484 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XIV. No. 352. 



ent series as the more natural one for the 

 periodic sequence. 



The paper will be submitted to the 

 American Chemical Society for publication. 



6. ' Report on some of the Mineral 

 "Waters of the Philippine Islands ' : Gr. B. 

 Frankforter. 



The author called attention to the occur- 

 rence of lithium in many of the samples. 

 Rubidium and caesium were also found in 

 some cases. 



7. ' Proper Methods of Teaching Physical 

 Chemistry ' : Wilder D. Bakcroft. 



According to the author, an introductory 

 lecture course in physical chemistry should 

 begin with the physics of one-component 

 systems, the formation, separation, proper- 

 ties and identification of phases. ]S"ext 

 should come the corresponding study of 

 two-component systems, stress being laid 

 on the variation of properties with concen- 

 tration and the resulting analytical methods. 

 With three-component and four-component 

 systems, chemical methods of analysis be- 

 come necessary. The general tlieory of 

 separation by fractional crystallization and 

 distillation comes in at this point. An 

 outline was given of the laboratory course 

 now offered at Cornell University, which is 

 designed to supplement the lecture course 

 and which calls for thirty-three afternoons' 

 work. 



8. ' Some Observations on the Teaching 

 of Chemistry ' : Chas. Skbele Palmer. 



The paper emphasized : (1) The value of 

 the thorough study of oxidation and reduc- 

 tion tables as a systematic basis for general 

 inorganic chemistry ; (2) the conservative 

 use of the periodic sequence in the form of 

 short and long independent series ; (3) the 

 lack of an easy, natural and thoroughly 

 satisfactory introduction to general sys- 

 tematic inorganic chemistry after the con- 

 sideration of the typical elements and the 

 atomic theory ; (4) the use of qualitative 

 reactions in the laboratory work of elemen- 



tary organic chemistry, pending the use of 

 the necessary but more complicated syn- 

 thetic work of organic chemistry proper. 



9. ' Some Suggestions for the Improve- 

 ment in Instruction in Technical Chemis- 

 try': Arthur Lachman. 



This paper will be published in full in 

 Science. 



10. ' Discussion of Methods used in Dif- 

 ferent Universities for giving Instruction 

 to Large Classes in Elementary Laboratory 

 Work': Wm. McPherson. 



1 1 . 'Chemistry in the High School ' : Fre- 

 Dus N. Peters. 



12. ' Chemistry in Manual Training 

 Schools ' : Armand B. Miller. 



In this paper the writer gave a description 

 of the method of teaching the subject in the 

 Manual Ti^aining High School of Kansas 

 City, Mo. In harmony with the spirit of the 

 school, the practical applications of the sub- 

 ject are prominently brought out and the 

 facts linked, so far as possible, to the things 

 of every-day life. With this same end in 

 view, the pupils are shown through smelters, 

 soap factories, acid works, gas works, etc. 



In the study of the metals careful atten- 

 tion is given to the ways in which these 

 occur in nature, the metallurgical processes 

 by which the metals are obtained, and their 

 physical properties, upon which their adap- 

 tation to various uses depend. The value 

 of the stereopticon as an aid in arousing 

 and holding an interest in the subject is 

 recognized and a collection of suitable slides 

 is being made. It is not considered wise 

 to attempt to teach qualitative analysis in 

 a one-year course and so all the time is de- 

 voted to the study of general chemistry. 

 About one half the time is spent in the 

 laboratory. Brief notes are made there and 

 elaborated at home. A few quantitative ex- 

 periments are performed in order that the 

 pupils may get some conception of quanti- 

 tative relations. A course in qualitative 

 analysis is offered, but a second year is de- 



