The Prairie View Standard - October 1932 - Vol
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Prairie View A&M University Digital Commons @PVAMU PV Standard Newspapers Publications 10-1932 The Prairie View Standard - October 1932 - Vol. XXIV No. 3 Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/pv-newspapers Recommended Citation Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College. (1932). The Prairie View Standard - October 1932 - Vol. XXIV No. 3., Vol. XXIV No. 3 Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/pv-newspapers/39 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Publications at Digital Commons @PVAMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in PV Standard Newspapers by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @PVAMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Ube prairie Dtcw» Stanbarb VOL. XXIV. Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College, Prairie View, Texas, October 1932. No. 3. ENGINEERING THROUGH THE AGES DORMANT YOUTH By C. L. Wilson, B. S., M. E., Professor of By Rev. Lee C. Phillip, S. T. M., College Minister- Mechanic Arts It was said that "Necessity is the mother of in Without doubt, engineering is the oldest of our vention," but when this is applied to the Negro youth modern-day professions. Ever since man began to seek of today I am forced to ask this question, has she be for himself comfort other than those afforded by Na come sterile or is she practicing birth control ? ture alone, he has been an engineer. His early wants The trend of the educated Negro youth, as it ap (food, water, protection from storms, clothing, etc.), pears t-o me, is toward an individualism of self-aggran led him to devise methods for obtaining these desires dizement. He is not concerned about the things which by his own ingenuity. Surely man has always had the vitally affect his entire relationship to the world in creative mind of an engineer to plan and build the early which he lives, but he takes a "laissez faire" attitude structures and projects that are revealed to us by and is contented. If education has any dynamic in it, history. and it has, is it to give us a complacency that will make Possibly the first true engineer on earth was a man, us satisfied with the trends of society which are closing who, by divine inspiration, built an ark of gopher wood, in on us -on every side, or is it to make us sensitive to 500 feet by 83 feet by 50 feet with one window and one the injustices that we suffer as members of a minority door and three floors. It floated for 150 days and finally group? This education should so stir our souls that we landed on Mount Ararat. Its construction must have cannot rest until we have created something which will required great ingenuity and imagination, because of make it possible for us to share in th-ose things which the very primitive tools at the builder's disposal. are necessary for the development of a symmetrical Next, man in a vain attempt to reach heaven, personality. built the Tower of Babel. Although nothing is known, Is it possible that we can be truly educated and not by way of dimensions, as to the greatness of this al be acquainted with the conditions of our brothers in most prehistoric project, it showed that man had im •other parts of the country? Is it true that we can say aginative power several thousand years before Christ. "all is well" when right in our doors there are those The construction of a dam across the Nile about 5000 who are depending on us to share with them the light B. C. and the Egyptian Pyramids, (constructed 4000 to that has come to us through education to relieve them 2500 B. C.), whose structural work still puzzle the en from their oppression? "No chain is any stronger than gineer, are ancient engineering feats of great import its weakest link." There is no way for the Negro race ance. King Cheops, when building his Pyramid, em to come into its own until the educated have fused their ployed 100, 000 workmen and it took ten years to build intelligence with the whole of the ignorant masses. All the road upon which the stones were dragged. is not well so long as one black man has not the right Probably man's first want after he had passed the to speak and be heard as a man in any sphere of life. Direct Appropriation and Pastural Stages and reached Promising lads were taken from a famine stricken that of Agriculture was his desire for water with which country and carried into a land of plenty where they to irrigate his plants. He devised methods whereby he were to be educated. They were given delicious food could transfer water from one place to another with the and entertained luxuriously. There was -one lad who least possible effort. The ancient Egyptian engineer was not so gay as the others who had forgotten their continually faced this problem. Consequently, canals, home conditions. One day as they all were feasting at hydraulic works, and water ways, which have contrib a banquet he burst out hysterically, "I can't! I can't! uted much to the advance of civilization, were of im "Why are you sad when you have everything that life portance to the ancients. Some examples of early water can afford in the material sense?" asked his master. ways are as follows: The system of five canals radiat The lad replied, "I cannot enjoy these luxuries when ing from the waters of Diahlah north of Bagdad, built my brothers and sisters are starving for the bare ne by Nebuchadneezer 700 B. C.; and the Aqueduct of cessities of life." Justinian I, 550 A. D. Should this not be our attitude as educated youth? There are hundreds of early projects built by man How can we enjoy temporary good things when there which could be mentioned to show what an ancient pro are millions who are giving their life's blood for the fession engineering really is. Some of the outstanding bare necessities of existence? feats are: the Grand Canal of China, 700 miles in Can we drink, dance and make merry when the (Continued on page 3) (Continued on page 3) 2 dependable people, a prosperous and progressive citi ENGINEERING-^ uses, and its possibilities are still in an undeveloped The Prairie View Standard zenship. state. Most of us are familiar with the progress of en (Continued from page 1) Published monthly during the school year except WE OWE THE NEGRO CHILD ENCOURAGEMENT gineering science the beginning of the 19th century. July and August by Prairie View State Normal and length; the great monuments of Yucatan, Peru, and Man has demanded faster means and methods of trans Mexico; the tunnel under the Euphrates; and the drain Industrial College, Prairie View, Texas. (Oklahoma Eagle) portation. The engineer has -obeyed the demands of his ing of Lake Capaias. As a race we must not lose interest in our tots, fellowmen by producing the steam locomotive, the auto Entered as second-class matter March 2, 1911, at Leaving antiquity behind, there is one of the early because it's from them that a strong race must come. mobile and numerous types of aircraft and "lighter the postoffice at Prairie View, Texas, under the act of natural philosophers to whom we will refer. Hero, of These little fellows need our every attention and en than air" machines. With these faster methods of trav March 3, 1879. Alexandria, who lived A. D. 100, was one of the best couragement, and whenever we neglect them in the least el, come more dependable methods of communication. known technicians in classic literature. His whirling In this case the engineer produced the telegraph, tele W. Rutherford Banks Principal way, we are guilty of a crime that the Savior frowns "Aeolipile" is the earliest representation of a machine phone, and radio. The demands for highways and build Napoleon B. Edward Executive Secretary upon. They are "men and women of tomorrow" and moved by steam. This work excited much interest in ings have brought about new and improved methods should, on all occasions get the glad hand from the the subject of mechanics and in the power of steam in steel and concrete construction. Acceptance for mailing at special rates of postage grown-ups in the Negro race. The time has arrived and marked the invention of the steam turbine. The de In summary, one might say that the engineer has provided for in Section 103, Act of October 3, 1917; when their little feet will patter on their daily march velopment of the turbine, however, was forced to wait transformed the world about him. Through his efforts authorized July 13, 1918. to the school room, and their voices filled with glee, will for advance in the fields of machine design and ther we live in a "world of speed." It is a world of steel and be heard. They should afford each of us a wonderful SUBSCRIPTION - 50 CENTS PER YEAR modynamics. concrete; we are fantastically guided on our way by picture of inspiration; their early start at a warfare "on communications undreamed of by our predecessors. ignorance that will in a very few years, prove a bless Somewhat of a jump in history is necessary to ECONOMIC LIBERTY What will the next century bring? ing, should win for them a whole-hearted co-operation. reach the next consideration; the immense engineering Education is a panacea for many of our ills, and problems and undertaking in the Roman Aqueducts.