TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION B. 503 



Caesium. It took Berthelot several months to form, by a series of synthetical 

 operations, an appreciable quantity of alcohol from water and carbon, derived from 

 carbonate of baryta. Many years ago, in the laboratory of Wurtz — my honoured 

 master — a poor student, whom I knew, was carrying from one room to another a 

 glass globe, which contained the product of a month's continuous labour, when the 

 bottom of the globe fell out and the contents were lost. Nothing daunted, he re- 

 commenced his month's work, and brought his research to a successful issue. 



Above all things, the chemist must be true. He must not allow his wishes to bias 

 his j udgment or prevent him from seeing his researches in their true light. He must 

 not be satisfied that his results appear true, but he must believe them to be true ; 

 and having faithfully performed his experiments, he must record them faithfully. 

 He may often be obliged to chronicle his own failures and describe operations that 

 tell against his own theories, but this hard test of his truthfulness he must not 

 shrink from. 



But I must not weary you with the virtues of the chemist. If I have succeeded 

 in showing that the pursuit of this science tends largely to develope the intellect 

 and discipline the character, I think I have done something for chemistry. We are 

 told by Bishop Butler that " habits of virtue acquired by discipline are improve- 

 ment in virtue, and improvement in virtue must be advancement in happiness." 



I am glad to see that the importance of original research as a part of higher 

 education is at last beginning to be recognised in this country. The Royal 

 University Commission at Oxford has recently recommended that candidates for 

 the higher degrees in science shall in that University be required in future to work out 

 an original investigation. In Germany, whereeducation has been so long and so well 

 understood, original work has been, for at least the last half century, a sine qua non 

 for a degree. Another admirable rule exists in that country, the adoption of which 

 in Great Britain might go far to wash out the stain from our islands, of not having 

 contributed our fair quota to the advancement of human knowledge. It is this — 

 the Germans make a point of securing invariably, that their scientific chairs shall 

 be filled by men who have already distinguished themselves by their discoveries. 

 The professor, on his appointment, naturally desires to continue his investigations, 

 and endeavours to secure, and usually succeeds in securing, the assistance of his 

 pupils. This is a mutual advantage. The professor is able to do more work for 

 science, and the student, on his part, learns to conduct for himself an original in- 

 vestigation. Hence there is always a rising generation of original workers in Ger- 

 many, who turn out papers more or less meritorious with the rapidity of a Walter's 

 press. They are stimulated by the hope of one day arriving themselves at a pro- 

 fessor's chair, the path to which they are well assured is only through the toilsome 

 field of original work. But I must not wrong the German student by the impli- 

 cation of a purely selfish motive in his work. His labour is one of love, and his 

 ambition, for the time at least, is bounded by the desire to do something for science. 

 And from a multitude of such enthusiasts the great professors come. Great moun- 

 tains are only found in mountainous countries. 



I find myself insensibly led to speak of the encouragement of research in this 

 country ; and although it has been very largely discussed in scientific circles, I will 

 venture to add a few words. To promote original work here, I believe it is indis- 

 pensable that our professors should be well paid. It woidd save them from the 

 necessity of supplementing their incomes by commercial analyses, and thus enable 

 them to devote their spare time to original work. And to secure that they shall 

 have spare time, I would like to see in every laboratory a competent assistant, who 

 would be able occasionally to take up the professor's lectures, should he be engaged 

 in important work. There are many around me who know how very exacting 

 original investigation is, and how necessary it is, at times, to be able to work on 

 without interruption ; bits and scraps of time being of no value. I am glad to see 

 that the Oxford Commission also recommends the appointment of well-paid assist- 

 ants. Well-paid professorships and well-paid assistantships would be attractive 

 prizes for our students to work up to ; and if it were clearly understood that the only 

 way to these prizes was through original investigation, we should very soon have an 

 army of zealous and competent workers. 



The plan of appointing a staff of original workers unconnected with teaching 



