told that their services were no longer needed. Invariably they were the very first to go. They were calmly kicked out with the employer's "good wishes" and absolutely nothing else. And now these employers cheerfully inform us of their desires, demand a code of ethics where they recognize none, paint a picture of their ideal chemist and vociferously cuss the teachers in educational institutions who fail to produce supermen by the thousands-for cheap exploitation. That the training period for chemists consists of four or more difficult years seems to have no meaning to these employers of chemists, and that the expense involved is considerable is likewise carefully ignored. This expense is borne by the chemist in question, and his training represents his stock in trade. It represents no small investment in time and money, and he is entitled to a fair return. Yet these employers demand a chemist perfectly trained with the astonishing ability to leap full-fledged into their organization and start paying dividends ten minutes later. A ten-thousanddollar man for whom they grudgingly pay one or two thousand dollars-perhaps. Truly an unusual type of mutuality, a degradation of intellectual effort. Can anything be done about this? Can anything be done to advance the professional standing of the chemist? Undoubtedly so, but i t will take time, effort, and cooperation from the chemists themselves. That great organization of chemists, the American Chemical Society, can exert a profound influence for good in this direction if its members are once fully aroused to the necessity for action. That the Society has become conscious of such a need is evidenced by the appointment of a committee headed by Dr. Thomas Midgeley, Jr. This committee has repeatedly appealed for suggestions and continues to do so. All chemists should respond to this appeal, for only with their help can this committee be of any value in promoting their interests. Perhaps there are too many chemists, and the present plight of many of them is merely a manifestation of the inexorable law of supply and demand. That the unfit should be discouraged a t the source, the educational institutions, is unquestionably true. Yet how
is this to be accomplished? Who is to judge the fitness of a student for the chemical profession? It is not merely a matter of the mental, emotional, or physical condition a t a given moment. Who can glance one single hour into the future and witness the succession of events which determines the condition of anything a t the end of that period? The dull and uninterested undergraduate may be transformed into a brilliant and enthusiastic graduate. The writer has witnessed many such changes. What must we tell these ambitious boys and girls? Shall we encourage or discourage them-what of this boy who is eagerly facing me across my desk? , "So you want to be a chemist?' I asked. "Are you willing to invest a t least four years of your young life acquiring hard, dry fundamentals, a discouraging task a t best? Are you willing to investigate a large number of related sciences, study and learn, in order to acquire the necessary basic foundation upon which to rest your beloved chemistry? Do you know that a thorough knowledge of English is essential and that a reading knowledge of two or three foreign languages is requisite? Do yon know that upon graduation you will find yourself in active, if not ruthless, competition with hundreds of others with the same ambition-to find a job? Having perchance found a job, will you be willing to accept a meager salary and to be continually haunted by the spectre of dismissal a t the first dawn of lean years? In view of this, will you be willing to remain true to the ideals which actuated your youthful decision to worship a t the shrine of Science? Did anyone ever tell you that she is a jealous goddess and will not share you with another but will forever demand your whole attention? And this is not all; there are other obligations. Will you be willing to work with your fellow chemists for the promotion of your profession? Do you plan to stand idly by and 'let George do it'? There is a great organization of chemists to which i t will be your duty to ally yourself and faithfully serve. You can never grow bigger than this Society of chemists; you will be, a t best, hut an insignificant part. In view of these facts, do you still want to be a chemist? If you do, probably nothing but death can stop you-you will indeed he a chemist and a credit to the profession."
THE ROW OF INCREASING ATOMIC WEIGHTS AND THE PERIODIC LAWA CORRECTION Through a typographical error the entry relating to 14, 436 (Sept., 1937)1 was carried into the ninth column the stability of the neutron in Table 1 U.CHEM.EDUC., heading, which should read simply: Half-life, Tf.
