"It is a great profession. There is
the fascination of watching a figment of the imagination emerge through the aid
of science to a plan on paper. Then it moves to realization in stone or metal
or energy. Then it brings jobs and homes to men. Then it elevates the standards
of living and adds to the comforts of life. That is the engineer's high
privilege.
The great liability of the engineer
compared to men of other professions is that his works are out in the open
where all can see them. His acts, step by step, are in hard substance. He
cannot bury his mistakes in the grave like the doctors. He cannot argue them
into thin air or blame the judge like the lawyers. He cannot, like the
architects, cover his failures with trees and vines. He cannot, like the politicians,
screen his shortcomings by blaming his opponents and hope the people will
forget. The engineer simply cannot deny he did it. If his works do not work, he
is damned...
On the other hand, unlike the doctor his
is not a life among the weak. Unlike the soldier, destruction is not his
purpose. Unlike the lawyer, quarrels are not his daily bread. To the engineer
falls the job of clothing the bare bones of science with life, comfort, and
hope. No doubt as years go by the people forget which engineer did it, even if
they ever knew. Or some politician puts hs name on it. Or they credit it to
some promoter who used other people's money . . . But the engineer himself
looks back at the the unending stream of goodness which flows from his
successes with satisfactions that few professions may know. And the verdict of
his fellow professionals is all the accolade he wants."
