the brains of her people for her prosperity, 

 much of which is due to our technically 

 trained men who are directing the indus- 

 trial affairs of the city, and upon whom the 

 city must largely depend for future pros- 

 perity. Such in brief is the debt of the 

 state, the county and the city to the school. 



Since its organization something over 

 two thousand students have been members 

 of the institute. Eliminating from con- 

 sideration all who did not graduate, the cost 



