Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1902-06-14

That this Is q serious defect In techni-
cal school training Is now becoming
manifest in all branches of modern en-
gineering. and. singularly enough. the
technical journals are the first to rec
ognize IL and to call attention to 1t.
The benefits to he derived from study
of modern languages by those who are
preparing for profession, much of the
literature of which II written In other
languages than that spoken by the stu
dent. would seem to be plainly obvious.
hut II instruction In foreign languages
must he dispensed with. the acquire
ment of ability to speak and write the
English language clearly. conclscly and
logically would seem TO he of the ilrst
importance to engineers. A man may
he an expert In some department Of en-.
cheering and may have most COM
plcte knowledge Of his subject. but
without the ability to impart his Ideas
to others in good English he suffers a
severe handicap. Says the Electrical
Review: "The value of an engineering
report does not depend So much upon
the eruditiOn and the familiarity with
the subject exhibited by the engineer
making II as It does upon his ability to
make clear and explicit his reasons. to
show logically the origin Of his deduc-
tons. and - impress others with his
conclusions. 1t IL precisely this art
which has been neglected. Facility In
the use Of language II II tool In the
hands Of a competent man with which
he can accomplish much. Mere inOwl-
edge without this facility Is pra ctically
useless" The technical school. now.
ever, II not alone IN the matter Of de-
Hcient training In English. A similar
! complaint Is lodged against the high
schools and colleges. 1t Is gratifying
to note. however, that the engineering
journals are joining vigorously In the
general appeal for more thorough and
exact training In English expression.
In recent. article Prof. John Trow.
bridge declared that forty years ago
the physical scientists We're trying 10
solve the secrets OF great things ana
We're thinking OF the large relations In
the univeroA but now they are general
~ taking the path Of human inquiry
which leads into the world Of the in
finitely small" Instead OF weighing
the earth and seeking to fix the limits
Of the universe they are now concern.
ell with atoms, electrOns, cells and bac-
iii. Whatever degree OF success the
! scientists may reach In their investisa
lions OF the Infinitely small. the recent
commissions In the Caribbean Sea have
demonstrated that they have made q
sad mess of 1t with regard to the In.
fnitely large. When Mount Pelce ut
tered Its first unmistakable warnings
of trouble of some kind. some scient-
lists went through their calculations
ana hypothesis and demonstrated that
there could be no trouble of any kind.
| The announcement was hardly made
before the volcano was dealing out
| death ana destruction on every hand.
Meanwhile none Of these scientists has
taken the pains to explain why Mount
Pelee acted In the way 1t did when
they had given bonds for Its good be-
haviOr. Some scientists are now busy
explaining the reasons for its cOnvul-
siOns. One charges the disaster to ;he
unusual stress upon the earth. because
upon the Sth of May the moon and sun
We're at right angles to the earth with
reference to the sun and earth. A gov
eminent geologist has long known thar
the silt of the Mississippi ana the ORR
nOcO would cause this trouble by press
| ing down too hard on the thin crust OF
earth under the gulf. Then came the
plausible theory that there Is Il vast
mass Of fire under that section into
which the waters Of the gulf percOlat-
ed and generated steam which caused
the explosion. Another geolOgist says
that volcanoes do not throw out fam
ing gases. Either the reports that
Mount Pelee did throw out such gases
are untrue, or that, II true. 1t Is I'M
| wise to speculate on the capabilities
of volcano. Other scientists who
made no predictions and who are not
specially interested in its causes are
laying out more or less startling pro.
grams for the future. some involving
the disappearance of all the West In
dia Islands. In view of the results 1t
would be wiser for the scientists TO
realize their limitations and be less
dogmatc in their assertions. Mount
Pelee and Mount SOuffrlere have DEM
Onstrated that the wisest of them know
little or nothing of what Is going ON
down in the bowels of the earth, cer-
tainly not enough for them to declare
what volcano, active or extinct, can
do on q given day. 1t will be much
wiser for them to let the great things
alone.
As a mans idea that he was cut out
fnv N x.,oo% no,nav Jnn,oo,o. III, ,,.,