HARMON NORTHROP MORSE. 



609 



laboratory. We had less than a handful of students. What was to 

 come of it? I need not go into the story thus suggested except to say 

 that we were absolutely untrammeled and left to work out our own 

 salvation. Morse and I were of one mind as to the object to be at- 

 tained and there were no discussions in regard to the methods to be 

 adopted. They were not original, but they had never been tried in this 

 country. There had never been an opportunity. The opportunity 

 that many of us had hoped for, had dreamed of, was furnished by 

 the bounty of Johns Hopkins and the wisdom of his trustees and 

 of President Gilman. 



Morse remained an associate until 1883, when he became an associ- 

 ate professor. In 1892 he was promoted to be professor of inorganic 

 and analytical chemistry, and in 1908 he became director of the 

 chemical laboratory. In 1916 he withdrew from active service and 

 became professor emeritus. 



From the beginning of our work in the new university the impor- 

 tance of research was emphasized. That was indeed its most character- 

 istic feature. Morse was as anxious as any of us to take part in this 

 work. For one reason and another it was some time before he got 

 going. To be sure he did show his hand in some small and rather 

 unpromising pieces of work and I think he became discouraged, but he 

 was faithful to his teaching. Gradually, however, his researches 

 opened up new fields and he began their exploration. This is not the 

 place for a full review of his contributions, and those of his last years 

 so overshadow all that preceded that a reference to these alone will 

 do substantial justice to his memory. 



In the early nineties he turned his attention seriously to the question 

 of the stability of solutions of potassium permanganate, and in 1896 

 he published an article on "The production of permanganic acid by 

 manganese superoxide," A. J. Hopkins and M. S. Walker appearing as 

 joint authors. Pursuing this subject Morse and H. G. Byers in 1900 

 published an article "On the cause of the evolution of oxygen when 

 oxidisable gases are absorbed by permanganic acid." The results 

 were such that it became desirable to obtain an aqueous solution of 

 pure permanganic acid. It was decided to prepare this by dissolving 

 the heptoxide in water. In an article by Morse and J. C. Olsen that 

 appeared in 1900 occurs the following passage: 



