The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1914-04-23
NORWICH UNIVERSITY


ist spirit u loyalty and gratitude
characteristics n past STUDENTS u
Nsrwirh Il Alto appeals 10 the gcod
snm 81 ,br vottrx and citizens of
thc state. soon 70 pass upon the qaes.
ton
There came % as, with The copy Of
this letter, personal communication
from one q the signers that IL even
stronger IN communication Of the work
q Norwich This gentleman Is no
novice IN the subject. lie has served
on the state board Of education Of Yer
mont He has bad twenty-five years
experience Ia line Of work for which
Norwich specially fits--ciyil engineer
ing Here is shat he writes, in part
4 have had the occasion in the las,
seven or eigh, years 70 inspect the
engineering departments Of q great
many Of our Western and Southwest
ern institutions. and comparing them
with our Vermont colleges, can say
in all sincerity that IL this same out
iii wcre 70 make an examination Of
any other state In the same manner
a. they did Vermont, our own insu-
buttons would not suffer by the com
psrison.
while ! was with the Missouri
Pacific entirely recognized the en-
gineering department. AT one time
we had forty-three different colleges
represented by the men Of the engin-
eer corps, and in one year there were
nine college professors Of engineering
connected with same.
Il have compared the collegiate fit
ting and work Of the New England
men with those Of other states and !
know that our own boys II had TWEEN.
ty-six Of them all toldl stood well up
among those from other institutions.
II they did not get their training and
mental poise from the University !
am at loss to know from whence il
came.
Il have been in active engineering
for little over twenty years, during
which time ] have had charge Of
great deal Of important work and
have been associated with a great
many prominent engineers, and com
pairing these with the material which
has been put out by these so-called
experts on engineering matters | am
at loss TO understand how the people
OF Vermont can stand for any such
sort Of report as has been made.
Certainly my experience is at total
variance with the stuff that they I'M
dertake TO recommend. They are
specifically wrong in three instances
so far as Norwich is concerned
a. Desirability of large college
over a small one.
3D. As 10 environment; an engin-
eering institution could not be better
located than at place like North
field or any other Of Vermont's cities.
"3. The fact that they have en-
tirely overlooked the necessity of
training men to think analytically,
To express themselves intelligently,
and to give judicial weight to the in
formation which they collect.
"These are some Of the attributes
which are woefully lacking today
among engineers, and very much more
so, | find, in men coming from the
arger cities. 4
These so-called experts have over
ooked the fact that at the college age
IF young men they are easily infu
enced towards the distractions which |
a large place offers. Vermont is free |
from the isidious and undesirable in |
iluences which affect young men and |
which detract materially from the |
training which should be secured at
their college age.
No effort has been made in this |
report TO trace the results which are
being secured by the Vermont grad
yates, no thought has been given to
he effect on the state or the country |
If the results Of their report"
II body Of experts we're called up
IN TO investigate manufacturing
plant, instead of devoting their whole
line TO looking over the Office force
and the machinery, would they not
% likely to go around to the back
'ide Of the mill and see what the out
nut was, what merit II had and how il
with that Of other like
plants? Perhaps some Of the pro-
,esses affecting the product might not
appear to, or be noted by, the inspec-
ors with but few hours or days to
yiye to the task. Perhaps their own
Judgment might be faulty. But if
he output has degree of merit that
Commands a high market value, is
,agerly sought for and well reward
I'd, il goes as far, at least, as any
deduction can, based on
ursory investigation Of the plant
.lone, in determining the rank Of the
factory. And by this test the Yer. 1
mont colleges have nothing to fear 4
80 far as Norwich University is con-
,crned, the best possible answer TO the
Itrictures of the Carnegie report is
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