OCTOBEE 19, 1906.] 



SCIENCE. 



489 



myself but by Lady Perkin and my family. 

 It has the merit of not only being beauti- 

 ful but also very useful, and it is a very 

 suitable gift for a total abstainer who is 

 very partial to a cup of tea. Whenever 

 we use it it will remind us of the warm- 

 hearted hospitality which has been shown 

 us in America. 



I appreciate very much the honor the 

 American Chemical Society has done in 

 electing me one of its honorary fellows and 

 presenting me with its certificate of mem- 

 bership this evening. I am very pleased, 

 indeed, to have my name associated with 

 this important society, the value of which 

 I gauge from my knowledge of the help 

 the London Chemical Society has been to 

 me, and of which I have this year also 

 completed my jubilee of membership. 



I very heartily thank Dr. Nichols, Mr. 

 Kuttroff and Dr. Hillebrand for all their 

 kind and generous remarks in reference to 

 myself when presenting me with these gifts. 

 That this jubilee should also have an- 

 other important object in view, namely, the 

 foundation of a reference and circulating 

 library for science, is also a great satisfac- 

 tion to me, as it may be the means of not 

 only affording useful information to scien- 

 tific workers, but also of stimulating re- 

 search. 



I am very glad that Professor Chandler 

 is the president to-night. I have known 

 him for a long time, and we must all ad- 

 mire the indomitable perseverance with 

 which he has worked for the cause of chem- 

 istry in this city, for now over forty years 

 without flagging. His position as chair- 

 man on this occasion is particularly fitting, 

 because of the varied ways in which he has 

 been connected with the coal tar industry, 

 and his acquaintance with the great works 

 in which the colors are made, and I also 

 know the very hearty and active part he 

 has taken in connection with this celebra- 

 tion. I thank him also most sincerely for 



the kind things he has said in reference to 

 myself. 



We have all listened with interest to the 

 remarks of Dr. Schweitzer, who is not only 

 practically connected with the coal tar 

 coloring matters, but has also done good 

 scientific work in connection with them. 

 I thank him also for all the kind references 

 he has made to me. And I take this op- 

 portunity of thanking him and all other 

 members of the committee for the pains 

 they have taken to make my visit to this 

 country so extremely pleasant and enjoy- 

 able, not only to myself, but also to Lady 

 Perkin and my daughters. It is a land- 

 mark in our lives to which we shall always 

 look back with pleasure. 



I have no doubt that some of you will 

 have read the particulars of the London 

 celebration and what I said on that occa- 

 sion, and this makes it difficult for me to 

 address you, and if I repeat much of what 

 I said then, I must claim your indulgence, 

 because one can not but state the things 

 which have occurred in one 's lifetime ; they 

 can not be varied. As I expect that many 

 of you, however, may not be so well ac- 

 quainted with the history of the coal tar 

 color industry and the mauve dye which 

 was its starting-point, as people are in 

 the old country, I thought that you might 

 like me to give a brief account of it, espe- 

 cially of its early days, but even to do this 

 is difficult in the time at my disposal, and, 

 moreover, as I shall have to speak about 

 myself, it would have been more agreeable 

 to me if some one else could tell the tale. 

 To begin, it may perhaps first of all in- 

 terest you to know something of my early 

 days and how I became a chemist. 



As long as I can remember, the kind of 

 pursuit I should follow during my life was 

 a subject that occupied my thoughts very 

 much. My father being a builder, the first 

 idea was that I should follow in his foot- 

 steps, and I used to watch the carpenters 



