500 
Editorial. 
J  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
X     October,  1904. 
trine  that  every  teacher  in  the  laboratory  should  be  engaged  in 
research,  and  should  be  willing  to  discuss  the  problems  upon  which 
he  is  engaged ;  it  is  thus  that  a  "  chemical  atmosphere  "  can  be 
created.  In  order  that  the  students  shall  gain  as  much  as  possible 
from  each  other,  the  various  departments  of  chemistry  should  not 
be  walled  off.  The  best  instruction  which  a  student  can  get,  he 
acquires  in  having  to  explain  his  operations  to  his  neighbors.  Hence 
inorganic,  organic  and  physical  students  should  work  in  the  same 
room,  and  care  should  be  taken  to  intermingle  seniors  and  juniors. 
One  advantage  of  this  system  is  that  the  lesson  is  soon  learnt  to 
judge  of  a  man's  capacity  by  his  achievements  rather  than  by  his 
knowledge.  Mechanical  accomplishments  are  by  no  means  to  be 
despised.  Every  man  should  become  a  glass-blower  by  imitation 
and  by  trial ;  not  by  direct  instruction ;  the  mechanical  operations 
of  soldering,  repairing,  joiner's  and  brass  work  are  learned  without 
direct  teaching. 
A  fairly  good  student  should  have  gained  such  powers  in  one  and 
a  half  or  two  years  as  to  be  able  to  help  himself  in  facing  an  ana- 
lytical problem  which  he  has  not  previously  attempted.  By  mixing 
research  students  with  others  at  all  stages  of  advancement,  the  man 
who  is  working  at  analysis  insensibly  gets  to  regard  his  operations 
as  partaking  of  the  nature  of  a  problem,  and  pursues  his  work  with 
greater  interest.  It  is  possible,  with  a  little  ingenuity,  to  make 
routine  analytical  work  partake  more  or  less  of  the  nature  of  a 
problem;  and  the  junior  student's  analytical  skill  may  often  be  util- 
ized for  purposes  of  research,  in  helping  more  advanced  students 
with  their  work. 
Professor  Ramsay  emphasized  the  fact  that  in  many  cases  the 
student  is  overtaught.  But  it  may  be  said  that  if  he  is  allowed  to 
struggle  on,  his  progress  will  be  painfully  slow.  "  Yes  ;  possibly  at 
first.  But  the  ultimate  rate  of  progress  is  much  more  rapid.  Unless 
the  pupil  learns  to  be  of  use  to  himself,  he  cannot  possibly  be  of  use 
to  others.  The  training  consists  in  finding  out  how  to  do  it ;  not  in 
doing  it ;  that  is  easy,  if  one  knows  how." 
Passing  on  to  the  junior  staff,- it  was  insisted  that  at  least  half  the 
time  of  assistants  should  be  their  own.  It  is  unjust  to  treat  assist- 
ants as  mere  teaching-machines;  their  advancement  depends  on 
their  becoming  known ;  and  their  becoming  known  involves  publi- 
cation of  the  results  of  their  work.    It  should  also  be  part  of  the 
