The times., 1901-03-17

tletrap into the most useful machine ever
invented by man To do this he first dis
covered the science of thermodynamics,
then invented the necessary appliances
and finally constructed them with his own
hands. He was u very exceptional man.
At the beginning of the nineteenth cen
tury there were few engineers who had
received any scientific education Most
of them worked by their constructive in
stircts. like beavers, or from experience
only. Il took a lifetime to educate such
an engineer ard feW became eminent un-
til they were old men
Now there is in the profession great
army Of young men. most Of them gradu-
ates of technical schools. good mathemati-
clans. and well versed in the art of eX-
perimenting. The experiments Of under
graduates on cements. concrete, the flow
Of water. The impact Of metals and the
steam engine have added much to the
general stock Of knowledge.
One Of the present causes Of progress
is that ali discoveries are published at
once in technical journals and in the dali
~ press The publication of descriptive
indexes of ali scientific and engineering
articles as fast as they appear IS anoth-
er modern coH'TivaEce.
Formerly scientific discoveries were con-
cealeG by cryptoeTams. printed in a dead
language. and hidden i'm the archives of
learned societies Even so late as 1921
Oe-sted published his discovery. Of the uni
formity of electricity and magnetism in
Latin.
Fngineering works could have been de-
signed and useful inventions made, but
they could not have been carried out with
out combination. Corporate organization
collects the small savings Of many into
great sums through savings banks, life
insurance companies, etc, and uses this
concentrated capital TO construct the vast
works OF cur days. This could not con-
tinue unless fair dividends were paid.
Everything now has TO be designed so as
90 pay. Time. labor. and material must
be saved, and he ranks highest who can
best do this Invention has been encour-
aged by liberal patent laws. which secure
to the inventor property in his ideas at
a moderate cost
Combination. organization, and scienti-
fic discovery. inventive ability. and engin-
eering skin are now united.
II may be said that we have gathered
together all the inventions of the nine
teenth century and called them works of
engineering. This is not so. Engineering
covers much more than invention. 1t in
cludes all works OF sufficient size and in
tricacy to require men trained in the
knowledge Of the physical conditions
which govern the mechanical application
of the laws of nature. First comes scien-
tifc discovery. then invention. and lastly
engineering. Faraday and Henry discov-
cred the electrical laws which led to the
invention of the dynamo, which was per-
fected by many minds. Engineering built
such works as those at Niagara Falls 10
make il useful.
An ignora mt man may invent a safety pin.
but ne cannot build the Brooklyn Bridge
The enEineer-in-chIef commands an ar
my of experts. as without specialization
little can be done. His is the comprehen-
sive design, for which he alone is respon-
sibie.
Such is the evolution Of engineering.
which began as a craft and has ended as
a profession.
In past times civilization depended upon
military engineering. Warriors at first
used only the weapons of the hand. Then
came military engineering, applied both
to attack and defence. and eliminating in
the invention Of gunpowder The civiliza-
ton Of today depends greatly upon civil
engineering. as we have tried to show.
1t has changed the face of the world and
brought all men nearer together. II has
improved the condition OF man by sani-
tary appliances and lowering the cost OF
food. II has shown that through machin-
cry the workman is better educated, and
his wages are increased. while the profits
Of capital increase also. 1t has made rep
resentative government possible over vast
areas Of territory, and IS democra tizing
the world.
Thoughtful persons have asked, will
this new civilization last. or viii 1t go the
way Of its predecessors? Surely the an
sWer is: Ali depends on good government
on the stability Of law. order, and JUS
tice. protecting the rights of all classes.
It viii continue to grow with the growth
OF good government prosper with its
prosperity, and perish with its decay.