952 REPORT—1885. 
them on the subject of research. The tradition which prevails in the German 
schools, that the junior staff are bound to find some time for original work, is 
almost unknown in this country, and too often difficulties are raised, rather than 
facilities afforded, when the desire is manifested: we do not, in fact, sufficiently 
honour the assistant as the potential professor. It has also often struck 
me as remarkable, and it must have struck others who understand the German 
system, that in this practical country we have not adopted that cheap luxury—the 
Privat-Docent, who costs nothing and exercises a most important function in pro- 
moting higher education. The explanation of this and many other anomalies les 
in the fact that very few among us realise what a university is: a clear exposition 
of the Scotch and German systems would be of great value in these days of new 
universities and university colleges. 
I believe that in most, if not all, of the German chemical schools a private 
research assistant is placed at the disposal of the professor. Will this ever be the 
case here? The want of material assistance is not only felt in this respect, how- 
ever: few of our chemical schools are really efficiently equipped ; most of them 
are seriously in want of larger and more expensive apparatus, of suitable speci- 
mens, &c.; the annual grant barely suffices for the purchase of the ordinary 
chemicals and the payment of unavoidable current expenses, so that, as a rule, 
nothing remains to meet the expenses of research work—i.e., of higher education. 
In point of fact, nearly all of those who are engaged in research are doing so 
at their own expense ; important assistance, for which we cannot be too thankful, 
is indeed received from the various research funds, but the proportion which 
the grants bear to the total sum expended is not large. I am sure we all re- 
cognise that each one of us is bound, according to his abilities and the opportunities 
he has, to add to the steck of knowledge, and that the keenest intellectual pleasure 
is derived therefrom ; but it must not be forgotten that the results we obtain are 
very rarely of immediate practical value, and that as a rule we reap no pecuniary 
advantage. I venture to think, in fact, that it is remarkable that so much, not 
that so little, is done, and that reproach rests very lightly upon the profession in 
this matter. Whether our national pride will prevent our being much longer 
beholden to foreigners for by far the greater number of new facts in chemistry is a 
difficult question to answer, and must rest with the public ! 
The occasions on which we teachers of science subjects are able to bear witness 
in public are of necessity few. Deeply sensible, not only of the honour, but also 
of the responsibility of my position as President of this Section, I felt that it was my 
duty to avail myself of this opportunity. Being a teacher who is interested in 
teaching ; being convinced of the existence of most serious faults in our educa- 
tional system ; feeling that the present is a most critical period: I have not hesitated 
to speak very freely. Some of the difficulties to which I have referred might soon 
disappear if science teachers generally would agree to consider them together, and 
I believe that it would be a very great advantage if an association for the discus- 
sion of educational questions were formed of the staffs of our science colleges 
throughout the country. The special difficulties which surround our science col- 
lezes, and prevent them from exercising their full share of influence upon the 
advancement of our national prosperity might also be removed at no distant date; 
but I see only one way of accomplishing this, and I fear it will hardly find favour: 
it is by their all becoming vested in the State. In this country we like to do 
things in our own way, and the objection will at once be raised that this would 
deprive all the colleges of their individuality, and would tend to crush originality 
and to stereotype teaching. If I thought so, I should never make the suggestion. 
But it would not, provided that complete academic freedom were secured to the 
staff, and each college were left to adjust itself to local requirements; efficiency 
would be maintained by the competition of the various colleges. Local enterprise, 
which has hitherto been trusted to, is clearly breaking down under the tremendous 
strain of modern educational requirements: some change must ere long be made. 
I now pass to the consideration of a subject of special interest in this Section, 
which I think requires the immediate earnest attention of chemists and physicists 
