DREXEL INSTITUTE OF ART, SCI ENCE AND INDUSTRY was founded at Philadelphia in 1891, by Anthony J. Drexel (q.v.). This school was established for the purpose of young men and women op portunity to receive training in the arts and sciences as applied to the industries. The re quirements for admission depend upon the course which the applicant wishes to pursue; no degrees are given. In 1914 the trustees had applied for the right to grant degrees. The buildings and equipment given by Mr. Drexel cost over $4,000,0W; and the amount of en dowment, given also by Mr. Drexel, is $2,000,000. The courses offered are: Fine and applied arts; elective engineering; commerce and finance; mechanical drawing and machine construction; domestic science; mathematics; physics; chem istry; and English. Day and evening classes are provided for all departments. The length of time required to complete the work depends upon the course. The free public lectures pro vided by the institute are valuable educational factors.
The department of commerce and finance consists of three special departments: First, the course in commerce and finance; second, the office course; third, the evening course. These courses are founded on a broad and lib eral basis, resembling generally the commer cial schools of Europe, and they are intended to place commercial education in its proper re lation to other departments of educational work. The object of the course is to train the young to do business rather than simply to re cord business. It provides a liberal and practical course of study for a two years' training in the knowledge of the world's industries and mar kets, the laws of trade and finance and the mechanism and customs of business. The first special department is intended to give a thor ough fundamental training for the activities of business which include: (1) The production, sale and transportation of articles of com merce; (2) the management of stock compa nies and corporations; (3) the buying and sell ing of securities; (4) the importing and ex porting of merchandise; (5) the borrowing and lending of money and credit; (6) the advertis ing of commercial concerns; (7) the keeping of business records. In addition three distinct
office courses are offered, practical in character and designed to prepare the student for enter ing immediately upon the respective lines of employment to which the training leads. In 1895 a beginning was made toward the forma tion of a permanent commercial museum. The collection now represents quite fully the follow ing industrial products: Flour, wool, petroleum, tea, coffee, sugar, cotton, copper, iron and steel, glass, tobacco, leather, paper, wood, carpets, linen, spices, aluminum, building stone, brick and terra-cotta. The art museum contains col lections representing the industrial arts of Egypt, India, China, Japan and Europe. The library contains over 40,000 volumes and is supplied with books, periodicals and pamphlets bearing upon the work and every facility and assistance is afforded for the study of financial, economic and commercial questions. In 1915 the number of students in attendance was 2,900 in all departments. Applicants for admission to any course must pass satisfactory examina tions in English, geography, arithmetic and United States history. For admission to the course in commerce and finance or to any of the office courses the candidate must be at least 16 years of age. The diploma of a high school of approved standing is accepted in place of an ex amination.