questionably t h e most difficult to report. T h e confusion of tongues in the speeches of five professions and the unusually funda mental character of the discussions made it difficult t o condense the values of the con ference into words. I know whereof I speak for I have been attempting t o do this for a report to our faculty. It is gratifying t o find, in addition to such excellent reporting, an editorial which saw so deeply into t h e problems which the conference explored.
Mettent, ta t&e ZdùCô* Here's
How
DEAR SIR:
Congratulations to Professor ('. ( \ Price for the lucid presentation (April 19, 1948) of the arguments in favor of world federation! In only one respect d o I find his article deficient. He fails to answer the question that his written words are almost certain to arouse in the reader's mind : "What can I do to foster world federation?" The answer is simple: Join the organization that is actively supporting world federation on all fronts—United World Federalists, 31 E a s t 74 St., N e w York 21, X. Y. WILLIAM HIBMAX, III
Xew Brunswick, . ipprecia
With regard to your editorial in your issue of March 1 with respect to the British film "Atomic Physios," I should like to associate myself with W. H. Carman's remarks in his letter to you published on April 5. Scientists in this country are under no misapprehension as t o the magnificent work done by Americans in connection with atomic physics, and 1 think that you have struck the nail squarely on the head in the last paragraph of your March 1 editorial. F. G.
and.
Arlington,
Γα.
Confusion
aj
tna ty # iva / Ch 4>m is try Xoi Scrapped
WOI.HSKNSKY
Tongues
D E A R SIR:
DEAR SIR:
High
Kow.
ELLIOTT D U N L A P SMITH
lJa.
Pittsburgh,
Λ". ./.
tion
Old Southgate,
a t o r , " of "spirits" and "spiritual" things, as if they re-ally knew something about such matters, when, in fact, they are merely indulging in surmises, or perhaps in wishful thinking, and exhibiting their lack of information. Where is the evi d e n c e for all o f these things? One is almost, tempted to say, "Chem ists (and physicists), stick to your lasts!" Or, if you must think out loud o n these t hings, d o no*t forget your scientific train ing. Demand as rigid proofs of the exist ence of "spirits" as you do in any of the research in your laboratories.
A s the chairman of the Inter-Professions Conference o n e d u c a t i o n for Professional Responsibility I w a n t to congratulate you and the menxbers of your staff on the out standing report on the interprofessions conference appearing in C&KN, April 26, under the title "Kducators Confer on Pro fessional Responsibility. " While this was for me the most valuable conference I h a v e ever attended, it was un
\yRAit S I R : On page 1346 and 1350 of C&KN, May 10, in a staff report o n the technical ses sions of the Chicago meeting in April 1948, it is implied that the new proposal for teaching the fundamentals of chem istry at Brown University scraps the sub ject of analytical chemistry entirely. This is far from the ease a s is stated in the complete manuscript from which it is presumed the staff report was prepared. T h e essential techniques of qualitative analysis are t o be taught as parts of the laboratory work during freshman and sophomore .wars, but without the syste matic scheme of qualitative analysis. To quote, "It must he reiterated that less
MU'SETE HOW MMCATOR
FRANCIS
England
Narrow
D E A R SIR:
In the March 22 issue of C&EN a num ber of "Letters to the Editor" under the title, "Todd Tossed Around," give a fine illustration of one of the fundamental weaknesses of our modern, higher educa tion, namely, too early and too close spe cialization. The same point is emphasized again in other letters in the March 29 issue suggesting the need of "ghost" writers for chemists. Most people do not bother to get a really broad education before they start specializing. The result is that a man may become a top authority in some highly (and narrowly) specialized field, and yet the minute he steps out of that special field, he exhibits no more intelligence than the common, garden variety of citizen. And although within his special field he may be very discriminating and logical in his thinking, outside of it he may be as dogmatic and unscientific in his reasoning as the most untutored of his fellowmen. Then we sometimes find scientists of international repute, speaking as glibly and confidently of the plans and purposes of a "Supreme Intelligence," the workings of a "First Cause," the wishes of a "Cre V O L U M E
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Congratulations t o D u Pont's "Caval cade of America" for its recent presenta tion of "The Enlightened Professor," starring Franchot Tone as Benjamin Silliman. Although Benjamin Silliman is today relatively unknown, he played a vital part in the beginnings of scientific education. Silliman lived in the days when chem istry was considered a confused dream of a weird alchemy with its black arts, ex plosions, and mysteries. Only two col leges in t h e country, Princeton and Har vard, offered it in their curriculum. When Ben Silliman, who bad a mere book knowledge of science, decided he would like to start a science course at Yale, his alma mater, the board of trus tees was sure that if science became part of their curriculum, the students would turn out to be Godless infidels. In the years that followed his appoint ment as the first professor of chemistry and natural history at Yale, Ben Silliman learned chemistry along with his students. He kept alive his dream of a complete science school a t Yale through continuous new research, adding new texts and equip ment to t h e courses.
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I I will be concerned with t h e "reactions of a limited number of elements, namely: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur, phos phorus, and the halogens. These course* will not be restricted to organic chemistn nor will the second year courses be re stricted to physical or inorganic."
abont
the
AAAS
AMERICAN CHEMICAL S O -
CIETY have been on the air. During a Midwest trip last month we ran into the following story which has been fully authenticated. The lawyers in Fort Wayne approached the radio station in that city carrying the Northeastern Indiana Section program with the request that they be given time. They were not, however, quite sure of what they would like to broadcast. CHEMICAL
Centennial
Our sister organization, the Americau Association for the Advancement of Science, will hold its centennial celebration in Washington, Sept. 13 to 17. A great many chemists belong to the AAAS and, in checking, we find that 11 have held the higb office of president of that organization They are: J. W. Bailey J. Laurence Smith G. F. Barker Albert B. Prescott E. W. Morley Wolcott Gibbs [ra Remsen T . W. Richards A. A. Noyes Irving Langmuir J. B. Conant
ÈlmàU*
I n connection with the recent Atomic Energy Week in Peoria the meeting of the section was broadcast over W E E K . T h e subject, "What Is Atomic Energy and Peacetime Uses of Atomic Energy," was developed by A. Wattenberg and E. L. Powers, Jr. The program director of WEEK has estimated that 12,000 to 15,000 people listened to the broadcast of the section's meeting. As far as we know this is the first time the proceedings of a local section of
•'Why not listen to t h e chemists 1 program for a few weeks," said the program director "and then come back? I'm positive you will get some ideas after hearing them." Incidentally, the Northeastern Indian» Section had the program director as it* guest at its meeting.
1857 1872 1879 1891 1895 1897 1902 1917 1927 1941 1946
Eight of these also have been president of
the
AMERICAN
CHEMICAL
SOCIETY,
Smith, Barker, Prescott, Morley, Remsen, Richards, Noyes, and Langmuir. When the AAAS m e t in Philadelphia, Sept. 20 t o 25, 1848, about 6 0 papers and communications were read and the association had 461 members. T h e growth in influence and membership during the past 100 years is eloquent testimony t o the sound planning that h a s prevailed a t all times. We extend our heartiest congratulations t o the membership and officers of the AAAS. W e know t h e coming meeting will be a memorable one.
AND
ENGINEERING
NEWS
