The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-07-17
PANAMA CANAL AS 4 GREAT PROBLEM Americans the Doers of Worlds
 Important Work BIG ENGINEERING FEATS This Country Leads In Technical Mat ters-Why Europe Never Doubt
 ed Our Ability to Construct
 the Panama Canal.

ooston, Juiy 4os 15Uo.-Niln the present discussion of some of its more serious features that the average citizen has never before known anything about, the magnitude of Uncle Sam's undertaking in building the Panama canal is just be- ginning to be generally appreciated. That 1t will require millions upon millions of dollars and years upon years of labor by hundreds of powerful machines and thou sands of human hands, all of us have understood in a hay sort of way. For the rest, we have taken it for granted that American engineering skill could ac- complish this as 1t already has wrought scores of wonders.
 Undoubtedly, digging the great artifi- ctal, interoceanic waterway is the most difficult task to which our engineers have even been called. Probably 1t Is even the most difficult task ever set before the engineers of any nation. It is note- worthy, however, that the world has never, for an instant, questioned that the Panama canal would be built-and built satisfactorily. too-since the United States took the matter in hand. The dis couraging outcome of previous attempts Dy EuiopeiidS TdlSeu no uOuDIS or Amer ica's ability in the mind of any one. This is not only because the tremendous re- sources of our country are instinctively recognized, if not fully understood, by foreigners nowadays but also because there Is hardly a corner of the earth whither our engineers have not been called to perform their modern miracles
 The wonderful railway that crosses the Andes, sometimes mounting 16,0O0 feet AhnUn n fha cao tc f1e d,aot of American brains and scientific dar- ing. So Is much of the remarkable bridgework that has made possible the great Siberian transportation highways and the railroads of India. John Hays Hammond and William Perkins gained America worldwide reputation by their development of mining engineering in South Africa; and the list might be pro longed almost indefinitely were it to in- clude the scores of young Americans who have furnished the skill and the energy that have, in other lands well as their own. set present day achievement far on It's way.
 There can be no doubt that this su- periority is due in large measure to the differences in methods of training here and abroad. Tn fact, Sir William Mather, the British expert. who came last month on his second visit to the United States. having journeyed from England chiefly to receive the honorary degree of Doc tor of Laws from Princeton, makes frank and generous acknowledgement of Amer ica's lead in the technical professions and the preparation of its young men for them. He has made the subject of tech- nical education life study and is chair man of the Froebel Educational Institute of London and a member of the Coun- cil of Owens College and Victoria univer- sity. He was a member of the commit tee appointed in 1901 to effect the reor- ganization of the British war office and has thrice been elected to parliament and he Is no theorist but a very practi- cal man. being part owner of the Salford Iron Works. where in 1893 he established the eight-hour day.
 "As the result of my visit here after an absence of more than twenty years .'' Sir William said in an interview with your correspondent. q feel the conviction that you are moving ahead some ten times as fast as we are. and when I think of what American schools are doing for the people and for the state I feel dis couraged as to our progress. The trouble at the bottom of technical education in England is the fact that the English are slow to appreciate the advantages of sec ondary schools I might also say in England we have nothing to compare with your positive passion for education in this country. During my present visit went out west and was actually amazed at the widespread eagerness there among all classes of people to see that the young were properly prepared for the great struggle of life. That is one thing that strikes the foreigner In this countryside deep-seated desire of the people to take full advantage of their magnificent school systems.
 'I have been an earnest advocate of technical schools for many years. Tn 1883. as a member of the Royal Commission on Technical Instruction, I visited the United States for the purpose of secur- ing ideas on which to base a system o1 technical education in England Other members of the commission visited Euro pean countries. The result of our visit was the technical instruction act, passed by parliament in 1889, which established technical schools. under government su- pervision and supported by special tax in all the municipalities and towns in England Since the passage of that act the friends of technical education among us have been striving to see that it was properly enforced, but I regret to say that our efforts have met comparatively little success
 English parents to the complete educa- ton of their children. we have had to contend with the indifference of employ CTS who were content to receive into their factories youths who had absolutely no idea of the technical side of industry The result of that 6eplorable practice