The University daily. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 18??-????, 1893-06-13


cerned one may bespardoned fol be.
ing skeptical Of the success of the
modern lawyer II The middleagesI
when the clergy were The learned
and the Importers # learning to the
young, the knowledge Of the world
being more limited than at present,
to enter into polite conversation il
was necessary to be eonyersant with
the writings and teachings Of the
Greek and Roman philosophers and
poets. To-day man who cannot
speak intelligently ofthe latest ad-
ditions to scientific knowledge. who
knows no more about i dynamo than
a Malay or piekaninny who cannot
intelligently discuss the the various
theories Of evolution, astronomy,
aerial navigation Or other inyestiga-
tions ia the domain of scientific re-.
search, is not to be considered at
all among the active spirits who con-
troll the destinies OF nations. All
knowledge is additive, but only Ger
tain knowledge is essential How
ever he who can imbibe and assimi-
late the greatest amount Of literary
or scientific knowledge must neces-
sarily befthe peer of his fellow man.
In philosophy, in rhetorie,fi n poetry
the Greeks are our masters, but in
mathematics, in physics, and in fact
in all departments of science their
ideas and notions were crude and in
many instances ridiculous IT. is
true that in some departments Of
mechanics the Romans attained
great excellence asseyidenced by the
remains Of their magnificent works
Of engineering and architecture
which are to-day visible monuments
Of their skill. But in most instances
so great was the score of the So
called ''learned professions for all
that related to science that the very
names. of those imperial architects
were suffered to be forgotten. 1t
was not until the great revival of
learning and reformation Of science
in the. 18th and 10Th centuries that
the discovered. scientific facts be-
came to be systematically recorded
and from thai era dates the begin
ming OF the modern wonderful ex-
pansion of thought throughout the
domain ofhuman investigator and
TO day, rs suggested by the most
eminent physicist Of his time, rhe
engineer orarcMtect who builds with
a knowledge Of the scientific princi
piles which underlie and regulate the
results Of his operations rises o.the
dignity Of a sage. L wilin attempt
to draw a comparison between the
efforts that are required by members
OF the various professions to prepqre
. . . = . .
themselyes for their life work, suffice
it 10 say that. the preliminary train
ing Of the engineer covers q loneer
penod OF time and embraces lnvesti-
gah0n into more branches OF human
knowledge than is required Of. a can
didate for any other profession
Thus to be a successful engineer
does not require that one
should be able to note the
poems Of Homer or tell of
OF the Fate oil Arethusa, but that he
should be an intelligent interpreter
of 7he Jaws If nature, and thar above
all Things he should know his fellow
man. Like the lawyer, or docter. OF
clergyrkan, the eneineers education
is mot finished when he goes forth
from the classic halls of his alma
mater 1t has just begun The
many and frequent additions to
scientific facts often change what
has been common practic into new
and better methodS. The growth
of technical literature during the
past half century has even been
greater than thesgrowth Of the pro
fession itself. And so like the law
yer or doctor the engineer has his
own professional library, the results
of the literary efforts of men. oil
science in all times and in all ages.
The profession of engineering has
come to stay, and on the benefits To
mankind conferred on the bringing
Of man in touch with his fellow man;
on the creating Of new civilization
we claim for engineering the title 81
The Learned Profession. I
H. B. D.
S< =.%1sB
Andrew D. White, ex president oil
Cornell University, writes: Let
me say that / never knew a young
student to smoke cigaretts who did