Allen, Mark L.

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 The Knowledge Bank at The Ohio State University Ohio State Engineer   Title:  The Bookshelf Speaks Creators:  Allen, Mark L. Issue Date:  May-1928 Publisher:  Ohio State University, College of Engineering Citation:  Ohio State Engineer, vol. 11, no. 7 (May, 1928), 16, 24-25. URI:  http://hdl.handle.net/1811/34296  Appears in Collections: Ohio State Engineer: Volume 11, no. 7 (May, 1928)   16 THE OHIO STATE ENGINEER*_..THE BOOKSHELF SPEAKS,.-*THE NEW REFORMATION by MICHAEL PUPINProfessor Pupin, as the publishers tell us, hasin this book accomplished that which would havebeen impossible to one who is not a scientist aswell as an artist. A scientific treatise or a workutterly devoid of technical background could nothave the general appeal that this work has. Fun-damentally, the topic is scientific but the style isnot that of the scientific writer but the style isnot that of the scientific writer yet the readersenses that the author is a scientist.The author declares that the progress of Sciensehas been due to the progress of ''the scientificmode of research," as he calls it. This method ofattacking a scientific problem was originated byArchimedes but lay dormant from his time to theage of Roger Bacon. Bacon realized that theAristotelian philosophy fostered by the MediaevalChurch could not answer his questions so heturned to Archimedes for his model.It is demonstrated that Religion and Scienceare mutually interdependent. To be true, duringthe Middle Ages Religion occupied a far more im-portant place than it does today and Science waslooked upon askance. Yet, both rested upon falsefoundations—iron-bound dogma and ipnorance.As soon as Religion abandoned its orthodoxy andthe truths of Science were realized, Civilizationreceived a fresh impetus.We are to consider the scientific mode of re»search as the foundation of a new philosophy.Science and Religion are terminals of the samerealities; one terminal resides in the human soul,the other in the visible realities of the universe.This is quite logical and original. Professor Pupindeclares that the world is gradually drifting to-wards this idea; this is the New Reformation.While this work is to be highly commended andrepresents a great step forward in light of settlingthe Religion versus Science dispute, one ratherimportant item has been overlooked, that of Evo-lution. The learned Doctor is primarily an engi-neer yet it seems that before embarking upon theseas of Philosophy, he should have looked intoDarwinism a bit and given us some discussion onhow this absorbing subject fits into the New Re-formation.The Oxford University Press has recently pub-lished an American history which is advertised asbeing "non-partisan." It covers the period fromthe beginning of things in North America to thelate war. The author, although English, does notspare his countrymen.Doubleday-Doran announce the publishing of anew book concerning more of the exploits ofLawrence in Arabia. Colonel Lawrence has leftthe limelight and is at present with the Royal Airorce in India under the name of T. E. Shaw. Heis a mere private.THE GANGS OF NEW YORKBy HERBERT ASBURYIn a volume that represents a colossal amountof research work among old newspayer files, his-tories, and reports, the author of this book hasmade a distinct and original contribution to thatswelling mass of literature that sports the title,"Americana."The New York gangster is by no means a newcharacter to the world. For years he has held aplace unique among thugs, crooks, and cut-throats,that until the innovation of the machine-gunninglad of Chicago has been considered the last wordin the underworld. All those gentlemen that fig-ure in the headlines of the tabloids today are butthe progeny of the original group that flourishedin lower Manhattan a century ago.Mr. Asbury says that the gangs grew with theflood of immigration. The greater part of theundesireables of all Europe flocked to our shoresduring those early days. Is it a wonder that to-day these dear United States excel in murders?The officials in charge of governing the variousEuropean states in those days must be creditedwith a far-seeing vision. They got rid of theircrooks and today point their fingers at us andcomment on democracy. In spite of this the bestis to be hoped for. Take for example the Com-monwealth of Australia. Originally a colony ofconvicts, the Continent of the Antipodes todayboasts of a happy, well-governed people.The gangs of New York waxed fat under cor-rupt police protection. The high point of theirexistence appears to have been reached with theConscription Riots during the early days of theCivil War. Crookdom was partially disorganizedby the earnest efforts of certain citizens. Thenotorious Rosenthal incident sounded the knell ofthe organized gang in New York.Written in a pleasing style, this volume shouldprove very good reading both for the history con-tained as well as the blood and thunder.THE DAY'S WORK by RUDYARD KIPLINGIt is a great balm to the soul of the youngerengineer to think that after he finishes up hisfirst big job he will marry the chief's beautifuldaughter. In fact, the idea is so prevalent thatall authors make a practice of ending up theirtwenty-chapter agony