Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-04
STUDY AND SHOPWORK
Engineering School of Univer-
sity of Cincinnati.
NO MORE AN EXPERIMENT
Professional Education Combined
With Practical Experience.
INDORSED BY LABOR UNIONS
on the Methods of the
Ordinary College-Students in
Contact With Life.
NO MORE AN EXPERIMENT
ENDORSED BY LABOR UNIONS
RY WILLIAM p CURTIS.

|
| The University of Cincinnati. as was
| explained in a letter yesterday. is unique
/ In several respects. and perhaps its most
| important feature is a new plan OF CIV
| ing students in engineering a scientific
and a practical training at the same
time 1t Is called The cooperative
course of the Engineering College and
was devised by Prof. Herman Schneider,
| dean Of the College of Engineering. who
| is a graduate of Lehigh University, class
| of "a; was engaged in structural work
| and railway building for five years, was
| instructor at Lehigh for four years. and
then came to the University Of Cincln-
| NATL first as assistant and then as full
professor. and has been dean of his col
| lege for the last two years
The plan l have referred to Is attract
| ing considerable attention among educa-
tors. 1t has already passed the expert
mental stage. and President Dabney, the
board of trustees and the great manufac-
| turing corporations of the city all
| confident that 1t is a permanent success.
| Meeting Prof. Schneider in Cincinnati
the other day, asked him to explain the
| new system.
Simple, Practical Plan.
| 1T is simple. practical plan to en-
| able young men to secure a professional
| education and actual manual training
| and practical experience at minimum
| cost, and to give them an opportunity to
| earn almost enough to support themselves
| while they are attending lectures and
| Rotations. In order to accomplish this
| we have arranged with the great indus
| trial establishments of Cincinnati to take
| our students apprentices and to give
| them a regular course of shop training
| while they are taking their college course.
| The plan was tried for the first time in
the summer of 1906 under President Dab
ney's direction, and has been u distinct
success.
Cincinnati is great center of the ma
| chinery trade. larger variety of ma
| chine tools is manufactured in this city
than in any other place in the country,
and several of the manufactures are
| world famous. For example, in the man
| ufacture Of lathes, planners and milling
| machines Cincinnati surpasses the world
and sends her products to every civilized
| country. There are sixty-two machine
| and tool factories In this city. Cincinnati
| Is headquarters also for the manufacture
| of enameled papers and printing inks. and
has the greatest engraving and litho-
| graphing industry In the country. Gin
cinnati is the greatest shoe manufa ctur-
Brockton or Lynn, Mass. to find its
| equal. 1t is also a great vehicle and
! wagon center. Cincinnati manufacturers
make them on order of all sizes and de-
scriptions-bull carts for South Africa. |
cabs for Paris. droskies for Russia. |
| jauntihg for Ireland, volantes for
| Cuba and South hing, In |
| fact. from a wheelharrow to a royal
| coach. Another great industry is silver
| plating. Cincinnati Is also a great CEN
ter for collins. for heatses-in fact, every
| thing necessary to the undertakers bust |
| ness.
Forty-Six Establishments Annexed.
! "Cincinnatis industries are so diversi-
fled that they offer student an opportu-
nifty to cover a wide range of the manu-
| featuring arts. The university has an
nexed fortysix of these great establish
ments to its engineering college for the
| purpose of the cooperative course. Their
| prOprietors have co-operated most cor
daily. even at some loss and inconven-
| fence to themselves. At first they were
| naturally doubtful about the utility of
these students. but after trying them for
| two years they are well pleased with
| them is shown by the fact that they
have increased the schedule of wages paid
| them over 20 per cent. Under the pres
ent plan the young man is promoted every
| three months. The rates are such that he
| can earn 500 the first year $3.50 the sec
| ond, $3.50 the third-in all about $1,000 in
| his course. which Is expected to cover six
years. and he is working every other
| week and going on with his class room
/ lectures and books at the same time Aft
| er the second year the boy. therefore, be-
| comes practically sen-supporting and is
| able to pay for his board. clothes and
| tuition fees out of his earnings from
| work in the factory.
| The boys are examined and tested ex-
| actly as for the other college courses To
enter they must be first-cass high school
| graduates. They are taken up about the
| first of July and put in the shops in sum-
| mer weather and tried out for manhood
moral stamina. earnestness and zeal, as
well as for their engineering sense and
| liability Foremen make reports on
them in September. and we then pick the
best fellows for this course The first
year we selected only thirty. This year
| we took fifty-two. Next year we want
to take a hundred
THE boys are then put to work in the
college at the beginning of the regular
term in September. working one week in
the classroom and the next in the factory
doing full time In both. This may extend
the course to five, or possibly six years.
Al the rate the young men are working
now we think that they will graduate in
five. They all take full courses In me-
chanical. electrical civil engineering
due credit being given them for the shop
work done In the outside establishments.
| This Is under our supervision, is properly
graded, and covers every process and
practice, from patternmaking and foundry
work to selling the products. This is the
only institution in the world where this
has ever been done, and its success here
has been SO great that the faculties Of
several institutions are now discussing
| the practicabilty of adopting it,
Endorsed by Labor Unions.
How do the labor unions regard this
plan?" 1 asked
| Most of the manufactures in Cincin-
| natl continued Prof. Schneider, ARE
open shops. but there partially union |
| lied shops, and the labor unions seem to |
| be heartily in favor of this plan Many |
| OF their sons nephews and other persons !
| of their connection are taking the course |
| though personally In sympathy with la |
| bor these udent-apprentices are out !
| side the unions; not under their con- |
| troll. and are not interfered with by them |
| There has been much discussion among |
| the members of the labor unions on this |
| subject, and strong opinions have been |
| developed on both sides, but the most in |
| fiuential men are in favor OF this system. |
| chiefly because 1t enables the sons of all |
| classes to get the best engineering edu- |
| cation by earning their way through |
| college: and they will not permit any |
| theoretical regulations to interfere with |
| the personal welfare of the boys many |
| lilies and all of whom are their friends"
| This Is an entirely new departure?"
| THE English universities of Oxford |
| and Cambridge were the outgroWth of |
| the old monastic system of withdrawing
| men from the world into clustered halls |
for religious contemplation and literary