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dent in Strasbourg have been harshly treated by the French High Command we do not know. We should wish to have some more convincing evidence than the mere allegation of the Rector and Senate of the University of Leipzig. Meanwhile we invite attention to the fact that it is an established principle in England and the United States that anyone who comes into a court of equity seeking relief must come with clean hands. Before the Rector and Senate of the University of Leipzig can expect the court of public opinion to sympathize with their allegations, the people of France, England, and the United States will certainly wish to know what measure of protest, if any, the Rector and Senate of the Uiiiversity of Leipzig recorded against the cruel and inhuman treatment in 1914,by the German High Command, of the scholars associated with the University of Louvain and against the wanton and barbarous destruction of the library of that University. They will also wish to know what measure of protest, if any, the Rector and Senate of the University of Leipzig have recorded against any or all of the following thirty-one kinds of offense which it has been proved on indisputable evidence, gathered formally by national and international commissions, were committed b y German armies and German agents and their allies in one or more of the countries invaded by them during the war whose issues are now in process of settlement:
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which it placed upon the intellectual and moral integrity of German scholars and men of science will forever remain one of the most deplorable and discouraging events of the war which German militarism and Prussian autocracy forced upon the peaceful and liberty-loving nations of the world. I have the honor to be, Your obedient servant, NICHOLASMURRAY BUTLER N E W Y O R K CITY President of Columbia University April 15, 1919
POLARISCOPES AND INTERNATIONAL SACCHARIMETRIC SCALE Editor of the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry: We have read with much interest the recent article by Dr. C. A. Browne in THIS JOURNAL,I O ( I ~ I S ) , 916, on polariscopes. We are in entire agreement with the French makers in their protest against adopting the German scale and we would further advise that German instruments should not be copied either in design or in arrangement of optical parts. It would perhaps be well to remember that the present high quality of the German polariscopes is due to the forty years’ work which has been spent in perfecting a particular arrangement of optical parts, the Nicol prisms and the wedges for instance being brought to Massacre of civilians Putting t o death of hostages a state of perfection to suit their standard optical train after Torture of civilians Starvation of civilians no doubt considerable labor and expense. Rape No new polariscope has been introduced for some considerable Abduction of girls and women for thc purpose of enforced prostitution Deportation of civilians time with the exception of the Bates instrument, but even this Internment of civilians under brutal conditions Forced labor of civilians in connection with military operations of the we believe has the German optical arrangement. We would enemy venture to suggest that if the Allies wish to produce an instruUsurpation of sovereignty during military occupation Compulsory enlistment as soldiers among the inhabitants of occupied ment which shall compete with the German and eventually surterritory Pillage pass it in sensitiveness and accuracy it will be absolutely necesConfiscation of property sary to produce one of new design. Exaction of illegitimate or exorbitant contributions and requisitions Debasement of currency From our own experience with sugar solutions we believe that Issue of spurious currency Imposition of col!ective penalties special optical tests other than those of polarization could with Wanton devastation and destruction of property advantage be applied, for it is doubtful if the actual accuracy of Bombardment of undefended places Wan ton destruction of religious, charitable, educational and historic measurement found in practice justifies the excessive care which buildings and monuments Destruction of merchant ships and passenger vessels without examinahas been taken in making the instrument read to the accuracy tion or without warning claimed. Concerning the possibility of producing a polariscope Destruction of fiching boats and a relief ship Bombardment of hospitals built on new lines, this firm has been carrying out experiments At,tack on and destruction of hospital ships Breach of other rules relating t o t h e Red Cross over a number of years and our investigations in search of a Use of deleterious and asphyxiating gases more perfect instrument may be of interest to you and are as Use of. exploding and expanding bullets Directions t o give no quarter follows: Ill-treatment of prisoners Misuse OC flags of truce I-To eliminate the errors due to want of homogeneity in the Poisoning of wells long quartz compensation wedge. The Rector and Senate of the ancient University of Upsala Quartz is a most unsatisfactory material as far as its optical might render great service, not only to science and to scholar- properties are concerned and although we have examined a ship, but to the cause of civilization itself, if they would bring large quantity of quartz we have not yet seen a slab which is to the attention of the Rector and Senate of the University of perfect enough when properly examined with suitable optical Leipzig, as well as to that of the proper authorities of the Unimeans to cut wedges of the length of those employed in the versity o€ Heidelberg and the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences, German type of instrument, that is, if such an accuracy is dethe fact that acknowledgment of wrong-doing on the part of sired as can be reached with a high-class polarimeter. Our exthe German government, the German armies and the German perience has been fully confirmed by Dr. Lowry in his long repeople, and contrition for that wrong-doing, are the first and searches on the optical rotatory power of quartz. necessary steps in the rehabilitation before the world of Ger2-TO improve the figure of the optical surfaces of the wedge. man scholarship and German science. It is probably within One of the most difficult examples of optical working is the the truth to say that the universities of France, England, and production of thin plates or wedges of either glass or quartz the United States are awaiting, with deep interest and no small owing to the absence of any suitable support. The wedges may measure of anxiety, some sign that German scholars and men of be increased in thickness but errors due to want of homogeneity science realize the enormity of the offenses, public and private, would be increased. t h a t have been committed by Germans and in the name of Ger3-To design an instrument in which the scale length could many during the war now ending, and some evidence that these be set finally a t an independent testing station such as the scholars and men of science feel sincere regret for them. National Physical Laboratory or the Bureau of Standards against a standard so that all instruments would read alike. We have not forgotten the amazing prostitution of scholarship We have realized the importance of this for some considerand science to national lust marked by the formal appeal to the civilized world made by German professors in September 1914. able time and were gratified to see pointed out the advantage that would accrue if such an adjustment could be adopted. That appeal was an unmixed mass of untruths, and the stain
