DECEMBER 20, 1918] 
three years American chemical genius has 
done as much and as well as Germany has dur- 
ing three quarters of a century. This sudden 
unparalleled achievement will affect our chem- 
ical industry for a century. That Monday 
morning when the last gun was fired we passed 
into a new age—the beginning of an era of 
chemical progress, of chemical independence 
in this country, of research in the unfolding 
of the secrets of nature to make for a longer, 
happier life for man, of constructive produc- 
tiveness for the universal brotherhood of man. 
The stimulus of scientific work is enormous 
and the growth of knowledge astounding. We 
have thus far reached a position of independ- 
ence which might not have been attained for 
decades to come. Let us keep the American 
chemical flames a-burning, the chemical barom- 
eter a-rising. Let American chemical progress 
tower above all. Let us have a Declaration of 
Chemical Independence in this country. 
Let us now consider the criteria in the de- 
velopment and independence—industrial and 
scientific—of chemistry in America. 
Resultant chemical achievement seems to be 
the product of four factors—the college and 
university, the industry, the American Chem- 
ical Society, and the government. 
THE COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY IN THIS NEW AGE 
The fundamental responsibility rests upon 
the college and the university—the sources of 
our chemists. Thorough up-to-date training is 
the all-important feature. The courses must 
be standardized and correlated—all welded into 
one outstanding science. Modern chemistry is 
getting more and more quantitative. The 
bonds between mathematics and physics, on 
the one hand, and chemistry, on the other, have 
been drawn closer, with the effect that physical 
chemistry is penetrating every phase of the 
science, thus widening our outlook and render- 
ing our conceptions more precise. Developing 
and applying physico-chemical theory and 
methods, gives us insight into intricate prob- 
lems and unravels mysteries. Utilizing phys- 
ico-chemical interpretations in all courses 
means training in the chemistry of the future. 
Understanding the “how” of chemical trans- 
SCIENCE 
609 
formation is the only clear path to science, the 
true, the patient and loving interpretation of 
the world we live in, the laws governing it and 
the order and beauty revealed everywhere. 
Mechanical “rule-of-thumb” mastery of the 
principles leads one, really crammed with 
bookwork, to practise what in his case could 
only be a black art—without inspiration, with- 
out orientation. The real achievements of the 
hour have been brought about by men of thor- 
ough training and deep insight into the pure 
scientific principles. Our institutions there- 
fore should turn out not men who know a lot 
—assimilators of other peoples’ ideas—but re- 
search men of creative type of thought. 
Modern chemistry developed from the phys- 
ico-chemical standpoint is radiating in all di- 
rections, affecting all sciences and all indus- 
tries as well as its own branches. It is high 
time that chemists of the old schools get out 
of their shells, view and accelerate this growth 
and application of their science. As we have 
geological chemistry, photo-chemistry and all 
the other correlated chemistries with full reali- 
zation of their service to man, let us stimulate 
more and more of this correlation not only to 
the pure but as well to the applied sciences and 
professions. Indirectly, by way of illustration 
of the dire need of intensive chemical train- 
ing in other branches of pursuit—our physi- 
cian may be put to the test. He prescribes 
diets and knows little or no food-chemistry. 
He “interprets” bio-chemical analyses and 
has little comprehension of physiological 
chemistry. He deals with the human body— 
a true colloid—and has not the slightest idea 
of colloidal chemistry. And so the story goes. 
Bio-chemical progress is astounding as a re- 
sult of the application of chemistry to medi- 
cine. More of this coordination is needed in 
teaching, researching and application in every 
conceivable field. They all involve chemistry. 
To give adequate training physical equip- 
ment of an institution is an essential efficiency 
factor. The real contact with the subject is 
in the laboratory, therefore the necessity for 
intensive laboratory instruction for the devel- 
opment of technique and systematic scientific 
observation and deduction. 
