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



IT has been said tina, IL The mid
die ages three volumes contained III
the knowledge extanl At that period
81 time, To-day the twenty four
tremendous volumes Of the encyclos
pedia 40 not pretend to contain half
the collected facts Of the world.
The question may Be asked, lin what
department Of human endeayor has
taken place this enormous increase
Of recorded factsp We would nn-
hesitatingly SAY that in the depart
ment of human investigation which
is included ID. the term engineering
there has been the greatest develop
ment The term engineering is IN
derstood to include an branches of
scientific investigation concerning.
inorganic matter. Ethnology tells us
that there IRE four distinct phases
through which nations pass ere they
reach the lofty attitudes Of ciyiliza.
ton, viz: hunting and fishing, tend
ing Of focks, agriculture and indus
try, which may be classified in the.
order named as means Of producing
food. In fact our civilization is the
result Of efforts to produce more food
for more men, better food for every
man. h.
"A simple calculation will show
that all the available land on the
entire earth would not support more
than fifteen millions of Indians; and
yet the present census Of the aggre-
gate population Of all countries
shows the enormous number Of four
teen hundred millions Of human be
ings! This remarkable difference in
numbers is due to the fact that by,
cultivation q given area will support
a much greater population than
when in wild condition. AS popu-.
lation increased apd human needs
became more urgent man had no
other recourse but to apply his in.
genuits to the problem Of producing
more food at cheaper rates. Driven
! y . hL.z5 80 /. q VI ts.
by starvation from his nomad con
d1tion he commenced TO til the soil
which change brought with it de
mands for implements and means OF
transportation. We thus come to.
the period of husbandmen, where
man ceased his wanderings, and
commenced to lay the foundation Of
those imperial governments whose
histories make up the history OF
civilization. With the advent Of
steam and electricity as our great
mechanical agents we come the
period Of large cities, those human
ant-hills which now cover the earth,
each a government within itself; in
part maker Of it own laws. 1t is
thus made necessary by the distri.
button Of population tfat the supply
Of food products, such as grain, meat
and water { ,uld be sufficient, con
slant and sure Thus there has
arisen the great demands for trans
portation facilities that haze had
their greatest impetus in our day.
and those steam engines that now.
cover the land and the seahave been
the means Of bringing all portions
of the world into close communion,
to say nothing of those flashing
waves Of lightning that circle the
globe in a few seconds, carry mes
sages of fortune or disaster to races
Of mankind which inhabit The globe.
Tosthe engineer we owe these vast
and wonderful discoveries. The
history Of the engineer is woven in
the history Of our civilization. The
one 10 the counterpart Of the other.
The evolution Of the engineer from
the primitive mechanic is more
nearly related to the progress of
civilization than is the evolution of
the representative Of any other pro
fession. And thus we see that tile
engineer is no parasite on society.
( The conditions of civilization have
demanded his presence, or rather, he
has made our civilization what it is.
He has rendered all portions Of the
globe Sinhabitable! He has been
the pioneer in every development!
Asa distinct profession engineering
may not beas old as the law or medi-
cine; for law is anterior to justice.
For since civil law in it's origin was
a custom meeting some particular
want, 80 the lawyer found employ
ment when the community became
sO|nnmerous that it was found con-
venient to delegate the peoples au,
thority. It is true that ut that per-
- a. 4 Il S.