Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-08-03
Tech Students and Draft

10 tue Editor of the TELEGRAPH:
There is an imminent matter of
Vllal Importance to the American ma
ton concerning which very little. if
anything, has been said in the news
papers-hence the presentation of
this letter, and with it an urgent re-
quest for its publication in your col
umns and, subsequently, for a wide
circulation through copying by the
public press of the entire country.
refer to the depletion of the
classes in technical schools, first. by
Widespread volunteering for the
| Army and Navy, and second. by con-
scription. This subject received much
attention at the Washington meet
ing, on the 9Th and 7th inst, of the
Society For the Promotion of Enyi-
neerlng Education, an organization
| or twenty-five years standing and
| composed of most of the LEADING
American instructors in all lines of
applied science, and also a few
prominent practicing engineers. The
meeting was addressed by such dis
tlnguished men as the Secretary OF
war, the Chief of Engineers of the
| United States Army, and the Direc-
tor of the Bureau of Standards. The
| hVe sessions held by the society on
| those two days were devoted almost
exclusively to questions of public
| welfare, principally connected with
the war, its subsequent conditions
and its anticipated problems.
AS attended all of the sessions
| from start to finish and took the
| deepest interest in the entire pro-
ceedings, l feel justified in making
the following statements, and in
claiming that they express the opiu-
ions of number of the most pro-
found thinkers of America:
| First. The larger part of the CIV
| ilized world will have to be recon
structed after the war, not exclud-
/ ing our own great railroad system
which undoubtedly will have de-
Perforated on account of over-use
and lack of adequate upkeep.
Second. Such reconstruction is al
most exclusively the work of engi.
neers.
Third. The European technical
men have been killed off by thou.
sands during the past three years
and their slaughter will not cease
until the war ends. Moreover, it i:
more than probable that many
American engineers who serve in
Europe will never return to oul
shores, and that a large number Of
those who do come back will bC
more or less incapacitated from ac.
tive professional work.
Fourth. The technical schools OF
all the other warning countries thar
ours have practically been out OF
commission for three years, thu.
cutting down there, almost to zero
the supply of new men for the engi.
neering profession.
Fifth. The call to arms in thi.
country by both volunteering and
conscription it is feared will soor
| have reduced to about one-half the
attendance at the technical school.
of the United States, while instead
of being halved it ought properly tC
be doubled.
Sixth. In spite of the present
paralyzation of many lines of engi.
neering work, due to the cessation
of large constructions and to the alb.
solute lack of capital for important
new projects of a peaceful charac.
ter, the demand for young graduate.
of technical schools by the manufac.
turers of war supplies is so great
| that there is already "a marked
dearth of such assistance, which
dearth will be more and more ac.
centuated as the war progresses
and as the call for ships, guns, am.
munition, aeroplanes,. automobiles
and other war paraphernalia in.
creases.
Seventh. Until the United State:
entered the war, 1t was almost Ger.
tain that most of the reconstruction
work of the world would be done by
American engineers, and in any case
they are sure to get fair share OF
1T; but 1t seems a shame that thi.
| country should miss such a COLDER
opportunity as that which lies before
it for securing the Lions share.