The Washington herald., 1921-06-05

wing lsnqmulr, one OF the assistant
research directors Of the company
something holding as back at school, ana
this something Is lack Of contact with inter-
esting work and inspiring workers. Every
technical school Is now overcrowded with
anxious students. But every technical
teacher is 20 swsmped BY his need Of i'm
parting, in wholesale quantities, sccunu-
lated knowledge that he has no time 20
realize the tremendous strides which science
ismakinf. much less to take any active part
in bringing them about. As for mature and
material inquisitiveness, il is almost ah-
sent"
Then so far as electricity as q career
for younr men is concerned it is not % much
, matter Of getting the boys into it-for they
already love it-but Of getting the trained
investigator as q teacherT
.Just 1t. Few good engineers play for the
rate receipts; they are led on By the viii
70 accomplish. To the devotee, scientific.
research may well become q religion, but
ubether be sees in the infinite possibilities
~ matter only the necessary results Of per
mutation among seventy odd decsying ele-
roents. or the hand Of an all wise Creator
ever uncovering new principles to hopeful
investigators, he cannot be blind TO the
blessings Of new truth. This Is not produced
"a order. Conventions do not establish IL
I, comes only with following with interest
Natures devious and unexpected ways,
studying irrelevant phenomena, learning BY
experiment, regardless Of aim. And since il
is important 30 US that pioneer effort Be
iudiyidualistic, wanton, clean, but vars-
bond, it is this rare type Of teacher v. must
support. Our real need is the teacher who
is the inquisitive sesrcher Of Mature. he
boys are ready, willing and on the Job
what will we do for them?"
DR.. Whitney has been director Of ths
General Electric research labcrstoris
since 1900. Born at jamestown, n. 2
In 1858, be was graduated from the Mssss-
chusets Institute Of Technology in 1890,
and numbers among his degrees a Ph. d.
from Leipzig. Through all his yesrs be has
been q teacher a. well as an investigator,
and always a very busy man, % busy that
be has had no time, a. he put Il, for 90
much as look at q game Of golf Yet hs
is not too busy to stop and tell you Of his
work. Over the door OF his Office in Sche-
nectady is printed. Come in - rain O.
shine"
esAeu Ut. whitney what particular
problem was now engrossins his attention in
the research lab" One Of the things h,
mentioned VAS the perfection Of the electric
light. 1t sack me odd for the moment.
especi Iy WIN one considers the modern
ioVo-wA' or 1000 -csndlepower incsndescent
night, or the powerful sesrchlight that durins
the Nsr sv.aled the menacinr Zeppelin hirs
over Lor on or Paris. But here is a mar
str.wi->. TO enlarge upon that which tn. Law
world light consider now almost pluperfect
Tn first radical improvement In csrbou
ihc--s' scent hlanent since Edison first nro-
d-NSJ IL was due TO DR.. whitney's perso,,I
~G.k. The gem" lamp which he deyeloned
"-th lac m.Isllized hlsnent embodyins , n,v
fp.l Of carbon, gave IS per cent more iebt
viii the same wsttage than the standard
ca. oon flament lamp. Still greater i'm
ptovements resulted in his laboratory when
the drawn wi-e Of tungsten gave us th,
tungsten lamp. Then came the gas fled
half &att lamp, and finally. in ar lighting.
the development Of the magnetic electrodes
that produced the successful arc lamp Of
today.