Vivat, crescat, floreat! Gracious sovereigns! ... The Polytechnic Institute is a higher educational institution assigned for the training of engineers, that is, as the name itself indicates, people of genius capable of inventing and arranging a new one. With the concept of the activity of an engineer, the demand for creative ability and creative activity must be combined, the ability to do something new. If someone offers only a routine copy of the old days, one does not need to graduate from a higher educational institution: his work will be the work of an artisan, rather than an engineer.
For an engineer, first of all, a solid scientific preparation is necessary. He must thoroughly study theoretical subjects - mathematics, physics, chemistry, geology, etc., depending on the specialty. Therefore, there is always a close relationship between higher education institutions and universities; The help of the university is necessary for every higher technical institution.
But apart from the general, abstract sciences devoted solely to the search for truth for itself, the so-called applied engineering sciences, dedicated to practical goals, also teach in technical schools. Although the practical needs of a person appear earlier than abstract, but the applied sciences appeared later than the general sciences. Otherwise it could not be, because applied sciences are children of abstract knowledge, feeding on its fruits.
In classical antiquity and in the Middle Ages there were no applied sciences. The real knowledge of that time was reduced to seven free arts. All other arts were not considered free, and their employment was provided to the slaves, which is why the name non-free arts took place. All equipment was classified as slave employment. The philosophers of antiquity repeatedly find expression of contempt for employment by applied questions; Obviously, this was considered a work unworthy of a free person. Seneca speaks the strongest, about one place in Possidonia, the writer of Caesar's time. Possidonius, among the various blessings delivered to mankind by philosophy, mentions that she invented the vault and introduced the use of metals. This praise is accepted by Seneca for his offense, and he vigorously protests against such praises. In his opinion, science does not have to teach people to arrange vaulted covers over their heads. A true philosopher does not care about which roof over his head; He does not care if there is not even a roof at all. It is not a matter of philosophy to teach people how to use metals. It teaches us to be completely independent of all material objects, from all kinds of mechanical devices. In my time, says Seneca, there were also devices of this kind: transparent windows, pipes for the uniform spread of heat throughout the building, etc .; But the invention of such things is the work of low slaves. Philosophy looks deeper. It's not up to her to teach people how to use their own hands. With great reluctance and even disgust, Seneca agrees to admit that one of the philosophers, ever, at least very little, has been concerned with the welfare of people. He tries to clear the memory of Democritus and Anacharsis from the disgraceful allegations that they made some mechanical inventions. Recognizing that this could happen, Seneca argues that such inventions have nothing to do with philosophical activity, but should be considered as mere coincidences. Of course, it could be, he explains, that some philosopher turned out to be a very fast runner. But this has not the slightest relation to philosophical activity and it is not the business of the philosopher to be a winner on the run or to invent machines. In the same spirit other writers of antiquity also speak.
The importance of technology, the need to deal with it, an indication of the dignity of these classes, the rehabilitation of this case, its liberation from the title "slave art", the very definition of the concept of applied sciences and their purpose - all belong to the famous Bacon of Verulam. The purpose of science, he says, is to serve the comforts of the human race, to give people new means and powers, to reduce the inconveniences and difficulties of our life. The purpose of science is the welfare of the human race. Bacon's doctrine is based on two concepts - usefulness and progress - and up to now they have remained the motto of the technical sciences: they have in mind the benefits, and they are continuously progressing and improving.
At the dawn of an era in the renaissance, we meet with a man who must be looked upon as the ancestor of engineers who represent the ideal type of engineering profession. This is Leonardo da Vinci. It combines: a scientist, a practitioner and an artist, and all these three sides must be developed in a real engineer. Da Vinci stood very high as a scientist, and on some issues preempted Gallilee. As a "practical engineer, he performed remarkable structures, between which the channels he had conducted were known. I do not need to list his works of art, but I mention them because I think the artistic side is extremely important for almost everyone. Engineers are obliged to take care of the beauty of their buildings, and therefore they must receive art education. The essence of the requirements from the engineer was well expressed symbolically in the construction of the Zurich Polytechnic School. There the department of general sciences - the university - connects with the department of applied sciences - the technical - hall, which is an art museum. This indicates the composition of engineering education: one must begin with pure science and base on applied knowledge on it, but at the same time not ignore the art. Those who think that the works of technology are necessarily ugly are very mistaken, and that industry is becoming more and more incompatible with art. Much more faithful to this is the poet Tennisson, who says that art, like nature, can cover its paths and slopes of railways with its flowers.
Without exaggeration, we can name an enviable fraction of those young people who devote themselves to technical activity and are preparing to become engineers and agronomists. They take on the task of their lives the production of wealth, in the vast and true sense of the word. Of course, this is not about wealth in the vulgar sense, that is, not about the wealth of private individuals, but about the wealth in its political and economic value, that is, I'm talking about the production of food and other amenities, and generally everything That serves for the benefit and pleasure of people. At the same time, I also include in production the delivery of these items to the places where they will be consumed.
