Jamestown High School - Red and Green Yearbook (Jamestown, NY)

Page 17 text:

1. H. S. SENIOR ANNUAL 1931 I3 Engineering fLeonard A. Bergmani Thomas Tredgold, the famous English En- gineer, defined Engineering as, the art of directing the great powers of nature for the service of manf' His- tory tells us it is one of the oldest of the profes- sions. During the past half century Engineer- ing has developed in so many fields of endeavor that it is necessary for one who follows the pro- fession to specialize and thereby become more . efficient in some partic- ular branch of its five general divisions: Military, Civil, Mechanical, Electrical and Chemical. Military Engineering relates to selection of sites and plans for defense or offense, con- struction and repair of fortifications, com- munication lines, military roads and bridges, execution of harbor and river improvements. Civil Engineering deals with works per- taining to transportation such as railroads, roads and canals, to water supply, irrigation, drainage and sewerage, river and harbor im- provements, bridges, buildings and dams. Mechanical Engineering pertains to ma- chine design, steam and automotive power, heating and ventilating, aeronautics and pneu- matics. Electrical Engineering has to do with the design, construction and application of all classes of electrical machinery and apparatus, power houses, lighting systems, electrified railways, telephone, telegraph and radio communication. Chemical Engineering plays an important part in modern industry. Most large corpo- rations maintain large and costly laboratories for analysis and control of various processes to insure uniformity and quality of their prod- uct. Many chemists are engaged in research, improving old and developing new methods of manufacturing commodities. A student, with a desire to follow engineer- ing as a profession, should be possessed of good common sense with an aptitude in math- ematics. He should be optimistic and perse- vering, a keen observer and a seeker of facts. The necessary training may be acquired by actual practice, by home study or attending higher institutions of learning. The latter, if possible of attainment, is recommended. Beside the personal feeling toward some particular school, it is highly desirable to choose one having large and modern labora- lories and equipment. Location in an indus- trial community has advantages in that the student may see many notable engineering projects not only completed but in the pro- cess of development. It also affords more facilities for part time employment. Engineers generally secure well paid em- ployment in some chosen field. It is estimat- ed that 95 percent of the engineers of this country are 'on regular salary and render service to others through private concerns or governmental functions. As a class they may not become wealthy in a material way, but find deep satisfaction in accomplishment.

Page 16 text:

IZ I. H. S. SENIOR ANNUAL 1931 helpful service rendered, broken lives mended and contributions of life and thought to the common welfare-these are the chief rewards. Drawbacks in the ministry are such as nat- urally occur to all who hesitate to adventure everything in a field of service. There is not the stimulus of immediate rewards and visible values. There are the slow processes and the discouragements of those who deal with char- acter building. There is the shadow of mis- understanding and misjudgment which must be met with a smile of courage. There are plenty of excellent colleges and universities in which the training may be secured. It would be diiiicult to make specific recommendations. When it comes to post- graduate training in the seminary, then one's denominational choice would have much to do with it, though at present all our seminaries such as Boston University, Princeton, Union and Drew are increasingly inter-denomina- tional in their student body. Business fwalter H. Edsonj Business ability is valuable not merely to the manufacturer, the merchant, the banker, the managers of large business, private and public, but it is an im- portant accessory if not standard equipment in the successful practice of every profession and trade. It involves thor- ough understanding of the nature and proper use of money and other property, the keeping of accurate books of ac- count, the principles of credit, the careful plan- ning of affairs with reference to income and expenditure, all for the purpose of realizing adequate financial return from the enterprise, large or small, in which one may be engaged. Critics of our capitalistic system complain that modern business is conducted solely for the purpose of making profts. Business man- agers recognize that projfts constitute the chief if not the sole measure of their success, but it is a mistake to think of business as consisting of nothing but the fierce struggle for profits. That conflict is a partaa very important part of business but it is not all of it. Profits constitute the speculative return hoped for by owners of the business who gen- erally take the largest risk of loss. There are others involved in almost every business enter- prise who neither intend to assume large risks of loss nor expect to share in any large prohts that may be made. It is doubtless true that luck, special privilege, dishonesty and crime too often swell the share of the profit takers out of all proportion to the services they render and the risks they rung but the success of an enterprise may be more impor- tant to others involved than to the owners of the business. It is not necessary to be directly interested in speculative profits in order to be a business man or woman. In his excellent book on Trade Morals, Edward D. Page defines busi- ness as human activity in the exchange of services, commodities or services of another is, to that extent, a business man. One may be highly skilled in craftsman- ship, in art or in a profession without possess- ing business ability-i. e. ability in the ex- change of services, commodities or money for money, commodities or services. The best training for business is generally to be had in actual experience. It is through experiment by trial and error that one learns most thor- oughly. Experience is a dear school, how- ever, and it may be good business to exchange money, commodities or services for a little business education that is founded on the trials and errors of others. Fundamentals may be learned with little expense in high school commercial courses and in standard business colleges. Specialized training is to be had in many of the universities and col- leges of the country at about the same cost as other university or college courses. There are also special schools unassociated with in- stitutions of general education. The cultivation of business ability is im- portant not only as a means of acquiring wealth in large or small amounts. It affords the same kind of satisfaction that is to be found in cultivating skill or art in any other field of activity. The business manhthe lit- tle business man as well as the big business man-takes pride, and has right to take pride, in the excellence of his creation-the business which he successfully conducts. lf We learn to conduct successfully our small affairs we may grow into larger and more excellent business enterprises, benefitting not merely ourselves but others in the progress of our development.

Page 18 text:

E. FACULTY TH