640 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XII. No. 304. 



the laboratories which were in existence at 

 that time, and thus we find, for example, 

 that the English translation which Liebig 

 ' hopes and believes will be acceptable to 

 the English public ' was the book used by 

 Hofmann for his students at the College of 

 Chemistry. In this book the metals are 

 first divided into groups much in the same 

 way as is done now ; each group is then 

 separately dealt with, the principal char- 

 acteristics of the metals of the group are 

 noted, and their reactions studied. Those 

 tests which are useful in the detection of 

 each metal are particularly emphasized, and 

 the reasons given for selecting certain of 

 them as of special value for the purposes of 

 separating one metal from another. 



Throughout this section of the book there 

 are frequent discussions as to the possible 

 methods of the separation, not only of the 

 metals of one group, but of those belonging 

 to different groups; and the whole subject 

 is treated in a manner which shows clearly 

 that Liebig's great object was to make the 

 student think for himself. After studying 

 in a similar manner the behavior of the 

 principal acids with reagents, the student 

 is introduced to a course of qualitative anal- 

 ysis comprising, 1, preliminary examina- 

 tion of solids ; 2, qualitative analysis of the 

 substance in solution. 



Both sections are evidently written with 

 the object, not only of constructing a system 

 of qualitative analysis, but more particu- 

 larly of clearly leading the student to argue 

 out for himself the methods of separation 

 which he will ultimately adopt. The book 

 concludes with a few tables which diflfer 

 considerably in design from those in use at 

 the present day, and which are so meager 

 that the student could not possibly have 

 used them mechanically. 



The system introduced in this book, no 

 doubt owing to the excellent results ob- 

 tained by its use, was rapidly recognized as 

 the standard method of teaching analj'sis 



in most of the institutions existing at thai^ 

 time. Soon the course began to be further 

 developed, book after book was published 

 on the subject, and gradually the teaching 

 of qualitative analysis assumed the shape 

 and form with which we are all so well 

 acquainted. But the present-day book on 

 qualitative analysis differs widely from 

 ' Giessen Outlines ' in this respect, that 

 whereas in the latter the tables introduced 

 are mere indications of the methods of 

 separation to be employed, and are of such 

 a nature that the student who did not think 

 for himself must have been constantly in 

 difBculties, in the book of the present day 

 these tables have been worked out to the 

 minutest detail. Every contingency is pro- 

 vided for ; nothing is left to the originality 

 of the student ; and that which, no doubt, 

 was once an excellent course has now be- 

 come so hopelessly mechanical as to make 

 it doubtful whether it retains anything of 

 its former educational value. 



The question which I now wish to con- 

 sider more particularly is whether the sys- 

 tem of training chemists which is at present 

 adopted, with little variation, in our col- 

 leges and universities is a really satisfac- 

 tory one, and whether it supplies the stu- 

 dent with the kind of knowledge which 

 will be of the most value to him in his 

 future career. 



Those who study chemistry may be 

 roughly divided as to their future careers 

 into two groups — those who become teach- 

 ers and those who become technical chem- 

 ists. Now, whether the student takes up 

 either the one or the other career, I think 

 that it is clear that the objects to be aimed 

 at in training him are to give him a sound 

 knowledge of his subject, and especially to 

 so arrange his studies as to bring out in 

 every possible way his capacity for original 

 thought. 



A teacher who has no originality will 

 hardly be successful, even though he may 



