NOVBMBBE 3, 1911] 



SCIENCE 



597 



take the place of Lunge in Zurich as professor 

 of chemical technology and in 1909 he was 

 asked to undertake the control of one of the 

 largest chemical works in Germany, but he 

 declined both of these appointments. 



Professor Haber introduced into Germany 

 the rational method of instruction in ele- 

 mentary chemistry as embodied in the labora- 

 tory outline written by Alexander Smith. 

 This book was translated into German by 

 Professor Haber and Fritz HUler. The two 

 books : 1898, " Lehrbuch der technischen Elek- 

 trochemie auf wissenschaftlicher Grundlage " 

 (now out of print) ; 1905, " Thermodynamik 

 technischer Gasreaktionen " (English edition, 

 1908), together with numerous contributions 

 to the Zeitschrift fur EleMrochemie, Wiede- 

 mann's Annalen and the Zeitschrift filr physi- 

 kalische Chemie, constitute his literary ac- 

 tivities. 



One of Professor Haber's most important 

 researches was that upon the ammonia gas 

 equilibrium at high temperatures. This work 

 resulted in the development of a commercial 

 method for the manufacture of pure armnonia 

 directly from the elements by the use of 

 osmium or uranium as a catalyzer. Another 

 important series of researches was that upon 

 the properties of flames, including the gas 

 equilibria involved, the ionization and con- 

 ductivity of the gases and the action of the 

 ions as catalyzers. He has spent much time 

 during the last few years upon the study of 

 the escape of electrons from the reacting sur- 

 faces of metals and the effects of electrons 

 upon gas equilibria and upon the velocity of 

 chemical reactions. His other recent re- 

 searches have been mostly upon the following 

 subjects: the electromotive force of the oxy- 

 hydrogen cell at high temperatures; the oxida- 

 tion of nitrogen in the high potential arc; a 

 gas refractometer for the optical analysis of 

 gases, according to Eayleigh's principle; elec- 

 trical forces at phase boundaries; the corro- 

 sion of iron by stray currents from street rail- 

 ways; the reduction of hydroxylamine ; the 

 use of solid materials such as glass and porce- 

 lain as electrolytes; the equilibrium between 

 magnesium chloride and oxygen; electrode 



potentials and electrolytic reduction ; the labo- 

 ratory preparation of aluminium ; the prepara- 

 tion of hydrogen peroxide by electrolysis; ex- 

 periments on the decompositions and combus- 

 tion of the hydrocarbons, and autoxidation. 



The writer wishes to thank Dr. Fritz HiUer, 

 of Berlin, for the greater part of the informa- 

 tion contained in this article. The statements 

 in regard to the purposes and government of 

 the institute are official. 



William D. Harkins 



Univbesity or Montana, 

 September 30, 1911 



THE GENERAL EDUCATION BOASD 

 Conditional appropriations aggregating 

 $635,000 hare been granted to six colleges 

 and universities by the board of trustees of 

 the General Education Board. Applications 

 from twenty-four institutions were presented. 

 From this list the board selected six among 

 which is distributed conditionally the available 

 funds as follows: 



To Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pa., 

 $35,000 towards $160,000 ; to Earlham College, 

 Richmond, Ind., $75,000 towards $400,000; to 

 Furman University, Greenville, S. C, $25,000 

 towards $100,000; to Grinnell College, Grin- 

 nell, la., $100,000 towards $500,000; to Smith 

 College, $200,000 towards $1,000,000 ; to South- 

 ern Methodist University, Dallas, Tex., $200,- 

 000 towards $1,000,000. 



During the meeting attention was called to 

 the fact that since Mr. Rockefeller made his 

 first contribution to the board for the promo- 

 tion of higher education, contributions have 

 been made to ninety-one institutions in an 

 aggregate amount of $7,625,000 towards a total 

 of $35,909,512. Fifty-one institutions to which 

 the board has made conditional contributions 

 have completed the subscriptions for the sup- 

 plemental sums required and to these insti- 

 tutions the board has already paid $3,500,000 

 in cash. It was pointed out that as a result 

 of the campaigns made by these fifty-one in- 

 stitutions their assets have been increased by 

 over $19,000,000. Their student bodies have 

 increased by 2,047, 183 new professors have 



