PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS SECTION B. 51 



ifessor of Chemistry, who is expected to teach all the branches 

 of his science, physical, organic, inorganic, and technological 

 chemistry, and to deal practical!}' single-handed with all classes 

 from Intermediate to M.A., inclusive, and in addition take his 

 share in the administrative work of the College, needs to be 

 possessed of an unusual amount of energy if he is to do any 

 research in the leisure time he may have after fulfilling his other 

 duties. An occasional free hour or two sandwiched in between 

 routine work or teaching duties is of very little value for pro- 

 ductive research. Many of the operations are such that they 

 refjuire to be extended and supervised over many hours, and 

 cannot be discontinued at a moment's notice. Moreover, work 

 wb.ich is carried out piecemeal must lack continuity both in con- 

 ception and execution. The ecjuipment of many of the College 

 and Government laboratories is such that they could easily be 

 turned to good account in the prosecution of research work if 

 the stafi:'s could get some relief from the excessive amount of 

 work at present imposed upon them, and provided that that 

 relief is afforded in such a manner as to concentrate all the 

 routine oif teaching into several days, and leave one or more 

 entirely free days per week for research. 



The idea underlying the present University syllabus, that 

 three years' systematic study of the stereotyped kind will pro- 

 duce a scientist, is fallacious, and the sooner we break with it 

 the Ijetter. At present we produce students who are veritable 

 encyclopaedias of knowledge, but who have only a very meagre 

 amount of manipulative skill, and practically no scientific initia- 

 tive or originality. The latitude left to every profes.sor under 

 the new University scheme as regards his syllabus and methods 

 of teaching will doubtless improve matters. But I feel that the 

 necessity for the inclusion of a verv small amount of experience 

 in the methods of research in the B.xA. syllabus should be offi- 

 cially recognised. I am not advocating anything so foolish as 

 that a complete piece of original research should be expected or 

 demanded ; that is a matter for the degree of D.Sc. But there 

 is a considerable amount of s]>adework attached to the investi- 

 gation of every problem which could very well be carried oiu 

 by undergraduates with considerable benefit to themselves and 

 to the progress otf the work. It is a conservative estimate to say 

 that half the publications in every chemical periodical in Europe 

 and America come from college or University laboratories. Very 

 often the author is only the intellectual father of the paper, 

 whilst the experimental work has been carried through by young 

 assistants or students. 



A minute has recently been issued by the Department of 

 Mines and Industries in which an effort is made to enlist the 

 sympathy and co-operation of all scientific workers in the 

 Union in the problem of the organisation of research. But little 

 inducement is held out to participators. I hope I do not raise 

 a storm of indignation among my scientific friends for express- 

 ing materialistic views. To undertake research work without 



