CARL G. BARTH, 1860-1939: A SKETCH

Abstract

CARL G. BARTH, 1860-1 939: A SKETCH BY FLORENCE M. MANNING Carl Georg Barth - a Norwegian by birth, an American by adoption - was pre-eminently a mathematician, an engineer who reduced to mathematical formulas the laws for cutting metals that had been covered by the research of his friend, Frederick Winslow Taylor. His contributions run through the whole field of mechanical engineering and machine design that paralleled the scientific management movement. The consensus of opinion of Barth's peers is that he was the ablest of Taylor's associates and did more than any other one man to make scientific management a working success in its early trial period. Not a few of Barth's colleagues agreed that if he had decided to commercialize upon his discoveries he could have made a number of fortunes; others have done that on certain features of his work. His object always was to establish the truth concerning engineering and management, and he had little concern about his own personal gain. Barth's enormous capacity for work, combined with his rare experience in the practical application of mathematics, mechanics, and mechanical drawing made his accomplishments possible. His dynamic energy, independent thought, and constant search for truth, as well as his indefatigable efforts to better the working conditions of the laboring classes, may be understood if we glance briefly at Barth's splendid background. He himself was a self-made man; and his forefathers had possessed the same ingenuity, resourcefulness , vision, and courage. Carl Georg Barth had a long line of distinguished forebears. His father's ancestors have been traced back to Norway's first king, Harold the Fair-haired. Barth facetiously remarked 114 CARL G. BARTH 115 that in his family there were many counts and doubtless lots of no-accounts. Nevertheless he lived up to this heritage: " Noble by birth, yet nobler by deeds." Carl's father, Jakob Boeckman Barth, was compelled by a rich uncle to study law, although he had neither inclination for, nor appreciation of this profession. Jakob loved the out-of-door life, reveled in the beauty of nature, and devoted every spare moment to the study of the natural sciences. He had the distinction of being Norway's first technically educated and highly respected forester. Life in the forest was a natural laboratory for his studies of the flora and fauna of Norway. He wrote several books on these subjects. To Jakob belonged the honor of being the best wing shot of the Scandinavian countries. A rebellious soul, Jakob resented being compelled to listen to Sunday sermons while his whole soul craved to be out in nature's wide-open sanctuary. This many-sided man also made a study of religious philosophy; he saw an intelligent design in nature's way of evolving, and early developed into a Unitarian. Consequently, on behalf of his eight children he could not refrain from interfering with the religious instruction that prevailed in the state schools. The provincial community in which the family lived resented Jakob's recalcitrance . However, his pre-eminence in his profession, his scientific interests, his prolific writings in diversified fields, and his integrity of character helped offset this considerably. The controversy with the state church eventually became acute; Jakob only aggravated the situation by circulating a pamphlet he had written called "Religious Persecution in Norway in the Year 1873." Three years before his death (1889) he published a book entitled, "The Fallacy of the Teachings of the Church and True Christianity." Adelaide Magdeline Lange Barth, the wife of Jakob and mother of Carl, was of pure Danish descent. Her father, a Danish clergyman, was a graduate of the University of Copen- 116 STUDIES AND RECORDS hagen. Of the nine children born to her six were boys and three, girls. Carl Georg Barth, the fourth child, was born in Christiania , Norway, February 28, 1860. He received his early education in the public schools at Lillehammer. His mother often said that Carl was the only one of her brood who could always keep himself busy and contented without bothering anyone about how he should spend his time. When Carl was not playing or fighting with his companions, he was...