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The most satisfactory method of accomplishing this is the rotation of the wedges in their own plane, but long narrow wedges cannot be adjusted in this manner without considerable difficulty. As a result of these investigations we have built a polariscope in which ( a ) The compensating wedge is reduced to a length of 2 0 mm.; ( b ) The wedges are moved by a n accurate micrometer screw carrying a large drum on which the scale is engraved; ( c ) The short wedges are mounted in plates which may be rotated by known amounts by means of set screws. This wedge system has a great advantage over the old type in so far as errors due to want of homogeneity in the quartz are almost entirely eliminated, as areas of this size of the required purity can generally be found in crystal plates if sufficient care is taken. Further as the angle of the wedges is increased difficulties in the manufacture are greatly reduced so that the surface may be worked plane to l / l 0 of the wave-length of sodium light. These short wedges are 1 2 mm. wide and may be rotated over several degrees without decreasing the aperture. I n fact there is no reason why they should not be angular discs and the scale length could then be varied a t will from the minimum, depending on the angle of the wedge, t o infinity. We have compiled iables for giving the necessary angular rotation t o the wedges to increase or decrease the total scale length by any required amount. If, for instance, the normal plate should read o 2 high a rotation of a few minutes will be necessary t o make the reduction. These adjustments can be carried out from the outside of the wedge box with the greatest ease. F. STANLEY, Director BI~LIJNGHAM AND STANLEY, LIMITED LONDON, ENGLAND, February 27, 1919
THE MOHR AND THE METRIC MILLILITER Editor of the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry: A matter regarding which there is now a good deal of confusion and which badly needs standardization is that which refers to the basis of graduation of volumetric glassware. The older standard is the so-called Mohr cubic centimeter, which is the volume occupied by I g. of water a t r g O C., weighed in air with brass weights. The cubic centimeter still widely employed in the sugar industry is, however, based on a temperature of 1 7 1 / 2 O instead of 15 ’. The Bureau of Standards has for some time advocated the adoption of the metric cubic centimeter, or, to be exact, the metric milliliter, which is the volume occupied by I g. of water a t 4’ C. weighed in vacuo, the standard temperature for the use of the apparatus being specified as 20’ C. The newer normal weights for saccharimeters, 2 6 and 20 g., refer to a volume of IOO metric milliliters a t z o o C. Those in the sugar industry have a special reason to adopt the metric milliliter, because it simplifies the value of the normal weight, and they perhaps are as much t o blame as any one for the adherence to the old standards. While the use of the metric milliliter in the sugar industry was recommended some time ago, the writer hesitated to adopt the metric milliliter for sugar flasks and still be forced to accept other kinds of volumetric apparatus graduated in Mohr cubic centimeters, as the existence of two standards for volumetric apparatus in the same laboratory would lead to worse confusion than already has previously prevailed. It should be unnecessary in this communication to present any of the arguments in favor of the metric milliliter. The very complete1 tables which have been published by the Bureau of Standards eliminate any inconvenience which the calculation to working conditions may cause. Probably the reason that the Mohr cubic centimeter has lasted so long is that until recently most volumetric glassware has been imported from countries 1
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where the Mohr standard is prevalent. Now that this condition has disappeared, it is to be hoped that American chemists will unite in adopting and specifying the metric milliliter as the basis of graduation of all volumetric apparatus, and that domestic manufacturers will do their part in eliminating the Mohr cubic centimeter as rapidly as possible. That the situation is still hopelessly confused is shown by the replies received to a recent letter of inquiry sent to three of the most prominent dealers in laboratory supplies. Two of them state that all volumetric glassware is now, unless otherwise specified, graduated on the basis of the metric milliliter, and urge its adoption. The third replies that all regular stock volumetric ware is calibrated according to the Mohr cubic centimeter, and that, on account of the fact that volumetric analysis in general is still based on this, it would be a mistake to change to the metric milliliter. It would be a desideratum if the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY and other associations would keep this question alive through suitable committees. I n the meantime let the chemists do their part in rejecting and eliminating an unfortunate and unscientific standard . It is also to be hoped that American manufacturers will make a n effort to furnish accurately graduated volumetric apparatus. It has unfortunately been too true in the past that one is almost always right in assuming all volumetric glassware to be incorrect. It is also unfortunate that so many chemists, even in analytical work demanding high accuracy, accept the manufacturer’s graduations as correct and neve? take the trouble to verify for themselves the accuracy of such apparatus. In many cases their education is a t fault, for the verification of apparatus is one of the first tasks which the student in quantitative analysis should be given, and is too often slighted or even entirely neglected. SIDNEY J. OSBORN THE GRSATWESTERN SUGAR COMPANY DENVERCOLORADO February 25, 1919
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY At the University of Virginia, the School of Analytical and Industrial Chemistry and the School of Chemistry have been merged. Its affairs will be managed by a committee of the chemical faculty. Five new research fellowships have been established by the Board of Visitors. Applications for these should be filed with Dr. Gardner I,. Carter, secretary of the chemical faculty.
LIBRARIANS FOR RESEARCH LIBRARIES Editor of the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry: A striking feature of the Symposium on Library Service in Industrial Laboratories, presented before the Industrial Division a t the Victory Meeting in Buffalo, was the exclusive use of feminine pronouns in referring to librarians. Why bar the men from this complex and interesting profession? Another equally impressive feature was that, with scarcely any exception, no mention was made of any training other than in library science for librarians of research libraries. It was tacitly assumed that the unfortunate lady (always a lady) must enter upon her duties under the handicap of entire and unillumined ignorance of the science upon which her library is based. Why should it be so? With all respect for library science, it seems t o the writer that in choosing a research librarian, primary emphasis should be on training in the library’s own science and secondary emphasis on library training. 1
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