EDITOR'S OUTLOOK
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H E semi-centennial meeting of the American Chemical Society at Philadelphia last September offered many chemists their first opportunity to visit the home of Joseph Priestley at Northumberland and afforded a convenient and appropriate occasion for A the dedication of the Priestley Memorial. The members Number of the Society are doubly bound to the Northumberland shrine, for it was there that the organization had its birth. The dedicatory exercises a t the Priestley home and the meeting of the Section of Historyof Chemistrywere productive of a numberof good Priestley papers and it seemed appropriate that these and one or two others be published together in a Priestley number of the JOURNAL. The present issue is the outcome of that suggestion. Appropriately enough it appears during the month which marks the anniversary of his death, February 6,1804. We wish to acknowledge our great indebtedness to Dr. Gerald L. Wendt of Pennsylvania State College for his invaluable assistance in the collection of illustrations for this number and to thank those others whose loans are acknowledged elsewhere. While there is necessarily a certain lack of unity in any collection of this kind and some unavoidable overlapping, we believe that the group of papers here presented furnishes the teacher with material for the development of an excellent background for a discussion of Priestley's contributions to chemistry. The good doctor's amazing versatility and insatiable intellectual curiosity are portrayed in the breadth of his scientific studies and investigations but they carried him into many other fields as well. A teacher by natural inclination and, for many years, by occupation, he had definite and quite advanced views on education. No doubt the fact that his thinking so far outstripped the general thought of his age and earned for him the reputation of being a heretic not only in religion but in other subjects also, accounts for the scant attention paid his ideas at that time. Many of the principles restated by Spencer and which influence our system of education today are set forth in Priestley's essays. Teachers of chemistry may find much to admire in Priestley, the educator as well as in Priestley, the chemist.
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HERE is inevitably a lag between the discovery of new facts and . . ' . ' principles in science and the incorporation of those facts and principles into courses of instruction. Sometimes, however, the lag is so unduly prolonged as to justify a suspicion that it arises TheE1ec- fully as much from mental inertia on the part of in*OniC Concept structors as from inherent and unavoidable difficulties. I t appears to us that this is true in the case of the application of our 141
present-day knowledge of the structure of matter in the teaching of general chemistry. True, many text-hooks have been slow to include the newer knowledge and t o utilize it in the explanation and correlation of phenomena. Yet the blame cannot belaid entirely upon the producers of texts, for authors and publishers unite in the charge that hooks which emphasize the electronic concept constitute too radical a departure from past custom t o find favor in the sight of the majority of teachers. We believe that a great deal of the apathy and, in some cases, active hostility t o the adoption of the electronic concept in teaching is a reflection of ignorance on the part of teachers. Many instructors, unfamiliar with the actual extent of present knowledge, dismiss the matter with the comment that it is "all theory, anyway." Others who have not taken the trouble to clarify their own thinking feel that what puzzles them must necessarily be even more confusing t o immature students, and object t o introducing such unnecessary complications into their courses. There is some excuse for such an attitude on the part of many highschool teachers, a t least. Heavy teaching schedules and, often, the necessity of teaching other subjects in addition to chemistry, leave little opportunity for the study necessary to keep abreast of contemporary developments and t o revise teaching practice in accordance therewith. If the teacher gives up the hopeless task of searching the literature and turns to available books on the structure of matter he often finds himself involved in a mass of technical detail which discourages rather than enlightens him. For these reasons we have felt that it would be an excellent thing to furnish busy teachers with a brief summary of present-day knowledge in this field. Such a summary was prepared for the JOURNAL by Dr. Huggins and the publication thereof is completed with the appearance of the fifth article of the series in this issue. Dr. Huggins has done a notable service to teachers of chemistry in thus bringing into readily available and usable form the essential facts of material structure. .He has shown that the modern theories are based upon well-proved facts and has demonstrated in the handling of his subject-matter that it can he presented clearly and without confusion even to high-school students. As Dr. Huggins, himself, points out there is room for difference of opinion as to how much of this material may profitably he included in a general chemistry course. I t should he apparent, however, to all who have carefully followed this series of articles that teaching which fails to take the electronic concept into account is not only archaic in its deficiency but is apt to be a t times actually contrary t o fact.
VOL.4. NO. 2
EDITOR'S OUTLOOK
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When books on popular science, periodicals of the more serious type, and even the daily newspapers are filled with references to the electron, how can we claim that we are doing our duty by our students in the matter of furnishing them with a basis for intelligent interest in the achievements of science if we neglect to tell them that such a thing as an electron exists? When all the laws of chemical combination are traceable to the structure of the atom, how can we maintain that we are imparting a knowledge of chemical principles if we neglect the most fundamental principle of all? This latter point is one which we believe should be further emphasized. If the structure of matter were but one more rather difficult topic to be added to an already crowded syllabus, the objectors could make a very good case for themselves. But we are not pleading for a mere addition to the course; we advocate a revised treatment throughout, in terms of modern thought. The teacher who attacks the subject from this angle will soon discover that the initial outlay in time and effort necessary to impart the essentials of atomic structure will pay for itself many times over in a more thorough understanding and a better organization of chemical subject-matter. Once mastered, the electronic concept dispels many dark mysteries and relates many hitherto disconnected phenomena. I t raises chemistry from a semi-empirical to a truly scientific basis.
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E SHOULD have stated in the January number that the list of
Poshons . . Open to Graduate Students Majoring in Chemistry in Various Colleges and Universities" made no pretensions to being a complete roster of available openings. Dr. William Fe'lowships McPherson compiled the list from replies received in answer to inquiries sent to the members of the American Association of Universities. Information was received from all members except three. Data a t hand for several other institutions were added. It has been suggested that a supplementary list be published. We should be very glad t o include in such a list all institutions which can furnish us with the necessary information not later than February 25th. This will enable us to place the supplementary roster in the March number of the JOURNAL.
HE American Chemical Society will hold its seventy-third meeting a t Richmond, . ' Virginia, April 11th-16th with headquarters a t the Jefferson Hotel. Those who are planning to attend should reserve Spring hotel accommodations as soon as possible. William G. Meeting Crockett, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, Chairman of the Hotel Committee, will be glad to assist any who experience difficulty in making hotel reservations.
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As usual the railroads have granted a reduced fare to and from the meeting. In order to take advantage of the reduction allowed, an identification certificate must be obtained from the Secretary of the Society or from the Secretary of the Local Section and presented a t the ticket office window. Tickets may be purchased April 7th-13th and will be good returning until midnight April 22nd. Authors who are t o present papers before the Division of Chemical Education should make sure that their titles are in. the hands of the Secretary, Ross A. Baker, Bowne Hall, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N. Y., not later than March 5th. They should also state whether or not they will require the use of a lantern. Abstracts, preferably not over one hundred words in length, should accompany the titles. It is necessary that the titles be submitted by the time stated in order that they may be printed in the final program of the meeting. By vote of the Council no papers may be presented a t the meeting, titles for which are not printed on the final program. The Division of Chemical Education will join with the Division of Organic Chemistry in a Symposium on the "Teaching of Organic Chemistry" and will meet one-half day with the History of Chemistry Section. At one session the question of cooperation of the Local Sections with the teachers of chemistry will be discussed. The Chairmen and Secretaries of the Local Sections are especially invited to be present a t this session. The Senate of Chemical Education will meet in the Flemish Room ol the Jefferson Hotel a t nine o'clock, Tuesday morning, April 12th.
