up a tunnel, to check his
"March to the Sea," when one of the men objected, saying it was of no
use, for Sherman had a duplicate tunnel in his train.

Although this is not a sermon, it may not be out of place to point out
a few qualifications common to all engineers, for they all deal more
or less with the same materials and forces and employ similar methods
of investigation and construction. Wood, iron, steel, copper and stone
and their compounds are the materials of the civil, mining, mechanical
and electrical, as well as of the military engineers. They all deal
with the forces of gravitation, cohesion, inertia and chemical
affinity. They all require skill, intelligence, industry, confidence,
accuracy, thoroughness, ingenuity and, beyond all, sound judgment.
Wanting in any one of these qualifications, an engineer is more or
less disqualified for important work. It is said that a distinguished
engineer was always afraid to cross his own bridges, although built in
the most thorough and approved manner. He was deficient in confidence.
Another engineer distinguished for his mathematical attainments built
a bridge which promptly collapsed at the first opportunity. On
overhauling his computations he ejaculated somewhat forcibly, "That
confounded minus sign! It should have been plus." He was deficient in
sound judgment, or what is sometimes called "horse sense."

Another and more common defect in young engineers is a want of
thoroughness. It is generally best to go to the bottom of a question
at first and keep at it until it is thoroughly and fully completed.
Confucius says, "If thou hast aught to do, first consider, second act,
third let the soul resume her tranquillity." Those who begin a great
many things and never fully complete them lose a great deal of
valuable time, but do very little valuable work. The way to avoid this
difficulty is to be cautious about beginning things, but when once
started don't leave it until you are satisfied to leave it for good.
There is an Arabian saying, "Never undertake _all_ you can do, for he
who undertakes _all_ he can do will frequently undertake _more_ than
he can do."

Another common error is extravagance. On the plea that "the best is
always the cheapest," and to be sure of a large factor of safety, or
as the late Mr. Holley called it a "factor of ignorance," without much
trouble to themselves, some engineers use more or better materials
than the work requires, and thus greatly