The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-04-15

particularly utted 10 care Tor the distinctly
commercial departments and still fairly In
Innate with the technical departlnents-ln
other words. commercial engineers. 1t Is
moro essential that these mon have the busi-
ness equipment and training; that they have
the executive personality and administrative
faculty. Tho necessary knowledge OF tech.
nical details, In a great many cases, can DO
acquired by daily observation Of and contact
with a particular specially The men who
have used their commercial Instinct to adj
vantage In the Offices Of engineering concerns
have been ablo to rise to higher positions and
to command larger salaries than tho men
who, through love OF their chosen vocation,
have elected to stick to tho distinctly pro.
fesslonal departments. The aspect OF all on
terprlse Is commercial. There Is little APP
prcclatcd success without commercial con.
quest-divldends declared. and big dividends
at that! And the graduates Of institutes Of
technology, the men who rise from the tech-
n!cal base, tho men who devote their best
years to developing a knowledge ofHtcchnlcal
practice, never reach their maximum until
they transcend the plane Of professional ac.
complement and dcyote their ripcncd cn-S
ergies to the business departments.
Must Know the Business.
THE young engineer can do no better IN
many ca SEES than to look to applying his engi-
neer4ng knowledge to the actual conduct OF
certain enterprise 1t Is obvious that an
engineer is we'll qualified to sell an engineer
Ing product. He knows wherein It's qual'ties
excel, and his word IL taken as authority BY
purchasers who In a great many cases are
themselves engineers and need expert argu-
mcnt. In the employ OF the largest manpfac-
Il W. Vitf
knows OF many engineering ) salesmen,
agents, department managers. 4 engineering
attorneys heads OF foreign departments, and
the like. up 10 tho president himself, whose
duties are almost wholly commercial; and
last but not least. there is the advertising
manager. TO prosecute q publicity campaign
s,ntclllEertly he ought TO know something OF
the business he Is advertising A technical
education is not demanded. but some engl-
neers, like those who turn gradually from the
shop to the accounting room. ard from the
drafting table tolhei executive Office. likewise
be como proficient in securing for mechanical
and electrical products an adequate cam
paign conducted along the line OF educating
interests throughout the country IN the de-
tall advantages OF the spec!alties they pro-
mote. Indeed, firm OF Z" advertising engi-5
neers" has opened an Office in New York
CITY. They conduct tho advertising OF en-
g,neerlng firms. In the Same manner are OBJ
tanned the engineering editor author. and
contributor. .s "a
Pc ,sible for E nsineer to Write English,
Arare blessing Is an engineer. who knows
how to write English! The mechanical and
literary faculties are SO divergent that y IS
dtfrcult to obtain the same degree OF ability
In these lines g. One man. have often
thought OF a dlstinrt style for engineering
English--a metallic, FURNISHED precise style,
the va rious grammatical parts OF which move
as easily Is nywhecls and exhibit all the UNI
formity OF color and domination OF motive
seen In power plant,
rhe complement of tho attempt TO place
on better commercial OASIS ~
found in the adding TO the curricula OF Ger
tain technical schools courses on accounting
repair. and depreciation, accounting q 5 aP-
nlied to deprecat ton, systems Of cia sslhca-
lion. analysis Of data estimates. speclhca-
lions. contracts, business law, ral!r oao IMAM
cling fire hazards. etc. INC methou places
a CONNIE rclal course on ar engineering basis
and associates II with these oiher non
technical subjects found N the curTlcula Q!
engineering schools, which arc given because
q is realized that the great engineer must be
n master OF languages. n student OF social
economies Of his tory, OF structural beauty, OF
natural phenomena-!ndeed, Of world OF
subjects to which the limits, tho
object, the usefulness OF his practice may
conform In order that his service to mankind
may be OF helpful, cooperating kind, max
Ing for progress. Consider the economic and
sanitary problems In the construction OF the
Panama canal and ask yourself II this is not
SO.
A great commercial engineer Is good for
$50,OO a year-possibly more