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THE ALUMNI JOURNAL. 



physician and the lawyer, but some theo- 

 logians whom I know would be greatly 

 benefitted by a fuller understanding of 

 chemistry. 



When I speak of chemistry as an edu- 

 cation I particularly wish not to be mis- 

 understood. The student in chemistry is 

 not to slight the broad foundation on 

 which all education must be based. His 

 education in mathematics, grammar, his- 

 tory, languages, metaphysics, psychol- 

 ogy, natural sciences, etc., must be full 

 and thorough. His physical training 

 must be carefully attended to. He will 

 have to spend more afternoon hours in 

 the laboratory, and less time in sport, and 

 hence he may have to take especial care 

 of his body. But experience proves that 

 young men are able to do this, study and 

 still keep in the best of health and spirits 

 and be able to utilize the months of sum- 

 mer vacation to their fullest extent. 



BENEFIT OF LABORATORY STUDY AND 

 TRAINING. 



This leads me speak of the first benefit 

 to be derived from a course that demands 

 work outside of the usual recitation and 

 lecture hours, which is an experience in 

 self-denial. We have about so much time 

 alloted to us in this life. We cannot have 

 all of it for both work and play. Chem- 

 ical study and experiment take time. The 

 unfinished experimental work cannot be 

 hastened or crammed. It cannot be 

 evaded or dissembled. It cannot be dis- 

 honestly made up. The happy guess 

 does not assist it. An examination can- 

 not replace it. If it is to be really done 

 the brightest mind cannot escape devot- 

 ing a considerable amount of time to it. 

 Something may have to be given up for 

 it ; it may be the athletic field, the thea- 

 tre, the social gathering; in any case one 

 must deny one's self something. And 

 very large does the sacrifice often appear 

 to the young man. I do not undervalue 

 recreation. But to enjoy recreation tully 

 it must be contrasted with work. And 

 one of the first things a man must learn, 

 would he be successful, is that in order to 

 do a few things well he must deny him- 

 self many pleasures; sometimes even what 

 he may consider necessities. Then slow- 

 ly but surely, he begins to realize the 

 fact that time is his main capital. He 

 perceives the necessity of steady, untiring 

 and persistent daily work, which genius 

 may illumine, but cannot replace. He 

 learns to appreciate how limited is the 

 time at his disposal, when the hours for 

 sleep, meals, social duties and necessary 

 rest have been deducted. But his self- 



denial brings a sure reward. His grow- 

 ing knowledge of matter, its properties 

 and its changes, his beginning insight 

 into cause and effect, his experience in 

 acquirmg a mastery over certain kinds of 

 maiter and making them subject to the 

 power of his mind and skill, awaken in 

 nim new and indescribable feelings. As 

 his laboratory work goes on he becomes 

 acquainted with the properties and behav- 

 ior of many kinds of matter. He acquires 

 skill in manipulation and construction. 

 He works with poisons and explosives, 

 and learns caution. No amount of read- 

 ing or attendance at lectures can take the 

 place of this knowledge acquired by per- 

 sonal observation and practice. But, on 

 the other hand, the education by reading 

 and lecturing should not be curtailed. 

 Kach has its proper place, and neither can 

 be ommitted from the curriculum of the 

 course. He forms higher ideals about 

 what it is possible to get out of life. He 

 begins to measure men by new standards 

 and to acquire a better appreciation of 

 those who mould humanity, to whom the 

 progress of civilization is so largely due, 

 and to whom mankind is so deeply in- 

 debted. 



The lesson that duty to one's self and 

 mere pleasure are in continual conflict is 

 an important one for a young man to 

 learn, and it is rarely learnt or realized 

 until he has come in actual contact with 

 practical life, and has tried to draw inter- 

 est on a capital perhaps greater than he 

 really possesses. But the lesson once 

 learnt leads a man to find pleasure in his 

 work, and adds a zest to recreation. I 

 may add that I doubt if hard work ever 

 hurts anyone very much. It is worry and 

 anxiety that tire men out. 



CHEMICAL COURSE AND ITS RESULTS. 



In order to make my theme easier to 

 follow by those who may not be familiar 

 with the character of a chemical course, 

 I will consider some of the results obtain- 

 ed by the study of the various subjects, 

 taking them up in the order usually as- 

 signed them in a course of chemistry. 



The course generally begins with prac- 

 tice of experimental chemistry accompa- 

 nied with suitable instruction in the lec- 

 ture room. The student studies the prop- 

 erties and behavior of matter experiment- 

 ally, training his faculties of observation 

 in a way unapproached, I believe, by any 

 other subject. The form, color, odor and 

 taste of the substances are observed and 

 noted. Their behavior under certain 

 conditions is carefully studied. Questions 

 are put which must be worked out exper- 



