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THE ALUMNI JOURNAL. 



however, but also the other fields of practical 

 chemistry, such as alimentary chemistry and 

 analytical chemistry, require the best chemically 

 educated powers in order to solve all problems 

 quickly and exactly. This is especially impor- 

 tant in all legal difficulties, where the opinion of 

 a technical chemist, an expert, is required. In 

 these cases the judge has to rely upon what the 

 expert places before him, because chemistry as 

 a science as well as in application is too peculiar 

 for the logically trained law student to pene- 

 trate thoroughly into the matter. 



A nation that will not stand back in the race 

 of peoples, must therefore show the greatest at- 

 tention to the training of chemists. It is, in the 

 first place, its duty to take care that capable 

 representatives and prominent teachers of this 

 science are at hand, who introduce the pupils 

 into the at present already so large and difficult 

 field of chemistry. They must show them the 

 way to the highest regions of chemical know- 

 ledge, and teach them to be capable representa- 

 tives of applied chemistry, and especially of 

 technical chemistry. 



How many young men lose their way in this 

 respect, and never reach the aim of their ambi- 

 tion. They do not become useful supports of 

 their profession, as might have been the case 

 had they had the proper education, simply be- 

 cause they did not prepare themselves in the 

 proper way for their profession, or because they 

 were often shown the wrong way. 



The question is, how is it possible, according 

 to our present ideas, to complete the education 

 of a chemist, apart from the special field, 

 which later on he may make his own, whether 

 he will devote himself to a scientific career, or 

 whether he will become a technical expert, or 

 an alimentary chemist ? 



I share the opinion with the majority of uni- 

 versity professors and of manufacturers, that, 

 for the study of chemistry and a proper under- 

 standing of chemical science, in the first 

 place, a thorough schooling, a general all-em- 

 bracing education is required. The reproach 

 often made to young chemists, which is not 

 unjustified, is. that they are too one-sided, and 

 that, before they have mastered sufficient gene- 

 ral knowledge they devote themselves to a spec- 

 ial branch. It is, of course, not impossible to 

 become a capable chemist without going through 

 the usual schools, as has been shown by numer- 

 ous living examples. This was especially feasi- 

 ble in olden times when our science was still in 

 its infancy, but now it is diflferent. The almost 

 incomprehensible stride that chemistry has 



made of late years and the necessity for the right 

 understanding of its actions on other sciences, 

 like mathematics and physics, and above all the 

 other sciences, that go hand in hand with 

 chemistry, such as physiology, pharmacology, 

 etc., and which contribute to the attainment 

 of the best results, necessitate absolutely a 

 larger, more general and extensive preparatory 

 education. When the youth, after having gone 

 through the best school, where he has acquired a 

 good general education, such as mathematics, 

 natural philosophy, languages, literature, etc. , 

 goes to the university, he commits the great- 

 est blunder if he devotes himself immediately 

 to chemical study to the exclusion of other 

 sciences. Even now he must keep himself in- 

 formed of the general scientific progress at the 

 university. Next to chemistry he must study 

 theoretical and practical physics in order to 

 understand the principles of physical chem- 

 istry. To that he must add mineralogy and 

 crystallography, so that he may learn to 

 master inorganic chemistry, and train himself 

 to understand the relation of substances to 

 space. He should also know the foundation of 

 botany and zoology, to be able to follow the de- 

 velopment of the organic life. His principal 

 occupation must of course be theoretical and 

 practical chemistry. 



Chemical Technology must demand from 

 every practical chemist a perfect knowledge of 

 analytical chemistry, because it produces the 

 best results, and is even of the most importance 

 in organic technical chemistry. The young 

 chemist therefore must perfect himself in quan- 

 titative and qualitative analysis, without neglect- 

 ing his practical chemical work, and prepare 

 himself for the field of inorganic chemistry. 

 Inorganic chemistry is scientifically and tech- 

 nically the foundation of the whole building Of 

 chemistry, and if the foundation is weak the 

 whole edifice will suflfer. For this reason prac- 

 tical inorganic study is the necessary beginning 

 for all special chemical work. Once let the 

 chemist be thoroughly acquainted both theoret- 

 ically and practically with inorganic chemistry, 

 when he has mastered analytical chemistry and 

 when he is at home in the associated sciences, 

 such as physics, mineralogy, etc., he can safely 

 return to organic chemistry. Here the centre of 

 gravity is in preparatory work. The student of 

 organic chemistry must make himself acquainted 

 with all important methods from one, or 

 better still, several examples, which he learns 

 from the great chemical classics. Here the 

 young chemist often makes a mistake, for he 



