Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Vol. LXX, Dec. 1910 | Page 2

conveniences and comforts. We have done away with the former
isolation of the largest city in the country, and have made it a part of
the main land by the building of tunnels and bridges. In all our work it
might be said that we are hastening, with feverish energy, from one
problem to another, for the so-called purpose of saving time, or for the
enjoyment of some new sensation; and we have also made possible the
creation of that which might be deemed of doubtful benefit to the
human race, that huge conglomerate, the modern city.
There has been no hesitancy in grappling with the problems of Nature
by engineers, but they seem to be diffident and neglectful of human
nature in their calculations, leaving it out of their equations, greatly to
their own detriment and the world's loss. We can say that matters
outside of the known are not our concern, and we can look with pride at
our individual achievements, and of course, if this satisfies, there is
nothing more to be said. But it is because I feel that engineers of to-day
are not satisfied with their position, that I wonder whether we have
either fulfilled our obligations to the community, or secured proper
recognition from it; whether, in fact, the engineer can become the force
that he should be, until he brings something into his equations besides
frozen figures, however diverting an occupation this may be.
One may wonder whether this state of affairs is caused from a fear of
injecting uncertain elements into our calculations, or whether it is our
education or training which makes us conservative to the point of
operating to our own disadvantage. We may read the requirements of
our membership and learn from them that in our accomplishments we
are not to be measured as skilled artisans, but the fact remains that, to a
great extent, society at large does so rate us, and it would seem that we
must ourselves be responsible for this state of affairs. Our colleges and
technical schools are partly to blame for the existence of this idea, on
account of the different degrees which they give. We have a degree of
civil engineer, regarded in its narrowest sense, of mining engineer,
mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, and by necessity it would
seem as if we should shortly add some particular title to designate the

engineer who flies. In reality there should be but two classes of
engineers, and the distinction should be drawn only between civil
engineers and military engineers. As a matter of fact, fate and
inclination determine the specialty that a man takes up after his
preliminary training, and so far as the degrees are concerned, the only
one that has any right to carry weight, because it is a measure of
accomplishment, is that which is granted by this Society to its corporate
members. The schools, in their general mix-up of titles, certainly befog
the public mind. It is as if the medical schools, for instance, should
issue degrees at graduation for brain doctors, stomach doctors, eye and
ear doctors, etc. Very wisely, it seems to me, the medical profession
and the legal profession, with histories far older than ours, and with as
wide variations in practice as we have, leave the variations in name to
the individual taste of the practitioner, in a manner which we would do
well to copy. The Society itself has adopted very broad lines in
admission to membership, classing as civil engineers all who are
properly such; and there is good reason for the serious consideration of
the term at this time, as we cannot fail to recognize a tendency in State
and other governments to legislate as to the right to practice
engineering. It was owing to the introduction of a bill limiting and
prescribing the right to practice in the State of New York, that a
committee was recently appointed to look into this matter and report to
the Society. This report will be before you for action at this meeting.
As to the manner in which engineers individually perform their work,
no criticism would properly lie, and in fact it is fortunate that our work
speaks for itself, for, as a body, we say nothing. We are no longer,
however, found working for the greater part of the time on the outskirts
of civilization, and it becomes necessary, therefore, for us to change
with changing conditions, and to use our Society not only for the
benefit of the profession as a whole, but for the benefit of the members
individually. Whether one of our first steps in this direction should be
along legislative lines is for you to determine. For myself, having been
confronted with legislation recently attempted in New York, I am
convinced