of the dam break with awild gallop to the parson, the bold young C. E. andhis love being the two main participants. Some-thing should be done to stop this insidious propa-ganda.Mr. Kipling, the well-known author of DannyDeever and some twenty-odd volumes of proseand poetry, must have noticed this practice quitea period back. He wrote a story about an engi-(Cont inued on Page 24)MAY, 192824 THE OHIO STATE ENGINEERWorld's LargestManufacturersof FineMAGNET WIREand WINDINGSFor EveryElectrical PurposeAsk for a copy of the DUDLO folder"Wire and Winding Data." Itwill help you in your workDUDLO MANUFACTURING COMPANYFORT WAYNE, INDIANADivision of The General Cable Corp.The Franklin Blue Printand Supply Company73 South Fourth StreetColumhus, OhioFor fifteen years this Company hasbeen serving Columbus and CentralOhio with their needs in Blue Printsand Engineering and architecturalsupplies.Students have found it pays to buyfrom a company that has backed thegoods it sells with its reputation.Owned and operated by Ohio StateAlumni, we stand ready to co-operatewith the Ohio State Student.Thesis Blue Prints are our specialty.Your Good Will Is Our ProfitBOOK SHELF(Continued from Page 16)neer that should have turned the tide but peoplelike to have their vanities catered to and so thestory has been more or less forgotten. The stero-typed story remains in present-day literature butthose who care to read something different aboutan engineer on a big job should read The BridgeBuilders.This is the first story and the best one in thebook. It is about Findlayson, an engineer who isbuilding a bridge across the uper part of theGanges. The construction work is practicallyfinished when the story opens. He has success-fully weathered all of the trials and tribulationsthat go with the job of chief engineer, slipping ofbooms, breaking of tackle, failure of the cranesand drag-lines, fever and pestilence among theworkmen and a thousand other details. He wasbeginning to pat himself on the back because hehad come through. The job was finished but therewas one trial he had overlooked: the vengeance ofMother Gunga or the spirit of the Ganges. Peroo,his henchman, had oft warned him that MotherGunga did not like the idea of being hamperedwith steel and concrete and would seek retribu-tion ere the work was completed.Mother Gunga sought retribution and how shedid it makes a pretty tale. If we had more ofthese stories there might be less disillusioned en-gineers..007 is another god story. It is a rather pecu-liar title, sounding like the code name of a secretagent. Mayhap Kipling was the first to investa machine with a personality. It does make goodmaterial for a story.There are also a couple of sea yarns that arenot bad reading. Stories of the sea are read withavid interest in all corners of the globe. Youought to enjoy The Ship That Found Herself.As one goes through a volume of Kipling themost outstanding fact concerning his writingthat will be noted is his great versatility. Besidesbeing a master of both poetry and prose he is amaster of local color. It is not a great feat towrite about a land where one has been born andraised but it is an entirely different matter towrite about places where one has merely touredthrough. Kipling knows his India. Read .007and find out what he knows about the U. S.MARK ALLEN, '31.i l l l l l l l l l l l l i l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l i :— Surveying Instruments AD. 3369 =1 Atlas Blue Print and |1 Supply Co. 1= 8i North Fourth Street |S 'Drawing j^daterials Blue Prints ^^ I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I M I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I i r rDUDLOTHE OHIO STATE ENGINEER 25WIRE automobile and airplane wires,electrical wires, submarine cables,bridge*building cables, wire rope,telegraph and telephone wire,radio wire, round wire, weldingwire, flat wire, staivshaped and all different kinds of shapes of wire,sheet wire, piano wire, pipe organ wire, wire hoops, barbed wire,woven wire fences, wire gates, wire fence posts, trolley wire and railbonds, poultry netting, wire springs, concrete reinforcing wire mesh,nails, staples, tacks, spikes, bale ties, steel wire strips, wire-rope aerialtramways. Illustrated story of how steel and wire is made, also illus-trated books describing uses of all the above wires sent free^AMERICAN STEEL & WIRESales Offices COMPANYChicago New York Boston Cleveland Worcester Philadelphia Pittsburgh Buffalo Detroit Cincinnati BaltimoreWilkes-Barre St. Louis Kansas City St. Paul Oklahoma City Birmingham Memphis Dallas Atlanta Denver Salt Lake CityExport Representative: U. S. Steel Products Co., New YorkPacific Coast Representative: U. S. Steel Products Company, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, SeattleUFKIN Tapes and RulesThe Recognized Standard of Accuracy and ServiceThey are offered in patterns and grades best for GeneralEngineering, Surveying, Construction and MaintenanceSEND FORCATALOGSEND FORCATALOGWINDSOR ONT.NEW YORK THE LUFKIN RULE CO. SAGINAW, MICH.RENTALSTYPEWRITERSSALES SERVICERIDER'S PEN SHOP15th AND HIGH DELIVERY SERVICEMAY, 1928

The Bookshelf Speaks

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The Bookshelf Speaks

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