16 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis 



in the ceramics, rubber, paint, varnish, leather, dyeing 

 and printing, cellulose, cellulose nitrates and acetates, 

 photographic and other industries, the operators of 

 plants have a vast amount of empirical information as to 

 what happens and know practically nothing about why it 

 happens. The silicate industries are avowedly empirical 

 and so is the dyeing industry. The rubber industry 

 knows practically nothing about the theory of vulcaniza- 

 tion. People in the cellulose industries do not seem to 

 know how many cellulose nitrates there are. The photo- 

 graphic industry has only empirical knowledge in regard 

 to emulsions and has no adequate theory in regard to 

 photographic development Nearly all the tanneries in 

 the country run on an empirical basis. All these 

 industries will eventually be put on a sound and 

 scientific basis, and this work will have to be done 

 by chemists. Conditions as they are described by 

 Professor Bancroft were recognized many years ago 

 by The American Institute of Chemical Engineers. 

 This body of men devotes not a small part of its 

 activities to developing courses for students in Chem- 

 istry at our universities which ensure efficient prep- 

 aration for industrial work. Its Committee on 

 Education, Dr. A. D. Little of Boston, Chairman, has 

 recently secured with much labor and at great expense 

 very complete information from many American univers- 

 ities, and a comprehensive report will be circulated 

 shortly among the interested institutions. Columbia 

 University of New York, The Institute of Technology in 

 Boston, The Polytechnic Institute in Brooklyn, N. Y., 

 and Cornell University, are co-operating. A number of 

 universities have already remodeled their courses in 

 chemical engineering, and it is hoped that others will 

 follow, for the benefit of our chemists and of our chemi- 

 cal industry. 



