The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1908-03-13
The Making of an Electrical Engineer
By GEORGE FREDERIC s7RATToN.

where a young engineer should be
carefully trained, commercially, SO
that he will always avoid the risk OF
seriously injuring his newly-acquired
reputation by designing something in
which the demand of solidity and
efficiency is sacrificed to that of cost
He should learn to say Not when
the insidious suggestion is made te
cut down weight here or powe,
there"
The advantage of this practical
training-this acquired familiarity
with the actual conditions of work.
ing apparatus as supplementary to
the preliminary theoretical training
are incalculable. The student who
is thoughtful, attentive and am
bilious, acquires by this method the
qualities which must be combined In
order to make the thorough engineer.
Nerve and resourcefulness with ma.
chinery in times of emergency
presence of mind, tact and ability tc
handle men; business knowledge and
executive capacity-all this is requi.
site; and practice-and practice
alone-can give it,
In addition to this practice, the
embryo engineers have ample oppor-
tunity of keeping abreast of the times
on theoretical lines, and in touch
with the rapid advancement and
changes in electrical science. A Spec
ial engineering organization or club
is designed for this purpose. Meet
ings are held monthly, at which lee
lures and addresses upon technical
subjects ara delivered by speakers of
undoubted qualification, followed by
discussions on the subject. This So
ciety also arranges and carries out
visits to other plants of unusual in
terest, where the installation and
operation of power for generating
purposes, and of special apparatus,
may be fully inspected and dis
cussed.
Mr.. H. W. Buck. in an article in
the Scientific American says:
I'm a stationary condition of art,
a man with practical experience only
may become very familiar with all
the existing types of apparatus and.
knowing their applications, may
qualify, to an extent, as an engineer.
But the extremely rapid growth
of electric practice makes rapid
change in the construction and
operation of electrical machin-
cry. The man of practice only
is apt to fall behind; while the man
with knowledge of the theories and
the formulas-with mind trained
to study and ductions-follows up
the changes without difficulty, and is
frequently one of the men to initiate
such changes"
The opportunities ahead of these
students are most promising. In the
far Indies graduates of this training
are Harvesting the sacred streams and
generating and conveying power and
light hundreds of miles, over a coun-
try and against difficulties unknown
here, and unforeseen there, until met
and conquered.
Up toward the North Pole, INSTALL
ing arc lights to run through six
months night; in distant Japan,
operating railways for the gentle
Oriental; stringing the canons of the
Rockies with transmission lines; put
ting the collar on the mighty Mag
ara and bringing half million horse
power into productive subsection
everywhere you find them, meeting
and battling with problems and diff
culties, overcoming them, and in thus
overcoming them, becoming stronger
and more invincible themselves. ;
That's where these young men are
going from the student course. All
of them will become useful; many
of them will acquire some degree of
eminence; perhaps one here or there
will rise to international fame-an
Edison, Thomson or a Steinmetz.
In the electrical field the pace is
swift-the marvellous of to-day is the
commonplace of tomorrow. Peculiar
characteristics or abilities in certain
lines will find their opportunity in
this industry, always provided they
are coupled with the qualities which
are requisite to success anywhere
vigor, pluck, patience and good
sense. A good general education,
supplemented by good technical
education, and followed by the prac-
tice obtained among the machinery
and apparatus of great manufac-
turing corporation, comprises the
nursery and training ground from
which many of the future giants of
electrical science and achievement
will undoubtedly Scientific
American.