June 28, 1894] 



NATURE 



21 



career, when they are on the very verge of acquiring real under- 

 standing of their subject, and of developing originality, as well 

 as the power of working independently : abandoning iheir 

 studies in this way, they too often degenerate into mere machines, 

 capable of doing what they are told, but rarely more. And 

 the manufacturer, who is too short-sighted to discriminate, then 

 complains that he gets very litlle help from his "chemist," and 

 seeks for a superior article abroad. 



If we consitler what a chemist, to be worthy of the name, 

 must know in these days, it is clear that puijlic opinion as 

 to the duration and nature of his studies needs much emendation. 

 He must be l>oth artificer and artist. By constant practice and 

 persevering application, he must acquire the manual dexterity, 

 manipulative skill and neatness required of the analyst, while, at 

 the same time, he must gradually become imbued with that high 

 sense of accuracy, without which his labours will ever be un- 

 trustworthy; he must also acquire manipulative skill of an 

 entirely different order by preparing a variety of typical sub- 

 stances, so that he may understand how to set to work when 

 he subsequently engages in original labours involving the pre- 

 paration both of materials already known and of new ones ; 

 and he must be practised in the more important methods of 

 determining physical constants. While thus engaged in the 

 laboratory, he must also be studying hard, constantly reading 

 and occasionally attending lectures. To be a chemist it is neces- 

 sary, moreover, to know much besides the practice and theory 

 of chemistry proper : no slight amount of mathematical know- 

 ledge is also requisite for the proper understanding of the 

 fundamental problems of our science, and no mere acquaintance 

 with the first principles of physics, especially electricity, suf- 

 fices ; some acquaintance with biological science is indispensable, 

 if we are to understand the manifold applications of our science 

 in agriculture and in medicine, or are to assist in unfolding the 

 nature of physiological processes generally; without some 

 knowledge of mechanical drawing it is impossible to deal with 

 machinery or to understand the language in which machinery 

 is described ; and it is necessary to read French and 

 I lerman fluently, the latter especially, in order merely to follow 

 uith intelligence what is being done by chemists. All this 

 rannot be compressed into three years, and be it remembered 

 I have said no word as to the necessity of every student who 

 -|)ires to rank as a chemist undertaking some research work in 

 irder that he may acquire independence and the ability to solve 

 problems and to progress. 



So long as it is commonly supposed that it is but necessary to 

 learn how to "analyse" in order to become a chemist, 

 there will be but little progress ; but when it is realised that 

 chemistry is an exceedingly difricult subject to master, requirinsj 

 a high order of intellect and breadth of mind, combined with 

 extreme patience and perseverance and much mechanical dex- 

 terity, other views will prevail, and we may hope that we shall 

 then count as of us very many who will rank high as artists and 

 designers, and statesmen even — instead of being for the most 

 part mere bricklayers, carpenters and joiners, capable only of 

 working to order. 



I have great hope that in the near future there will be 

 many inducements held out to capable students to prolong 

 their period of study to a satisfactory extent. At present, 

 scholarships are mostly given to lads on their leaving school and 

 commencing their technical training ; the method by which such 

 lads are selected is, in too many cases, an unsatisfactory one, the 

 award being made on the result of an examination for which the 

 candidates have been carefully prepared and crammed before- 

 hand : the result too often affords but a proof of the power of 

 lesson learning, and but little evidence of real ability. Serious 

 injury is done at the Universities, owing to the stilted and arti- 

 ficial character of many of the college examinations, mere lads 

 being required to answer questions of a highly technical charac- 

 ter, far beyond the standard of school knowledge of the sub- 

 ject ; those who are successful are more often than not over- 

 trained — purely artificial products, whose mental digestion has 

 been impaired, if not altogether ruined, by skilful tutors up to 

 the tricks of the examiners. Such a system is partly respon- 

 sible, also, for the growing practice of keeping lads at school — • 

 and even establishing "technical" sides for their special 

 benefit — far beyond the age at which school should be quitted ; 

