Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1900-11-24

with the character of man.
~6A
The man with new dynamo is to be
the dominating impellng force in the
industrial development of the coming
century. His hand will be on the lever
in the power house of mechanical pro-
grcss. The currents of power for NOV
ing the worlds business will be sub
ject to his will. The twentieth century,
In fact, Is his. That the next quarter
century promises an era of greater OPP
portunity for the engineer than was
ever presented to representatives of
any single vocation in the history of
the worlds progress Is n proposition
ably defended by Henry s. Pritchett.
president of the Massachusetts 1nsti.
tute of Technology. in The Saturday
Evening Post. Philadelphia. OF the
100000 students who have entered the
college and technical schools of the
country this year a larger proportion
than ever before has turned its face
toward the profession Of the engineer
the profession that Is to apply the prin-
ciples and discoveries and activities of
man. 1t Is obvious. of course. that
electricity will claim the attention of
the major portion of these students.
who are attracted to this science by
the marvellous developments of the past
decade. 1t Is the opinion of electrical
engineers that the application of this
energy to the Industries of men Is only
in its infancy. and that our knowledge
Is small compared to that which will
he evolved through discovery and ex-
perimcntation In the next two decades.
1t Is plainly apparent to any one who
has followed the progress of mechanl.
cal invention In the most cursOry way
that the next quarter century promises
physical development such as no gen
Grafton has ever known. AZ President
Pritchett says: upon our mainland a
vast area of desert land Is to blossom
under the engineers touch. canals are
to be built. cities are to be lighted and
problems Of sanitation are to he
wrought out" Who Il to do this work?
y
lists. the pharmacists or the Latin and
Greek scholars. In all this progress
at home and In the lands across the sea
the trained nginccr--pnrticularl the
man with the dynamo-is to play role
such as he never assumed before since
commerce began.
The United States, which was u coun-
the Civil War, is now rapidly becoming
the country of great cities. by 1880 the
urban tendency had grown 50 marked
that our larger towns outnumbcred
those of the British Isles. We had
twenty-scven cities with population
of more than 100000 each. against the
twen,y.siX of Great Britain and Ire.
land, and we had fifteen against fifteen
containing II population Of more than
100000 each. or course there has been
an increase In the old country since.
but 1t Is equally certain that we have
Increased our lead. or cities of more
than 100000 population It Is possible
that there are now eighteen In Great
Britain and Ireland. while we have
nineteen. and one Of these. Greater
New York. represents combination of
two which counted separately In 1890.
Then, too, our cities OF over 100000
have Increased TO thirty-eight, which
must leave the islands hopelessly In the
rear. The towns containing $4,000 In.
hnbitants and more now number 100, as
against 12l In 1896, a gain Of about 20
per cent, and one which indicates that
there Is no such concentration Of indus.
tries In few hands as TO prevent a
wide distribution Of business. But It
Is naturally the older sections of the
country which have the greater mum.
Der Of these pOpulous places, just Us Il
Is natural that England should have
more large cities than New York State.
The proportions given are 51.3 per cent
for the North Atlantic division, sos
per cent for the north central division
ana 1I.9 per cent for the southern,
western and Pacific coast divisions. In
time the west and far west will approx.
innate the gains Of the east. since the
| utVuS TIC Suluc uVSICSS Va
latitude should grow to be very similar
with the Increase Of population. The
country which had but little more
than 100000 people when the repub-
lie was established, and which IL still
reckOned as a wilderness by many for.
eigners, needs but a few years In which
to far surpass all records for urban pop
ulatiOn. 1t will have to be compared
not with other countries but with con.
tlnents. and 1t will be a marvellous ana
inspiring spectacle to see such great
population Of one speech and one flag.
bound together by the closest ties ana
enjoying the most perfect political lib.
erty, equality ana authority that We're
ever conferred upon the citizens Of any
land.
~
| The faculty committees on athletics
Of the principal American universities.
at conference held more than two
years ago, appointed subcommittee
on which seven universities were repre-
scented, to investigate the whole subject
OF intercollegiate athletic contests and
report upon them. The conclusions
reached by the committee We're recently
published, and Incorporated In the re-