gineer, as being a part of the future of the engineer.

XI

WHAT CONSTITUTES ENGINEERING SUCCESS

A graduate of Cornell, in the class of '05, after placing away his
diploma where it could not trouble him through suggestiveness, accepted
a position with a large manufacturing concern in western Pennsylvania.
He was twenty-three years old. He went into the shop to get the
practical side of certain theories imposed upon his receptive nature
through four long years of study in a mechanical-engineering course. The
concern manufactured among other things steam-turbines, and this young
man, having demonstrated in school his particular aptitude for
thermodynamics--the study of heat and its units in its application to
engines, and the like--entered the erecting department. Donning
overalls, and with ordinary rule in his hip pocket--as against the
slide-rule with which he had worked out his theoretical calculations
during his college years--he went to work at whatever was assigned him
as a task by his superiors--shop foremen, assistant superintendent,
occasionally an engineer from the office.

This young man did many things. He helped to assemble turbine parts;
carried word of petty alterations to the proper officials: assisted in
the work of making tests; made detailed reports on the machine's
performance; screwed up and backed off nuts; in short, got very well
acquainted with the steam-turbine as manufactured by this company. He
knew the fundamentals of machine construction, and an understanding of
the details of this particular type of turbine therefore came easy to
him. He worked shop hours, carried his lunch in a box, changed his
overalls every Monday like a veteran. Usually his overalls more than
needed changing, because he was not afraid of the grease and grime with
which he came into contact throughout the day. He liked the work and
went to it like a dog to a bone. He was applying in a practical way what
he had learned in college of a theoretical nature, and finding the thing
of amazing interest.

He made progress. In time his work was brought to the attention of the
chief engineer, and one day, when the president of the company, who was
also an inventor of national repute and responsible for the design of
the turbine being manufactured by the organization, wanted to make
certain bold changes in the design, the chief engineer sent for the
young engineer whose work in college in thermodynamics had won for him