Mr. J. A. Ely's Address to the Engineering Society At a meeting of the Engineering Society of China, on Tuesday, at the Royal Asiatic Society's rooms, Mr. J. A. Ely read an interesting. paper on "The Education and_ Training of Chinese Engineers." He said in part:—The purpose of this paper is to bring before the members of the Society some few ideas on the educational training of Chinese for the engineering profession, with the hope that it will give the members of the Society an opportunity to discuss the proper function and lead to the finding of the beet method of making our influence effective and beneficial. Just at this critical time in her development we as engineers and as an engineering society have a heavy responsibility resting upon us. The schools in this formative time need just the help that this Engineering Society is able to render and-my hope 18 that we may find a way in which we can give to the schools and the students in them the benefit of our counsel and advice.
One great trouble with the orthodox course is that it tends to kill all the interest of the student in his chosen career. Ho enters college with a keen zest to get at the practical studies and he immediately finds himself involved in two years of routine drilling on the principles of the fundamental sciences and if these courses are taught by men who are out of touch with their practical applications to the enggineering needs of to-day it is comparatively easy to understand the attitude of the student when he wonders what all this has to do with engineering. The new plan of introducing the practical side into the early years has these advantages at least, it holds the student's interest from the very beginning of his course particularly as he feels that he is working on a project that is really worth while and it is in addition a better peda-logical method, for the student learns by doing, but perhaps its greatest value is the opportunity given for a.study of the men with a view to their fitness for engineering. The ultimate aim of engineering is more intelligent production and every production project requires the ce-ordination and adjustment of the three factors, scientific theory, mechanical prac-rica and cost. Success comes to him who best adjusts these complex factors and the education that trains this ability is the education for to-day.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.