TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION B. 691 



How are students to be trained, and how are they to be exammed so as to find 

 out the extent of the knowledge of their subject which they have acquired? 



In dealing with the first part of the question — tliat is, the training best suited 

 to chemists — I can, of course, only give my own views on the subject — views which, 

 no doubt, may differ much from those of many of the teachers present at this 

 meeting. The objects to be attained are, in my opinion, to give the student a 

 sufficient knowledge of the broad facts of chemistry, and at tlie same time so to 

 arrange his practical work in particular as to always have in view the training of 

 his faculty of original thought. 



I think it will be conceded that any student, if he is to make his mark in 

 chemistry by original work, must ultimately specialise in some branch of the 

 subject. It may be possible for some great minds to do valuable original work in 

 more than one branch of chemistry, but these are the exceptions ; and as time goes 

 on, and the mass of facts accumulates, this will become more and more impossible. 

 Now a student at the commencement of his career rarely knows which branch of 

 the subject will fascinate him most, and I think, therefore, that it is necessary, in 

 the first place, to do all that is possible to give him a thorough grounding in all 

 branches of the subject. In my opinion the student is taken over too much ground 

 in the lecture courses of the present day : in inorganic chemistry, for example, the 

 study of the rare metals and their reactions might be dispensed with, as well as 

 many of the more difficult chapters of physical chemistry, and in organic chemistry 

 such complicated problems as the constitutions of uric acid and the members of 

 the camphor and terpene series, &c., might well be left out. As matters stand now, 

 instruction must be given on these subjects simply because questions bearino- on 

 them will probably be asked at the examination. 



And here perhaps I might make a confession, in which I do not ask my fellow- 

 teachers to join me. My name is often attached to chemistry papers which'l should 

 be sorry to have to answer; and it seems to me the standard of examination 

 papers, and especially of Honours examinatio3i papers, is fai- too hiffh. Should we 

 demand a pitch of knowledge which our own experience tells us cannot be main- 

 tained for long ? 



In dealing with the question of teaching practical chemistry it may be hoped, 

 in the first place, that in the near future a sound training will be given in ele- 

 mentary science in most schools, very much on the lines which I mentioned in the 

 first part of this Address. The student will then be in a fit state to undergo a 

 thoroughly satisfactory course of training in inorganic chemistry during his first 

 two years at college. Without wishing in any way to map out a definite course, 

 I may be allowed to suggest that instead of much of the usual qualitative and 

 quantitative analysis, practical exercises similar to the foUowiug will be found to 

 be of much greater educational value. 



(1) The careful experimental demonstration of the fundamental laws of 

 chemistry and physical chemistry. 



(2) The preparation of a series of compounds of the more important metals 

 either from their more common ores or from the metals themselves. With the 

 aid of the compounds thus prepared the reactions of the metals might be stunied 

 and the similarities and differences between the different metals "then carefully 

 noted. ^ 



(■j) A course in which the student should investigate in certain selected cases : 

 (a) the conditions under which action takes place ; (6) the nature of the products 

 formed ;_(c) the yield obtained. If he were then to proceed to prepare each 

 product in a state of purity, he wotild be doing a series of exercises of the highest 

 educational value. ° 



C4) The deteruimation of the combining weights of some of the more important 

 metals._ This_ is in most cases comparatively simple, as the determination of the 

 combining weights of selected metals can be very accurately carried out by measur- 

 ing the hydrogen evolved when an acid acts upon them. 



Many other exercises of a sifnilar nature will readily suggest themselves, and 

 in. arranging the course every effort should be made to induce the student to'ccn... 



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