970 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVII. No. 704 



teachers and students alike. I assure you, 

 your presence to-day inspires us and its 

 effect will be most lasting. 



In tlie lecture theater of the department 

 of chemistry in the University of Penn- 

 sylvania, where a laboratory was first 

 opened to students in this country, is a 

 frieze. Inscribed upon that border are 

 these names: Priestley, Scheele, Lavoisier, 

 Dalton, Gay-Lussac, Avogadro, Berzelius, 

 Wohler, Liebig, Graham, Bunsen, Hoff- 

 man, Cannizzaro and Wolcott Gibbs. 



These names were placed by Dr. Edgar 

 F. Smith, the present professor of chem- 

 istry. Electro-analysis is the most modern 

 and the neatest means for analysis. Wol- 

 cott Gibbs was the father of electro-chem- 

 istry and Edgar P. Smith is now the 

 world's authority on that subject. It is a 

 great happiness to me, personally, that my 

 dear friend Edgar P. Smith, is here to- 

 day, a pioneer to speak of a pioneer, for 

 it is his spirit I would establish in this 

 department. I have the honor of present- 

 ing Vice-Provost Smith, who will speak to 

 us of 



A PIONEEB OF CHEMISTRY 



I am glad to be here on this red-letter 

 day in the history of the College of the 

 City of New York. I am sure that the 

 hearts of all persons intimately connected 

 with the college are at this moment over- 

 flowing with gladness and deepest gratitude 

 on the completion of this splendid labora- 

 tory, which, in equipment and appoint- 

 ments for every kind of chemical work 

 and investigation, stands in the first rank 

 of laboratories designed for similar pur- 

 poses. 



In appearing before this happy and joy- 

 ous company, it is my portion first of all, 

 as well as my great pleasure, to offer you, 

 President Finley and the honorable board 

 of trustees, as well as your faculty and 

 especially those members of it whose busi- 

 ness it is to be in closest contact with the 



teaching and experimentation now being 

 done here and which, as the years go by, 

 shall continue to be done here— the 

 heartiest, warmest congratulations and best 

 wishes of the University of Pennsylvania- 

 first of our American institutions to 

 create a chair devoted to the science of 

 chemistry, first also to open to its students 

 a laboratory for practical instruction in 

 that science. 



Permit me also to extend my felicita- 

 tions to the student body upon the ex- 

 tremely liberal and generous provisions 

 made for them to acquire and perfect 

 themselves in the methods of a science 

 which has done so much for the comfort, 

 happiness and welfare of mankind. 



We see, surrounding us on all sides, in- 

 numerable evidences of a tender and deep- 

 seated interest in those who shall come 

 here to equip themselves for the great 

 struggle of life. How grateful then all 

 should be to that nation, that state or that 

 city which has provided so munificently 

 of its means that we may profit thereby. 

 Indeed, it seems to me that it should create 

 in us a great overwhelming national or 

 civic pride— yes, more- a burning patriot- 

 ism that will ever be uplifting, constructive 

 in every respect. 



Htowever, I am not come here to read 

 a dissertation. Not at all. I have come 

 here to spend a few short hours with you, 

 and to behold with my own eyes how 

 supremely happy your beloved professor 

 and my friend, Dr. Baskerville, is at this 

 moment in the realization of his dream of 

 many long years. This is his laboratory! 

 And that reminds me that as professor 

 of chemistry he is the successor of a bril- 

 liant line of chemists whose names shed 

 lasting glory upon the college, and if you 

 will bear with me, I should like to trace 

 for a few minutes the activities of your 

 first professor of chemistry— Wolcott 

 Gibbs, who still lives, at the advanced age 



