842 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIII. No. 857 



tional training for a continuous period of 

 fifteen to seventeen years, during which 

 there has been a constant (but sometimes 

 unwise) increase in the pressure put upon 

 them to cover more ground. Is it strange 

 that they have lacked an opportunity to 

 sort their immense stock, or to become 

 familiar with it? They are, I think, en- 

 titled to charitable consideration for a 

 time after entering their vocation, but if, 

 as a class, they are deficient after three 

 years, the criticism of them or of their 

 training certainly becomes valid. 



The public has a right to look to the 

 engineering schools for sound instruction 

 in fundamentals, including, of course, phys- 

 ics and chemistry, as well as the mathe- 

 matics and drawing which must form a 

 part of the equipment of every competent 

 engineer. In addition, they may demand 

 that the fundamental principles and some- 

 thing of the technique of those subjects 

 which are of general application within a 

 given profession shall be thoroughly 

 taught, and that this shall be done with 

 reference to development of power and the 

 inculcation of useful habits, rather than 

 the mere acquisition of information. While 

 this is a demand which no engineering 

 school would desire to evade, let us recog- 

 nize that it is, of itself, no light task to ac- 

 complish. 



But in our epitome of the distinctly suc- 

 cessful engineer of maturer years was in- 

 cluded ireadth of knowledge within and 

 without his profession, the quality of lead- 

 ership, which means power of initiative 

 and a knowledge of men, and the ability 

 and inclination to fulfill the requirements 

 of good citizenship. Are the graduates 

 from the engineering schools, as a class, in 

 line to develop thus symmetrically? Let 

 us admit again that many are not and that 

 that is the occasion of the general charge 

 of "narrowness" and inadequacy which is 



directed against our courses. But here 

 again I venture to assert — not, however, in 

 a spirit of complacency — that the situation 

 is more complex than is generally admitted, 

 and that there is a good deal that is en- 

 couraging in the situation. Recall once 

 more how short a time it is since the engi- 

 neer has occupied a position in the com- 

 munity which is recognized to be of equal 

 dignity with that of the so-called learned 

 professions, and recall how recent is that 

 evolution of our industrial system which 

 has as its most important feature the rec- 

 ognition of the fact that the engineer and 

 the financier, if not combined in the same 

 individual, must be on a parity with re- 

 spect to influence and authority, if effi- 

 ciency — the watchword of the hour — is to 

 result. Is there not cause for congratula- 

 tion that some have been found in the engi- 

 neering ranks capable of meeting this sur- 

 prising increase of responsibility rather 

 than ground on which to pronounce the 

 general result of engineering education a 

 failure, as some seem inclined to do 1 



It is well known that the Massachusetts 

 Institute of Technology endeavors to stand 

 to-day, as it has from its beginning, for the 

 largest measure of breadth of training and 

 education which is compatible with thor- 

 oughness of fundamental scientific instruc- 

 tion. An inspection of its courses as pre- 

 scribed for the various professions shows 

 that, notwithstanding the pressure result- 

 ing from the growth of science and tech- 

 nology, about one eighth of the total hours 

 which a student spends at the institute is 

 devoted to subjects which are cultural 

 studies, using that term to distinguish 

 them from those scientific subjects which 

 may be regarded as tools of trade, al- 

 though many of these, notably such as 

 physics, chemistry, biology or modern 

 languages, if properly taught, will con- 

 tribute much to the cultural development 