 such lads usually acquire bad h.ibits during the last year or two 

 of their school career, growing lazy ; they are more often than 

 not very poor material when they come to college ; and in 

 esses in which they are successfully pushed through public 



NO. 1287 ,VOL. 50J 



examinations, such as those of the London University, not 

 having enjoyed the advantages of college life and insiruc- 

 tion, they are too frequently but provided with a varnish 

 of knowledge. However, it will probably be thought neces- 

 sary to offer such entrance scholarships in order to 

 attract ability, and they will be regarded with favour by 

 schools as they obviously afford a means of advertising — in fact, 

 they are used as such ; it is, therefore, all the more important 

 that the conditions under which they are awarded should be 

 such as to favour rational methods of teaching and which as 

 nearly as may be correspond with the natural conditions of 

 school life ; especially should we guard against encouraging the 

 tendency which undoubtedly exists in schools to lavish atten- 

 tion on those of great promise at the expense of those of average 

 ability. Genius will ever take advantage of opportunities, 

 while necessarily it will benefit from careful training ; but it 

 may be overtrained and dulled, or made priggish by undue 

 specialisation at too early an age. Vet to make changes is 

 difficult, as there are so many rivals interested ; and although 

 the evils of our system are recognised, no one is willing to take 

 the first step, fearing that this may entail individual sacrifice. 



It has long been my opinion that scholarships would be of 

 most use if given to those who have gone through a systematic 

 course of training — lasting say about three years — and who are 

 on the verge of learning to become capable independent 

 workers ; an additional two years spent in acquiring the power 

 of undertaking investigations will render such students highly 

 competent. But most parents can ill afford the necessary out- 

 lay, and it is astonishing how little at this stage lads themselves 

 realise how extraordinarily important it is for them to continue 

 their studies ; that, in fact, they are worth very little to any- 

 body. A limited number of such scholarships are available in 

 some of our provincial colleges, and those given by the 1S51 

 Exhibition Commissioners are also of this kind. In London, 

 however, there has long been a strange deficiency in this respect, 

 but I rejoice to say that this is on the eve of being remedied by 

 the enlightened action of the Salters Company, by whom not 

 only has a scholarship of ^150 per annum been offered to my 

 Institute for the encouragement of higher research in chemistry, 

 but also one of ^100 tenable in the research laboratory of the 

 Pharmaceutical Society, as well as one of like amount to aid in 

 the investigation of the more medical aspects of pharmacology, 

 tenable in the school attached to Si. Thomas's Hospital. The 

 influence of the example thus set will, I trust, be widely felt — 

 may our sore needs be met ere it is too late ! 



In my address at .-Aberdeen I dwelt much on the necessity of 

 creating mi atmosphere of research in our colleges, and to-day I 

 am but repeating much that I said then ; I regret to say that 

 meanwhile no great progress has been made, although indica- 

 tions are not wanting that the foundation is being laid on which, 

 if conditions become more favourable, we shall be able to build 

 extensively. I venture to think that the time is come when we 

 must appeal to our senior students to help us : hitherto the 

 majority of these have gone to Germany to complete their edu- 

 cation, Lieblg's magnetic influence being in no wise exhausted — 

 for it was he who gave direction to the stream which ever since 

 h,is steadily flowed in one direction, and deep beyond description 

 is the debt we owe to his memoryjin consequence. Time was when 

 it was necessary to take passage on this stream, but this is no 

 longer the case, or need not be if advanced students will but 

 collect around us in sufficient numbers to enable us likewise to 

 form schools of original workers — for we, like the ancient 

 Egyptians, cannot make bricks without straw, and to be con- 

 demned always to teach the rudiments, more often than not to 

 unwillmg ears, takes the very life and soul out of those among 

 us who by nature have any higher aspirations. There are un- 

 doubtedly advantages to be gained from a residence abroad — no 

 one can recognise this more fully than I do ; but I believe the 

 case to be one of such gravity that some sacrifice must be made, 

 and that if national interests are not to be put aside as of alto- 

 gether secondary importance, individual preferences must, for a 

 time at least, be subordinated to higher considerations. It is 

 not accounted necessary in Germany to study abroad, and sever- 

 ance from apron strings is efi'ecled when desirable by visiting a 

 university away from home. Why should not English students 

 in like manner pass from college to college in this country, and 

 thus help us to help them ? 



But we want help also from another quarter — or rather, let 

 me say, that there is another section, and that a very large one, 

 of the community must help us far more than they have hitherto 