The production of wealth in this sense of the word is in itself a very important occupation, which it is worth devoting itself, constantly seeking means to improve ways of accumulating wealth. One of the modern scientists says in this regard: "The degree of perfection in production determines the degree of the independence of man and his power over nature; Of all beings, only one person has reached an almost unlimited dominance over the production of nutrients. "
But, besides this direct significance, production is also important because the character, its kind, the degree of its success exert a strong influence on all other aspects of human activity, on the social system, legal concepts, etc., intertwining inseparably with All these manifestations of human life. Therefore, the activity of an engineer, a technologist is very broad, and only with a superficial observation can the technical matter be considered highly specialized. With the increase in population, only technology can provide people with the means to live, and therefore the further, the more closely and closely it is connected with all the people in the society.
It is completely unfair to represent the activities of engineers, as directed solely to the benefit of the rich people and not bearing fruit for the poor people. Wealth, understood in the sense, as I said, produced and accumulated by engineers, serves all people, rich and poor. The sciences studied by future engineers, both general and applied, are universal and nourish all without distinction, like the sun illuminating both the rich and the poor. Improving the methods of production, improving them is much more important for poor people than for the rich. Take for example the production of iron, in which in our century made the most grandiose improvements. What a step forward we see when we compare the primitive means of extracting iron from the ore - some Catalan bugle - with modern blast-furnace and steel mills. Now one blast furnace smelts 10,000 or more pod of iron per day, and now all this material is processed into steel and iron. Without this improvement, the amount of iron used by people would be significantly less than now. As a result, the soil would have been treated much worse than now, it would have given less bread, and it would not have sufficed to feed the modern population of the globe. Let us imagine that suddenly the amount of iron that is at the mercy of people will be halved. Of course, the result will be a terrible disaster. On the contrary, every invention that facilitates, accelerates the production of iron, is a blessing to the whole human race.
Very often they look at the activity of the engineer, as on the extremely difficult, depressing, gloomy. One author on this occasion expressed as follows: "These inhuman conditions of factory work and the very nature of labor - boring, unattractive, in itself can not give satisfaction and happiness."
Some departments of plants, for example, stokehouses, where steam boilers are heated, are depicted as the earthly likeness of hell; Especially the picture is made in the famous novel by Al-fonce Dode. In our literature many times addressed to this topic. The eloquent description of the terrible conditions for working on the riveting of boilers, involving the complete deafness of workers, etc., is especially well-known. Is it really that a person who devotes himself to technical activity is doomed to endure these horrors, or, what is even harder, Will make others bear them? It would be very sad, but, fortunately, the technical science has long given the means to eliminate many of these inconveniences. Machines Tvedlya make the riveting of the boilers very easy and completely silent, and I hope that soon the so-called "wood grouses" will go to the region of legends. It is possible to arrange a furnace of boilers so that in the stoker compartment, in the midst of infernal heat, dust and heavy work, there will be fresh air and cleanliness, and all the work on the furnace of boilers will be performed by an inanimate machine. And this is not only possible, but even there are many such devices. Mechanics have already come up with a number of adaptations that facilitate work, making it easy. Of course, much remains to be done, and here is a worthy career for the activities of future engineers of our institute.
For a lot of people a word the machine produces the most depressing impression. It is viewed as a dark force that can not be combated, to vwhich human must serve as an idol, sometimes demanding human victims. One author, describing the plant, says: "The cars reigned everywhere, and these gloomy people seemed to be miserable around them." Let us take another step along the path of these views, and we will have to recall the story told by Rölo about the future future of the human race, namely: the improvement of the machines came to the point that they rebelled against the people, enslaved them and forced them to serve themselves.
Such views can not be shared by engineers who themselves make machines and other structures, factories, railways, embodying their creative thoughts in forms made of iron and stones. The kind of thought that has turned into a deed, into fact, can not produce a depressing impression, but on the contrary, the brightest and most joyful. An engineer will never agree to consider a car or stone buildings as a master, to whom people should serve as an idol, or to admit that sometimes victims are needed for this monster. We are gentlemen, and our machines are servants, and whoever doubts that, I advise you to look at the operation of a machine called servo-moteur, that is, an enslaved engine. This mechanism is often used to turn the handlebars of huge steamers and various other purposes, where enormous efforts are required. The machinist, who controls the mechanism, moves his hand with an easy grip, which requires the slightest effort, and the huge steam machine imitates precisely these movements, copies them, increasing the size and strength of such movement many times over. It is positively possible to say that this machine obeys the wave of the machinist's hand, instantly stops when the hand stops, goes faster or quieter, one way or the other, as the manager's hand appoints. Observing the operation of such mechanisms, one will be convinced of the validity of the machine's name by our slaves. These are ideal slaves - obedient, strong, hardy, skilled, fit for all work - and most importantly, you can own an unlimited number of these slaves without feeling remorse.
The device for saving labor, for relief, for its safety, for hygienic work, is a worthy field for engaging active minds, and I think, Gracious Lord You will agree with me that technology represents a vast field for humane and educational activity ...
Speech uttered by V.L. Kirpichev on the solemn act of the opening of the Kiev Polytechnic Institute of Emperor Alexander II on August 31, 1898