-1^5 



NA TURE 



\_July 10, i if 8 4 



tion of excellent specimens of school work done in the 

 .Mian Glen's Institution of Glasgow, in which the object of 

 i two years' technical course is to prepare boys to learn 

 trades whose mastery implies a considerable amount of 

 ;i untitle knowledge. University College, Nottingham, ex- 

 hibits some work done in the recently established technical 

 school attached to it, and the Engineering Department of 

 University College, London, illustrates its work mainly by 

 photographs and plans. The nearest approach to the 

 handicraft school teaching as practised on the Continent, 

 is to be found in the admirable technical work of the 

 Central Higher School of the Sheffield School Board, in 

 which an attempt is made to provide the proper connec- 

 tion between the theoretical instruction in the class-room 

 and the practical instruction in the workshop. The Man- 

 chester Technical School, the Oldham School of Science 

 and Art, the Clerkenwell Technical Drawing School, and 

 the School of Art Wood carving all show praiseworthy 

 results of technical training. .Attention may here be 

 called too to the admirable specimens of work done in 

 the four trades-departments of the National Industrial 

 Home for Crippled Boys: the pupils vary in age from 

 twelve to eighteen, and having chosen a trade on entering 

 the school, follow it for three years. 



Among the results of the work of individual exhibitors, 

 the exhibit of Mr. Robins calls for special notice, consist- 

 ing as it does of a series of drawings illustrative of the 

 general arrangements and fittings required for applied 

 science educational buildings ; these are so placed that 

 i omparisons are readily made between the arrangements 

 adopted in various noted colleges, &c. Mr. Millis shows 

 some excellent results of instruction in trades classes, 

 specially models in wood and metal-plate work. Mr. 

 James Rigg exhibits more than a hundred mechanical 

 models specially arranged for instruction in four or five of 

 the subjects in which the Science and Art Department 

 examines pupils, and a smaller collection of the same 

 kind is shown by Messrs. Gilkes and Co. Lathes of dif- 

 ferent patterns, and other mechanical tools and apparatus, 

 are exhibited by Messrs. Holtzapffel and Co., Messrs. 

 Melhuish and Sons, Mr. Syer, Mr. Evans, and others. 



In neither of these articles has any reference been made 

 to the appliances for elementary art instruction, nor to the 

 special methods and apparatus used in educating the 

 blind, and the deaf and dumb, all of which, however, are 

 very fully illustrated. The seven classes of exhibits which 

 come under "Group IV. — The School" (to quote the official 

 phraseology) are also unnoticed. These comprise such 

 important subjects as everything relating to the structural 

 arrangements of school buildings, school kitchens, sana- 

 toria, and infirmaries, and lastly, though by no means 

 least in importance, the gymnastic and other apparatus 

 for physical training in schools. Enough however has, 

 we hope, been said to give some idea of the vast scope of 

 this exhibition of educational appliances, and to justify 

 the assertion made at the beginning of the first article, 

 that probably no such extensive and valuable a collection 

 of school appliances, methods, and results has ever been 

 brought together before. Such an opportunity for study 

 is not likely to occur again for some years, and we con- 

 clude by reiterating an earnest hope that it will not be 

 lost by those most vitally interested in it. 



Wm. Lant Carpenter 



CHEMICAL RESEARCH IN ENGLAND 

 THE address of Dr. Perkin, F.R.S., to the Chemical 

 *■ Society at its anniversary meeting contains some 

 sadly true statements respecting the state or rather the 

 absolute want of state of research in chemical science in 

 this country. After drawing attention to some interesting 

 points in the work done during the past year, Dr. Perkin 

 goes on in the first place to refer to the very small 

 number of original papers contributed to the Society 



during the past year (a point to which attention was 

 called in these columns a few months ago, and then 

 compares foreign sources of research work and the 

 probable causes of this disparity. But this portion of the 

 address will speak better for itself than in a mere abstract, 

 and the facts therein stated demand the most serious 

 attention of the authorities at our seats of learning. 



Last year, Dr. Perkin vent on to say, my predecessor, m his 

 address, referred to the increasing number of chemical labora- 

 tories in the United Kingdom and the greater facilities which 

 are now afforded for the prosecution of research. After con- 

 sidering the number of papers which have been read before this 

 Society during the past few years, it appeared to me ili.it u 

 might be useful to make some remarks as to the influence these 

 greater facilities have had on the development of chemical 

 science. 



The first thing that attracts attention is the startling and 

 anomalous fact that the number of papers read before the Society 

 (and I think this may be taken as a good criterion, especially as 

 but few have been brought before the Royal Society) is declining 

 war by year. The largest number we ever had was in the ses- 

 sion 1880-81, when there were 113 communications brought 

 before us ; but in 1881-82 they declined to 87, in 1882-83 t0 7°- 

 and this last session to the lamentably low number of 67, or 

 about the number we had nine years ago. And this, not only 

 with increased laboratory accommodation, but also with the 

 assistance offered to investigators by our Research Fund and the 

 Government Grant. This state of things causes us to I "1. 

 around and s?e where research is and where it is not being 

 carried on in the United Kingdom. 



If we look to the laboratories of our Universities, from many 

 of these we never hear of a research emanating, and from the 

 rest, taken as a whole, we get but driblets at intervals. How 

 different from the German Universities, from which there is such 

 an incessant flow of work ! 



If we turn to the other laboratories connected with our col- 

 leges, hospitals, &c, with how few exceptions do we find any 

 appreciable amount of work being carried on lor the extension 

 u! 1I1, boundaries of our science ; in fact, speaking in a general 

 way, the work of our laboratories consists mainly in the students 

 carrying out the ordinary course of qualitative and quantitative 

 analysis, and attending one or two courses of lectures. 



It is scarcely necessary to say that this is not sufficient, how- 

 ever well taught, to make a student a chemist ; it is but a pre- 

 liminary part of the training, which, being carried on a, it 

 usually is, by tables, and carefully laid down directions, gives 

 but little scope for independent thought and action. The sub- 

 sequent prosecution of scientific research, under proper super- 

 vision, however, is quite another thing, and calls out all the 

 faculties of the student, requiring, as it does, independent 

 thought and independent methods of working, and. moreover, 

 gives him an insight and vivid interest in his science that no- 

 thing else will do. The preparation of chemical products, before 

 the commencement of research, is no doubt also a very useful 

 training if sufficiently diversified ; but research is the mosl im- 

 portant of all. 



The degree of Doctor of Philosophy has undoubtedly done a 

 good deal to further chemistry in Germany, necessitating, as it 

 does, the prosecution of original work, and now that degrees 

 are so much thought of in this countiy (though why a chemist 

 with one of our ordinary University degrees should be preferred 

 to one who has fully given his mind to his science, and therefore 

 has not got such a degree, it is difficult to understand), it is be- 

 lieved thai if something analogous to the Ph.D. could be inau- 

 gurated in this countiy, it would help to further chemical science 

 here also. A step in this direction has been taken at the Owens 

 College, Manchester, but hitherto the degree has not found 

 favour with students. It is not surprising, however, while there 

 are so many different degrees not requiring original work as a 

 sine qua non, that such a degree should not be sought after. 

 This difficulty, however, might be overcome by modifying the 

 requirements for the present degrees, and requiring that original 

 research should be substituted for book knowledge. At the 

 London University original work is recognised, but not re- 

 quired. 



The past neglect of research will, it is to be feared, have a 

 more lasting influence on the progress of chemistry in this 

 country than may appear at first sight, and in this way. Those 

 who have been students in laboratories where the importance of 



