Septebibee 13, 1901.] 



SCIENCE. 



391 



technical colleges. For this department ex- 

 tensive laboratory practice is recommended 

 and thorough drill in the methods of testing 

 properties of matter and in investigational 

 work. Dr. Gray — as indeed every member 

 of the advisory board — thoroughly agrees 

 Trith Dr. Barker that apparatus should not 

 be merely toys, that they must subserve 

 some real purpose in the activities of life. 

 As Dr. Barker puts it : " Where shall we 

 draw the line between a testing machine 

 and a cohesion apparatus — between a calor- 

 imeter of a pint capacity (an apparatus) 

 and one of 100 gallons (a machine)," etc. 



Dr. Gray suggests that this course might 

 be of three years' duration and that fees 

 be charged. Deserving students unable to 

 bear the expense could possibly be pro- 

 vided with scholarships. Original research 

 should be a prominent feature in this higher 

 college. 



Dr. Thurston's report to the committee 

 is an exhaustive one, covering every phase 

 of technical education, and as the commis- 

 sion will have it printed in full with the re- 

 ports of other members of the board, I 

 shall only give a few of the salient points 

 in his paper. 



Dr. Thurston assumes that the purpose 

 of the institute will be primarily the useful 

 education and technical training of the 

 young people of Pittsburg, and especially of 

 those belonging to the great body of wage 

 earners, and that both sexes are, if practi- 

 cable, to be equally well cared for. He 

 divides these into two classes: (a) Those 

 who can come to the instructor and give their 

 time as required to study, to lectures and 

 to recitations, and (&) those who are com- 

 pelled to work during the working hours of 

 the establishments in which they are em- 

 ployed and can only be given instruction 

 outside during the evening hours, usually 

 in evening classes. 



Dr. Thurston asks : " Is it practicable to 

 carry into effect that ambition of every tech- 



nical education, so admirably pictured by 

 Scott Russell, ' the Technical University on 

 the lines of which Ezra Cornell would have 

 approved, where any man could secure in- 

 struction in any study in such departments 

 as are capable of being utilized practicably 

 in the sequel of life. It is obvious that 

 could such an institution be founded, and 

 thus the noble example be furnished in full 

 perfection, and a standard thus provided 

 by which to measure, the establishment of 

 this complete and perfect model would, very 

 probably, advance the cause of useful edu- 

 cation of the people, for the life and work 

 of the people for many years. It is pos- 

 sible that the opportunity is here and now 

 presented, and that, lost, it may not recur 

 again.' " 



The opportunity is one not simply to pro- 

 vide education of the most imperatively 

 needed sort for the youth of Pittsburg, but 

 it is an opportunity to establish a model of 

 the most perfect and most widely useful 

 institution of learning that has been con- 

 ceived, and that shall, by force of example 

 establish a standard and promote the most 

 complete and perfect system of technical 

 and liberal education anywhere. 



The general scheme laid out for the great 

 technical school by Dr. Thurston is as fol- 

 lows : 



(a) The college of mechanical engineering and the 

 mechanic arts, with eight different departments of 

 mechanical engineering. 



(6) The college of civil engineering — with six de- 

 partments. 



( e ) The college of architecture with three depart- 

 ments. 



{(l) The college of mines and metallurgy with two 

 departments. 



(e) The college of agriculture with six departments. 



(/) The college of applied chemistry with four 

 departments. 



(g) The college of physics with two departments. 



(A) The college of fine arts with three depart- 

 ments. 



(j) The college of the business man with four de- 

 partments. 



