Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-03-07
RAILWAY EDUCATION.

Railway business har developed into a
science, and in Yale College its study has
been added to the curriculum under these
general heads: l. History of the trans
portation system of the United States.
2. Railroad business methods and their
effects upon the community. 8. Foreign
railroads and railroad legislation 4. Rail
road legislation in the United States.
These branches include the study and
analysis of the transportation statistics re-
Iating to roads and waterways, fast freight
lines, trunk line contests and pools, etc
Also the special characteristics of railroad
business, accounts, reports, rates, classified
lion, discrimination, the principle of
charging what the traffic will bear as q
right, but subject to abuse; reductions in
rates and how effected, competitive ratee,
speculative railroad building and manage
nent parallel roads, construction compa-
mics, subsidiary corporations comparison Of
English and American railroad ser
vice, European railroad history, State
and private ownership, subsidies and
hand grants, Railroad Commissions, pro-
posed Congressional legislation, etc, etc
The students in the course are TO read
Adams on Railroads, their origin and
problems; Farrer on the State in its Rela-
ton to Trade; Strne on Railroad Pool
ings and Determinations Blacks Letter
30 the New York Chamber Of Commerce;
Fink's Argument before the House Com
mittec on Commerce, January, 1884, and
tbe letters Of Fink and White on the ques-
ton OF !,ooling. We are not prepared to
say that this action on the part Of Col
legiate authorities viii be productive Of
great results. They cannot expect to
small" railroad men by courses Of in
strnltiyn. They can enlarge technical
knowledge upon the economic questions of
transportation and generally impart in
formation regarding railway management,
and systcmetize methods of treating it,
but the true school Of the railroad manager
Is in actual experience. 1t will be for the
highc-t benefit OF the country when rail
roadin- and transportation comes 70 be
xeueva}ly recognized as science in business,
for It is susceptible Of the application
Of scientific methods. When this is the
condition Of the general intelligence of
the country the political phases Of rail
reading will, as they should, disappear.
But Is it not a long look ahead to forecast
the time when, under ON form OF govern
nent, the politician and the demagogue
will cease 10 make railroading the object
Of tamDering and assault and the means
Of accom- iishing ends having iegitimately
no relation to the business? Eventually
the scientific application of business meth
DDS to the transportation question will be
accepted by the people as the supremacy
right rules of action and Judgment. 50
far as collegiate consideration of the cues
tions involved VIII go toward preparing
the pAblic for this it viii do good, but rail
road men are not 10 be made in colleges
any more than journalists can be manu-
featured in universities. a railway
education may be aided in a
preparatory sense by a course of study, but
theoretical knowledge will not be sufficient
for its completion There is one phase of
Ihe matter which deserves attention-the
recognition this action by Yale gives to
oondu of railway business as an i'm
portant factor in the prosperity of the
country. The Am.rieaa Railroad JotrnaI,
which is more hopeful of practical results
Esom this addendum to collegiate course