750 THE PLACE OF RESEARCH IN EDUCATION. 



in the branch of industry of which I have been speaking, it is not 

 difficult to trace the former to Hofmann's influence and the latter to 

 our want of appreciation of the inestimable value of the services of 

 such a man. In this connection, I may be allowed to quote from my 

 presidential address to the Chemical Society in 1894 the following' pas- 

 sage in reference to the then recently published memoir by Dr. Caro on 

 the development of the coal tar color industry : 



u To those who can understand it, the story told by Caro is nothing- 

 less than an epic, but it is one the contemplation of which must in 

 many ways sadden an Englishman , elevating though it be when regarded 

 from the purely scientific point of view. Full and complete recognition 

 of Hofmann's services to the industry characterizes every page of the 

 monograph, and the only ground of complaint which some of us feel 

 that we have against the writer is that his own great services are 

 nowhere referred to. Wherever they received their early training, the 

 true education which experience in the world alone gives was gained 

 by both Hofmann and Caro while in the service of English masters; 

 and it is an interesting problem for speculation whether, had they 

 remained with us, our position would not have been a different one. 

 Germany could scarcely have accomplished what it has done without 

 them, but by years of patient labor her universities had laid a broad 

 and solid foundation on which alone such men could build. Here, such 

 men had neither brick nor mortar offered to them either by the universi- 

 ties or manufacturers, and such is our disregard of theory in this country 

 of 'practical men,' that we even now have not learned the lesson which 

 the contemplation of the success of German chemical industry teaches; 

 shall we ever learn it properly! In London, at all events, we shall 

 probably wrangle during years to come about the establishment of a 

 university worthy of the greatest city in the world, which will set an 

 example and help us again to do our fair share of the work which has 

 been taken from us; and it will be years, apparently, before English 

 manufacturers will all learn to spell the word " chemist " — and that it will 

 acquire some meaning for them. But it is much to be feared that recan- 

 tation may come too late, and that the opportunity will have been lost. 

 America, perhaps, will meanwhile have learned the lesson also, and the 

 competition we shall have to meet will not be European alone; we have 

 not only to go ahead as fast as others, but to make up for much lost 

 time, and it is not likely that others will calmly stand by while we make 

 the attempt. 



"Such is the lesson which we may derive, it seems to me, from the 

 study of Hofmann's career and the attendant circumstances; and it is 

 one which we in this society must take very deeply to heart." 



At the present day, no matter what his business, the German manu- 

 facturer seeks to understand every detail, and he is always trying to 

 improve his processes. He attains this end by availing himself very 

 fully of the services of men trained scientifically at the university, men 

 who have all served their apprenticeship in the school of research; in 

 fact, no man who has not been so trained is looked at nowadays by the 

 German manufacturer. 



In proof of this, I may quote words used by Dr. O. N. Witt, now 

 professor of chemical technology in the Berlin Royal Technical High 

 School, the most important institution of its kind in the world, in his 



