Jan., 1918] The Relation of War to Chemistry 83 



two years ago for our soda, benzol, toluol and our explosives 

 for only a small portion of their demands, produced a state of 

 affairs in our industries that was an appalling warning against 

 the time when we would need such things ourselves, for defense, 

 and in immensely greater volume. 



It is natural in view of the nature of these defense problems 

 that the engineers and chemists of the country have been 

 serious in the preparedness movement. Thirty thousand 

 engineers and chemists of the United States volunteered without 

 pay to the National Consulting Board for both the Navy and 

 Army to work on the organization of the industries of the 

 country for national defense. The result was m.uch more 

 efficient than any similar organization in the world, for no 

 government could afford to pay for the expert services involved. 

 This Consulting Board and its successor, the National Council 

 for Defense, have assisted the country to become self-contained 

 for defense, arranged for speedy conversion of industrial plants 

 into munitions plants and arranged during peace to prevent 

 useless waste of experienced engineers. Experienced chemical 

 engineers for instance, like naval officers, cannot be trained in a 

 day or a year, though the analytical chemical control can be 

 taught in a few days to any chemist. The mistakes made b}^ 

 Britain in passing through the blockade materials helpful in 

 explosive manufacture demands that our military authority 

 and foreign office have at its call as wide a variety of chemical 

 experience and advice as possible, and every chemist as well as 

 engineer in this country is now being card indexed. 



If we as scientists ask ourselves individually what we can do 

 to assist in the general defense of our firesides and our ideals, 

 the answer is do our daily work in whatever field it may be, as. 

 though it were the most important single thing in the world and 

 particularly do our utmost to assist productio?i and those directly 

 engaged in it, whether manufacturing or agricultural . Then 

 when the government calls upon us for special service we will 

 be ready to attack the problems which only the military arm 

 can formulate for us. 



We have touched on sufficient high points to indicate the 

 character of the influence of the war upon chemistry in America. 

 Still other points should be discussed, were there time. Hardly 

 any branch of the science but contributes an important service; 

 to the national defense as well as our normal benefit. 



