SCIENCE. 



4i3 



SCIENCE: 



A Weekly Record of Scientific 

 Prog r ess. 



JOHN MICHELS, Editor. 



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Published at 

 TRIBUNE BUILDING, NEW YORK. 

 P. O. Box 3838 



SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1881. 



The attempt to utilize compressed air as a motive 

 power for street cars in cities, appears to have been 

 most unsuccessful. About four years since, a com- 

 pany was organized in New York city for the purpose 

 of building street cars on the pneumatic system, 

 capable of replacing those drawn by horse power, 

 and about the early part of April, 1878, a passenger 

 car propelled by compressed air was running on the 

 Second avenue, New York, between 63d and 93d 

 streets. 



The experiment was considered perfectly satisfac- 

 tory for a first attempt, as the cars performed their 

 work admirably; and the public press and various 

 eminent engineers considered the problem solved. 

 There was, however, an essential element of success 

 that was wanted, which appeared insignificant at the 

 time, but which proved fatal to the whole scheme. 

 This was a failure on the part of the engineers to 

 design machinery which should be constant in its 

 working, requiring little attention from the driver. 



It was supposed that in building future composite 

 pneumatic engine cars these defects could be 

 remedied. But when the six cars built on this- 

 principle were placed on trial, the same trouble was 

 experienced, and the experiment was abandoned, 

 causing a considerable pecuniary loss to the promoters 

 of the company. 



The Pneumatic Tramway Engine Company, un- 

 daunted by past losses and failures, have renewed 

 their efforts, and have recently constructed a pneu- 

 matic traction engine, which we understand will be 

 immediately placed on trial on one of the New York 

 elevated railroads. The successful working of Elec- 

 tric Railway Engines has probably increased the 

 difficulties of those who are advocating the use of 



compressed air as a motive power. In the absence of 

 smoke, odor, noise and cinders, both the electric and 

 compressed air systems have many advantages over 

 steam for elevated railroads, and the question of 

 economy wiil probably decide which system shall be 

 finally accepted. At the present moment all the 

 advantages appear to be in favor of the electric 

 railways for use within city limits, and it is probably 

 a mere matter of time, for all the New York elevated 

 railroads to be running their trains by this system. 



THE STATE AND HIGHER EDUCATION.* 

 By Professor N. H. Winchell. 



The incentive to the following address appears to have 

 been certain remarks made officially by President John 

 of Hamline University, who considered that " higher edu- 

 cation should not be under the control of the State," and 

 that the design of the State Colleges has been a conspic- 

 uous and universally acknowledged failure. 



In the first part of the paper Professor Winchell pre- 

 sents an historical sketch of the circumstances, the result 

 of which was " that the State finds itself in the conduct of 

 systematic education." 



After tracing the progress of education in Europe he 

 states : 



Thus we find that none of the old universities, except 

 when under the control of the government, and some- 

 times not even then, have been willing to modify their cur- 

 ricula in compliance with the demands and spirit of the 

 age. If they have done it, as more lately at Oxford Uni- 

 versity, it is only after the force of public sentiment has 

 been able to batter down the walls of prejudice and con- 

 ceit with which they have been surrounded. During this 

 whole conflict throughout Europe the Church, in its va- 

 rious forms, but particularly the Roman church, instead 

 of being the champion and refuge of free thought and 

 free knowledge, has been the most powerful obstacle to 

 its progress, and has persistently opposed every movement 

 to introduce the means for disseminating useful knowledge 

 among the people. The heat of the conflict is passed. 

 The tide has set in the right direction. The old universi- 

 ties perceive the triumph of modern science. European 

 governments are unanimously striving for the establish- 

 ment of modern schools of science on the broadest foun- 

 dations, and equipping them with the fullest appliances. 



Now let us turn to America, and inquire how this his- 

 tory has been mirrored on our institutions of higher 

 learning. 



In the first place the church colleges that arose in this 

 country prior to 1824, or even later, were modeled after 

 the mediaeval universities of Oxford and Cambridge, so far 

 as they expanded into the dimensions of a university. For 

 the most part they were simply colleges of classical lore, 

 with but one course of study, aiming specifically, at first, 

 to educate young men for the clerical profession. As they 

 were born of the English universities, so they inherited 

 their mediaeval narrowness and bigotry. As the early 

 church had grappled with Copernicus and Galileo, and had 

 been worsted, so the later church would grapple with every- 

 thing that bore a resemblance to or intimation of any new 

 fangled notions of nature. Although the world had made 

 wonderful strides in human knowledge, the colleges shut 

 their eyes and ears to the change. The age demanded 

 education in the great industries that characterize modern 

 society, but could get only that of the age of Elizabeth. 

 As modern science and civilization began to buzz about 

 their doors, they drew themselves within their shells, af- 

 frighted, like snails. Having none of the elements of the 



* Delivered before the Minnesota Academy of Natural Sciences, Jan. 

 1881. 



