September 29, 1916] 



SCIENCE 



445 



men who have proved their capacity for 

 industrial research in such places as the 

 Mellon Institute, the Bureau of Standards, 

 etc., by the various industries in which 

 they have taken scientific interest." It is 

 evidently the view of American manufac- 

 turers that industrial research can be made 

 to pay for itself, and that to equip and 

 maintain research laboratories is an excel- 

 lent investment. 



It can not be too often reiterated that no 

 branch of chemical industry can afford to 

 stand still, for there is no finality in manu- 

 facturing processes; all are capable of im- 

 provement, and for this, as well as for the 

 discovery and the application of new proc- 

 esses, the services of the trained chemist 

 are essential. Hence the training of chem- 

 ists for industrial work is a matter of su- 

 preme importance. "We may therefore con- 

 gratulate ourselves that the opportunities 

 for chemical instruction in this country are 

 immensely greater than they were thirty 

 years ago. The claims of chemistry to a 

 leading position have been recognized by 

 all our universities, even the most ancient, 

 by the provision of teaching staffs, labo- 

 ratories, and equipment on a fairly ade- 

 quate if not a lavish scale, and in this re- 

 spect many of the technical colleges fall 

 not far behind. The evening classes con- 

 ducted in a large number of technical insti- 

 tutions are hardly fitted to produce fully 

 trained chemists, if only because lack of the 

 necessary time prevents the student from 

 obtaining that prolonged practise in the 

 laboratory which cannot be dispensed with, 

 unless indeed he is prepared to go through 

 a course of study extending over many 

 years. At the same time these evening 

 classes play a most important part, firstly 

 in disseminating a knowledge of chemistry 

 throughout the country, and secondly in 

 affording instruction of a high order in 

 special branches of applied chemistry. 



Finally, in a large and increasing number 

 of schools a more or less satisfactory intro- 

 duction to the science is given by well- 

 qualified teachers. With our national habit 

 of self-depreciation we are apt to overlook 

 the steady progress which has been made, 

 but at the same time I do not suggest that 

 there is no room for improvement of our 

 system of training chemists. Progress in 

 every department of industrial chemistry 

 is ultimately dependent upon research, 

 and therefore a sufficient supply of chem- 

 ists with practical knowledge and experi- 

 ence of the methods of research is vital. 

 This being so, it is an unfortunate thing 

 that so many students are allowed to leave 

 the universities in possession of a science 

 degree but without any experience in in- 

 vestigation. The training of the chemist, 

 so far as that training can be given in a 

 teaching institution, must be regarded as 

 incomplete unless it includes some research 

 work, not, of course, because every student 

 has the mental gifts which characterize the 

 born investigator, but rather because of the 

 inestimable value of the experience gained 

 when he has to leave the beaten track and 

 to place more dependence upon his own 

 initiative and resource. Consequently one 

 rejoices to learn that at the University of 

 Oxford no candidate can now obtain an 

 honors degree without having produced 

 evidence that he has taken part in original 

 research, and that the General Board of 

 Studies at Cambridge has also made pro- 

 posals which, if adopted, will have the ef- 

 fect of encouraging systematic research 

 work. Perhaps it is too much to expect 

 that practise in research will be made an 

 indispensable qualification for the ordi- 

 nary degree; failing this, and indeed in 

 every case, promising students should be 

 encouraged, by the award of research 

 scholarships, to continue their studies for 

 a period of at least two years after taking 



