Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-04-11
COLLEGE MEN HAVE
GOOD OPPORTUNITY
WITH THE RAILROADS
Samuel Rea, President of the
Psnna. System, Says Educa-
ton 10 Prime Requisite.
NEED PRACTICAL TRAINING

In response TO an inquiry a. TO the
opportunity open TO young man enter
ing the railroad business, and AZ to the
value of q college education preparatory
70 railroad work, Samuel Rea, President
of the Pennsylvania Railroad, made
reply in part as follows:
You have asked the following qucs-
ton: Is there opportunity for tho man
graduating from college TO secure foot
hold in the railway business where the
training he has had will be likely 10 adj
vance him more rapidly than the man
of his age who lacks this training My
answer is an unqualified 'Yes.T
Whatever may be said to those who
have attained important and responsible
positions in the past by having that
practical education which comes from
hard work in the day and from that self
denial which places education above
recreation through intense study at
nights and in the holiday season, yet
there can be no doubt now Of the advan-
tage to the young man who begins his
work with an intenAvely trained mind
Other things being Equal, he will go
ahead faster and get farther than the
man who lacks that great initial advan-
tAgs. Indeed, in the technical branches
Of railrcading. as well as mining and
most OF the productive industries We
have reached the point where the pre-
hminary training Of college or uni
versity course is no longer looked upon
merely as an advantage, but has become,
practically speaking, necessity for the
young man who aims at a place In the
executive forces.
"A comparative study was recently
made of the educational data in the
CT cial biographies of 1853 principal
o,6ccrs and directors Of the Pennsyl-
,ania system. OF these men, SO were
and 10 bc college graduates and a not.
specifically, that does not look like q
very striking preponderanoe IN favor OF
a., college men.
However, we must consider that for
every hundred men entering the railroad
service with a college education, there are
a good many thousands who start with
ont one Therefore, q comparatively
small group of men have produced the
Sc leading officers and directors who are
college trained whereas the Z not 50
trained represent the winners in race
OF competition among thousands.
Viewed in this light, there can be no
question that the young man who enters
the railroad service with a college educa-
ton has many times greater chance
Of reaching a position Of high response
bility than has the young man without
such advantage.
AS 10 the best lines of training to'flt
men for entering the railroad service,
the statistics leave no doubt that they
are Civil and Mechanical Engineering,
particularly the former. Out OF the list
Of 1863 leading officer. and directors,
which have mentioned, 81 are officers
Of the Operating Department OF this
Railroad system. That is, they are the
men who supervise the actual running
and maintenance of the railroad, the
Manning and construction OF new lines
and facilities, and the building and re-
pairing Of equipment.
"Of thass 81 operating officers, no
Lees than "a, or exactly two-thlrds, are
college-trained meu; and out OF the "a
college graduates, IS are Civil Engineers
IL are Mechanical Engineers, one lisa n
Electrical Engineer, and four are gradu'
atas of the academic departments nus,
il viii be perceived that among the lead
ing operating officers, the Civil Engineers
outnumbcr BY more than two 70 one
all the other college men put together
Civil Engineers entering the service
OF our rnilrosd, start as rodmen ano
work I'd through the transportation
GRADES. Mechanical Engineers generally
start as Special Apprentices IN tns
Altoona Shops and work up through the
motive power grades. The preponder
anoe of the former over the later Is Que
to the fact that there is need for more
technically trained transportation paeI
than motive power men, aitnoush y
would be altogether wrong 70 form al,
disparaging conclusions as TO the chance
for those who are accepted lot mouV'
power training. As matter OF TACT, on
present Vice-Presdent IN charge 0
operation, General w. ". Atterpuryr
is motive power man, beng eraouab
of Yale University and having s'ar'e'
rs q special apprentice at Altoona.
"The 81 operating officers IN question
including rs they do those Of the hughes
rank and longest experience, necesssrh.
embrace quite few men who are well Oh
in life and in number Of cases are ap
preaching the compulsory retiring ag
Of seventy years.
IF We confined our study to the younl
er operating officers, We would tnt
nearly 100 per cent are college grad
yates. The reason for this Is that 10
quite a number OF years past 1t has beer
. rule of the company that graduat
of recognized colleges or universities Il
Civil, Mechanical or Electrical Eng
neerins, or their equivalents, have beel
gwen preference in the service for develop
ment into operating officers. .,
sIn the other departments OF the ran
road, the principal Of which are trathc
accounting. purchasing, financial, IN
surance, real estate, legal and tn
seoretary's staff, the training receives
in Q scientific course is naturally OF d
particular direct advantage outside
its effect on general mental development
THE training of an academic course
however, gives young men entering thos
departments as much relative advanl
age - it would in the correspondent
departments OF any other large bushes
Ten Of our leading traffic officers al
graduates in academic courses and thei
are . number of Others occupying pos
ton OF high responsibility in the oth'
departments.
comparatively tc" souhe ino" +"
have specialized In economics at COLES
seem to have entered the railroad bus
mess. Just why this is the case, l do ne
know, but there should be good fiel
for them in the incorporating depar
msuts, particularly traffic, accountir
and financial. That this is true is ind
Gated by the fact that a number Of OF
officers and responsible employees
these departments, especially accountin
have found it profitable TO themselv