JULT 22, 1904.] 



SCIENCE. 



103 



more than one direction. He must study 

 language, mathematics, science, philosophy, 

 not for knowledge only, but for discipline. 

 If these requirements, which, I confess, 

 have a large personal equation, are neces- 

 sary to produce education, does a technical 

 course educate? Perhaps it would be 

 proper first to inquire : do our colleges and 

 universities educate? Do they teach their 

 students to know, to search, to think? 

 Have they not gone too far in the direction 

 of allowing any man to study anything? 

 But it is the technical school and not the 

 college which is under discussion. The 

 technical school is a professional school and 

 its duty is to train its students for active 

 professional life. It is not a university 

 nor a college. Its aims and its methods 

 are different from either. Its business is 

 to teach, and if it does not teach, it has no 

 excuse for existence. In a university, the 

 faculty are expected to do little teaching 

 and much research work; in a technical 

 school they are expected to do much teach- 

 ing and little research work. Research and 

 expert work are advisable to a limited ex- 

 tent — limited, however, only by the time 

 and strength the instructor has left after 

 his regular work is done. They should be 

 encouraged by the authorities in every pos- 

 sible way under the above restrictions. 

 Research work is the legitimate outcome of 

 learning to think. He who possesses the 

 power will find ways and means to use it. 

 Coal burned in our furnaces yields but a 

 fraction of its energy in useful work; the 

 sun's rays shining upon the roofs of our 

 manufactories have stored up energy 

 enough to light and heat the buildings and 

 to operate all the machinery within, but 

 we use none of it. Surely there is oppor- 

 tunity for original work by the engineer. 

 The community has a right to demand that 

 the professor in a technical school shall do 

 expert work. The knowledge he possesses, 

 the laboratories and apparatus at his com- 



mand should be for the use of the com- 

 munity whenever this will not interfere 

 with his first duty as a teacher. 



Engineering is a learned profession. 

 Schools of law, medicine and theology do 

 not attempt to give a broad education. 

 They either require a liberal training for 

 admission or they admit students from the 

 secondary schools. In both cases the 

 course of study is the same. The engineer- 

 ing student usually comes directly from the 

 secondary school. It would be possible to 

 give him drawing and shop-work at once, 

 to furnish him with tables and empirical 

 formulas and have him begin technical 

 work immediately. But this would make 

 him a mere machine and not an educated 

 engineer. The technical schools recognize 

 that they are training for a learned pro- 

 fession and require the students to give the 

 greater part of their time for two years to 

 liberal studies. The purpose of the Roman 

 schools was utilitarian," but they furnished 

 a sound training. The purpose of the 

 technical schools is likewise utilitarian, but 

 they give a broad and liberal education as 

 far as they go. English is thoroughly 

 taught during the time devoted to it. The 

 training in modern languages is good, 

 although its chief aim is to teach the stu- 

 dents io read scientific books and period- 

 icals. Mathematics is thoroughtly taught ; 

 it has to be for it is the basis of all engi- 

 neering work. Physics and chemistry are 

 required to a greater extent than in any 

 college. Economics is required in some and 

 offered as an elective in many others. The 

 technical student is taught to search. 

 Books of reference, periodical literature, 

 proceedings of societies and government re- 

 ports are made a part of his education. 

 And an effort is made to teach him to think. 

 The connection between theory and prac- 

 tice can only be learned by vigorous mental 

 effort. It is only by right thinking along 

 scientific and mathematical lines that the 



