STATE COLLEGIAN
Published on Thursday of each week during the
college year in the interest of The Pennsylvania
State College.
t Entered at the Post Office, State College, Pa.
as second class matter.
EDITORS,
'O5, Chief,
ALEX. HART, Jr.,
F. M. TORRENCE,
T. F. FOLTZ,
W. J. DUMM,
F. K. BREWSTER, ’O7
F. B. GARRAHAN, ’O7
H. D. MASON, ’O7
BUSINESS MANAGER.
P. A. RAINEY, ’O7.
CIRCULATION MANAGER.
H. P. DAWSON, ’O7
ADVERTISING MANAGER
W. N. LE PAGE, ’OB,
SUBSCRIPTION,
$1.50 per year or $1.25 if paid within 30 days after
date of subscription.
Thursday, MARCH 23, 1905
EDITORIAL
Of what value to the technical
student is the study of History?
'This is a pertinent question brought
to the surface again by the agitation
and demonstrations of the past few
weeks. We make no attempt to
arraign either party to this contro
versy, but believe it is evident to
all that neither side has pursued a
course which can be considered en
tirely blameless.
The root of the trouble seems to
lie in the objection to the announced
intention of the instructor in History
to raise the standard in that subject;
to teach it so that the men would
haveiearned something when they
get through ; and to place the course
on a level with others in the institu
tion. In plain words, History was
to be a “ cinch course ” no longer.
The series of events following the
awakening of the Sophomore class
to the seriousness of Mr. Ray’s in
tentions are too well known to be re
counted here. Let it be sufficient
THE STATE COLLEGIAN
to add that no man ever achieved
permanent success, no matter how
laudablte his purpose and intentions,
by antagonizing almost every one
with whom he came in contact.
If this controversy has accom
plished nothing else, it has at least
brought out clearly the fact that it
is the firm belief of a large number
of the students of this institution,
from Seniors down, that History is
a light subject; that no man who is
here studying Electrical, Civil or
any other technical branch should
be compelled to put two hours or
more a day on something which is
so entirely foreign to that which he
is spending time and good money to
learn something about. What has
the lives of Aristides, Themistocles,
Nero and a lot of other tough old
guys got to do with Electrical En
gineering? Why not make History
optional and then if a man likes to
study about these people all right.
If he doesn’t, let him put this time
on a branch of his course that will
be of some profit. These are a few
of the arguments that are being
advanced.
The great trouble here, and it is
so almost every where one goes, is
that there are a whole lot of people
who cannot look beyond their own
noses; a class who can see no use in
wasting time and money on things
which bring them no direct return in
bread and butter. History was
made compulsory because the Fac
ulty know its value and efficiency in
giving a man, in some small degree,
a broad firm foundation. A col
lege is no place to learn a trade. It
should seek rather to give the stu
dent a good general training and
culture. Any institution, particular
ly a technical college, which neglects
to do this, fails in its most elemen
tary and fundamental mission. It
may not have occurred to some, but
it nevertheless a fact that a man who
graduates from a college or technical
school and who knows nothing but
Electrical Engineering, Civil Engi
neering, or Chemistry, is in no
sense whatsoever a college man. He
is no more advanced, as far as gen
eral culture goes,than the motorman,
the boiler maker or the dyer, who
has never seen the inside of a higher
institution of learning. The great
technical schools of the country have
seen and appreciated this fact, and
to-day they are shaping their curri
cula accordingly.
We have had it drummed into us
constantly by men who ought to
know, “Learn one thing and learn
that well. This is the age of special
ist,” is their cry. That may be all
true enough, but it is possible to
take such a statement too literally
and carry it to extremes. The facts
show that the most successful tech
nical men of to-day are those who
combine the broadest general cul
ture with their specialty. Read the
account in the “World’s Work” of
the life and achievements of Chas.
M. Jacobs, Engineer in charge of
the gigantic Pennsylvania Railroad
tunnel under the Hudson River.
Read the lives of any of the great
successful technical men. There
you will find that it pays to seize
every opportunity to learn some
ting, no matter how trivial, for one
never knows when it may come in use
ful. In the lives of men dead and gone
with which History has to deal, we
learn their mistakes and how to
avoid them. Ignorance has ruined
more men than any other cause.
Mass. Institute of Technology now
has a stiff course in History. Cor
nell is following her example and if
The Pennsylvania State College is
to maintain her reputation for turn
ing out well trained and thoroughly
equipped men, it is time we were
falling in line.
The recent physical examination
at Bucknell shows that the Fresh
man class is from five to eight per
cent better physically than the
Sophomore class.