946 REPORT—1885. 
other conditions than those to which they have been accustomed, are unable to get 
out of the narrow groove in which they have been trained.’ If it were necessary 
to show that Sir Henry Roscoe is a believer in research in its proper place, ample 
proof would be afforded by his statement, ‘ that, far from underrating the educa- 
tional advantages of working at original subjects, he considers this sort of training 
of the highest and best kind, but only useful when founded upon a sound and 
general basis.’ 
But I venture to think that something has to be added in order to completely 
define the position of those who deplore the slight amount of original work which 
is being done in British laboratories. We maintain that no one can really ‘fill 
with intelligence and success a post either as teacher or industrial chemist’ who has 
not been trained in the methods of research ; and that, owing to the neglect of 
research, the majority of students are of necessity trained in a narrow groove. The 
true teacher and the industrial chemist are daily called wpon to exercise precisely 
those faculties which are developed in the course of original investigation, and 
which it is barely possible—many would say, perhaps with justice, it is impossible 
—to sufficiently cultivate inany other manner. In a works the chemist is scarcely 
required as long as all goes well. The quality of the materials used or produced 
can be controlled by purely routine processes of analysis by the works analyst, or 
by well-trained laboratory boys. But things never do go well for any long period 
of time: difficulties are always arising; obscure points have to be investigated ; 
and, if the manufacturer understand his business, improvements have to be 
effected—which cannot be done unless the conditions under which he is working 
be understood, as well as the character of the changes which are taking place. 
Investigation is therefore necessary at every step. No amount of instruction, such 
as is ordinarily given, in the mere theory and practice of chemical science will 
eoufer the habits of mind, the acuteness of vision and resourcefulness required of an 
efficient chemist in a works, any more than the mere placing of the best tools im a 
workman’s hands will make him a skilful operator. 
Such being our position, we maintain that it is essential to make research an 
integral portion of the student's course in every college which pretends to educate 
chemists. It will not suffice occasionally to set a promising student to investigate, 
but a number of students, as well as the staff, must always be engaged in original 
work: in fact, an atmosphere of research must pervade the college. It cannot be 
too clearly recognised that it is this which characterises and distinguishes the 
German schools at the present time. The student does not learn so much from 
the one special piece of work with which he is occupied, but a number of his 
fellow-students being also similarly engaged, the spirit of inquiry is rife through- 
out the laboratory: original literature is freely consulted, and they thus become 
acquainted with the methods of the old masters ; vigorous discussions take place, 
not only in the laboratory, but also at that most useful institution, the ‘ Kneipe’ ; 
the appearance of each new number of the scientific periodicals is keenly wel- 
comed ;—in fact, a proper spirit of inquisitiveness is awakened and maintained, until 
it gradually becomes a habit. Probably there is less actual routine teaching done 
by the staff in the German schools than in our own. I am proud to own my 
indebtedness to one of them, and I can without hesitation say that I never truly 
realised what constituted the sc’ence of chemistry until I came under its influence. 
But to realise the state which I have pictured—to create an atmosphere of 
research in our science colleges in order that it may be possible for our students to 
obtain complete training in chemistry, several things are required. In the first 
place, it will be necessary that the students come to them better prepared than 
they are at present: asa rule they are so ill-prepared that it is very difficult, if 
not impossible, in the time at disposal to give such preliminary instruction as 
is indispensable before higher work can be attempted. ‘Their mathematical know- 
ledge is so ill-digested that it is more often than not necessary to begin by teaching 
simple proportion, and they look aghast at a logarithm table. They cannot draw 
—so far have we advanced in our civilisation that the subject is more often than 
not an ‘ extra’ in our schools. They understand a little French ; but German, which 
may almost be called the language of modern science, is indeed an unknown tongue 
