450 
NATURE 
[Sepz. 10, 1885 
numbers over 2,000 members ; the granting of a Royal charter to 
the Institute of Chemistry ; the changes introduced at the London 
University in the regulations for the D.Sc. degree ; the report of 
the Royal Commission on Technical Education, in which the 
value to chemical manufacturers of advanced chemical know- 
ledge is so fully recognised ; the important conference on educa- 
tion held at the Health Exhibition last year; the recent agitation 
to found a teaching university in London with adequate provision 
for research—surely all these are signs that the value of higher 
education must and will, ere long, be generally recognised. 
The neglect of chemical research in our British schools has 
often been forcibly commented upon—of late, especially, by an 
eminent past-President of this section, Dr. Perkin, whose opinion 
is of peculiar value, as he is not only world renowned as a 
chemist, but also as a manufacturer: indeed, as the founder of 
two distinct important chemical industries. There can be no 
doubt of the fact and of the dire consequences to our country of 
such neglect : how is it, then, that such pronounced complaints 
have been so coldly received ; that hitherto they have produced 
comparatively so little effect; and that such slight encourage- 
ment is being given to those who, notwithstanding the many 
difficulties in their way, have steadfastly devoted themselves to 
research work? I question whether the value of such work has 
yet been brought home to teachers generally, let alone the public : 
the ‘‘cwi bono?” cry is almost invariably met by pointing to 
some discovery of great pecuniary value as the outcome of re- 
search. This argument educationalists very properly refuse to 
recognise. Too little has been said as to the cause of the neg- 
lect so bitterly and p-operly complained of. Hence it is that I 
propose again to take up what many may regard as a somewhat 
threadbare theme. 
Every one will agree with Prof. Sir Henry Roscoe, who in his 
address last year to this Section said ‘‘ that those who are to be- 
come either scientific or industrial chemists should receive as 
sound and extensive a foundation in the theory and practice of 
chemical science as their time and abilities will allow, rather 
than they should be forced prematurely” —the italics are mine— 
“into the preparation of a new series of homologous compounds, 
or the investigation of some special reaction, or of some possible 
new colouring matter, though such work might doubtless lead to 
publication.” We must also cordially agree with him that the 
aim should be, as he tells us his has been, ‘‘ to prepare a young 
man by a careful and fairly complete general training to fill with 
intelligence and success a post either as teacher or industrial 
chemist, rather than to turn out mere specialists, who, placed 
under 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 under- 
rating the educational advantages of working at original subjects, 
he considers this sort fof 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 labora- 
tories. We maintain that no one can really ‘‘ fZ with intelli- 
gence 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 upon to exercise precisely 
those faculties which are developed in the course of original in- 
vestigation, and which it is barely possible—many would say, 
perhaps with justice, it is impossible—to sufficiently cultivate in 
any 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 confer 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 in 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 num- 
ber of students, as well as the staff, must always be engaged in 
original work: in fact, az 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 throughout 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 welcomed ;—in fact, a proper spirit 
of inquisitiveness is awakened and maintained, until it gradually 
becomes ahabit. Probably there is less actual routine teaching 
done by the staff in the German schools than in our own. Iam 
proud to own my indebtedness to one of them, and I can without 
hesitation say that I never truly realised what constituted the 
science of chemistry until I came under its influence. 
But to realise the state which I have pictured—/o create an 
atmosphere af research in our science colleges in order that it may 
be possible for our students to obtain coniplete training in chem- 
istry, 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 : as a 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 knowledge 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 to them. I do not complain of 
their want of knowledge of science subjects, but of the un- 
scientific manner in which they have been trained at school, and 
especially of the manner in which their intellectual faculties have 
become deadened from want of exercise, instead of developed 
and sharpened. Too many have never acquired the habit of 
working steadily and seriously ; they have not learnt to appre- 
ciate the holiness of work,! so that they render the office of 
teacher akin to that of slave-driver instead of to that of friend. 
What is perhaps worst is their marked inability, often amount- 
ing to downright refusal, either to take proper notice of what 
happens in an experiment or to draw any logical conclusion from 
an observation. Man is said to be a reasoning being, but my 
experience as an examiner and teacher would lead me to believe 
that this fact is altogether lost sight of by the average school- 
master, who appears to confine himself almost exclusively to 
the teaching of hard dry facts, and makes no attempt to cultivate 
those very faculties which are supposed to characterise the 
human race; or he is so ill-prepared for his work that he fails 
to understand his duty. These are harsh words, but the evil is 
of such magnitude that it cannot be too plainly stated; those 
who, like myself, are brought full face to it fail in their duty if, 
when opportunity occurs, they do not take occasion to call 
attention to ils existence. 
Probably the only remedy—certainly the most effectual, and 
that which can be most easily applied—is the introduction of a 
rational system of practical science teaching into all our schools, 
whatever their grade ; one effect would be that all the school 
subjects would of necessity soon be taught in a more scientific 
manner. Iam not one of those who would eschew the teaching 
of classics, and I do not wish to see science teaching introduced 
into schools generally, in order that the students who come to 
me may already have gained some knowledge of science: under 
existing circumstances I prefer that they shall not ; but I desire 
its introduction because the faculty of observing and of reasoning 
from observation, and also from experiment, is most readily 
1 In my experience, the behaviour of ordinary day male students is, in this 
respect, particularly striking in comparison with that of female and evening 
students: the evening students, who come with a desire to learn, and the 
female students are invariably most attentive, and make the fullest use of 
the opportunities afforded them. 
