Ocroser 18, 1918] 
the preparation of rare and difficult organic 
chemicals has brought about the establishment 
of a source of supply of organic reagents for 
research in colleges and universities and for 
industrial purposes. This was met by an in- 
dustrial establishment? which set apart a sep- 
arate section of its laboratory for this pur- 
pose. 
It seems to me that the present emergency is 
still more urgent. A tremendous amount of 
time is lost by the chemist in looking through 
the literature in the libraries for the details 
of preparation and properties of known or- 
ganic compounds. Beilstein’s “ Handbuch” is 
a compilation of all the organie chemicals ex- 
isting at the time of its publication. The 
need of available sets of this standard work of 
reference is self evident. 
To quote the editorial in part: 
We would suggest and urge a reprinting of Beil- 
stein under conditions which would make it avail- 
able quickly to all organic chemists. To do this 
through the ordinary process of linotyping and 
proof-reading would be impracticable because of 
the present shortage of labor and the lack of 
knowledge of German on the part of linotypists 
and proof-readers accustomed to chemical litera- 
ture. Fortunately, photographic methods are avail- 
able, requiring a minimum of labor and insuring 
speed and absolute accuracy of reproduction. 
To make the proposition definite we have ob- 
tained prices for zine etchings from one of the 
largest engraving houses of New York City. For 
the 11,126 pages of Beilstein the cost of zine etch- 
ings at standard prices would be $30,040.20. For 
paper and press work (calculating on the quality 
of paper and charges for press work in publishing 
this journal), $6,119.30 would be required for one 
thousand sets, making a total of $36,159.50. Al- 
lowing for constantly advancing prices, and for 
royalty charges, $40,000 should safely cover the 
entire costs, not including binding, of course. 
Do we feel any qualms of patriotic conscience 
about such a reproduction? Well, we should 
worry! Germans are daily profiting in the conduct 
of the war through the utilization of American in- 
ventions, the submarine, the telegraph, the tele- 
phone, the machine gun and what not. Let some 
one donate $30,000 and let the sets be sold at $10 
each (the ordinary cost is $100) so that every or- 
2 Science, N. 8., Vol. XLVII., pp. 91-92. 
SCIENCE 
395 
ganic chemist could have one right at his hand, 
then—let the Germans worry. 
A donation for this worthy cause would be 
a lasting memorial to any man, and would 
place him among the great benefactors to the 
science of chemistry. Who is the philanthrop- 
ist that will immediately set the zinc to etch- 
ing? 
CriarencE Austin Morrow 
DIVISION OF AGRICULTURAL BIOCHEMISTRY, 
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA 
COLOR ASSOCIATION 
To THE Eprror or Science: The letter from 
David Starr Jordan? called to my attention a 
fact which I did not know before. On men- 
tioning it to my laboratory assistant, Mr. 
Herbert Edward Clapham, he said that he, too, 
140 
ArthurBessey Smith 1 
associated colors with the letters of the 
alphabet, but not with all, and that figures 
were also associated with colors. At my re- 
quest he wrote out the following list. 
A gray O black 1 white 
B light red P brown 2 red 
C black —-—— 3 light red 
D pink R ——— 4 gray 
1 Science, September 28, 1917, pp. 311-312. 
