966
T H E J O U R N A L O F I N D U S T R I A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y Vol.
IO,
KO.
12
EDITORIALS A VICTORY OF ARMS, NOT YET OF IDEALS
Thanks be t o God, a new day has dawned! The forces of domineering might which a t one time threatened t o engulf t h e world have suddenly crumbled. Fantastic dreams of universal domination and worldwide loot have been dispelled b y cold steel, high explosives, and t h e blood of those who believe in t h e brotherhood of mankind. T o those of our own and of our Allies who have made t h e great sacrifice of their lives our hearts t u r n first in this moment of victory. I n spirit they will live forever honored among us. For those who soon will be returning a welcome awaits such as this country has never before given t o any of its sons. It is not yet possible t o grasp t h e full meaning of t h e mighty events of t h e past month: t h e change is too stupendous. How far t h e actual change has progressed it is difficult now t o tell. Certainly t h e milit a r y power of t h e Teuton has been crushed for generations; b u t has his heart been changed? We believe not. Has t h e Kaiser abdicated? We know not. Certainly no authentic publication of his abdication paper has appeared. The question has no military significance, b u t i t has important bearing on t h e good faith of a nation which is now about t o begin its elementary acquisition of this useful commodity; pi-ogress in this line cannot be made in his presence. Has defeat really been accepted by Germany? I n a way, yes, b u t only in a way. The “solfings” of Dr. Solf, daily flashed t o us b y t h e wireless, show plainly t h a t we are still facing t h e same German heart, have still t o guard against t h e same machinations, have still t o witness t h e same stupid psychology b y which a t one time we as a nation were charitable enough almost t o be deceived. Yo, Germany has not yet gone down through t h e dark valley of suffering where alone she can cleanse herself for fellowship in t h e great family of nations. ‘Until t h a t day is reached let us be on our guard. T h e sacrifices already made for civilization must not be in vain. NATIONAL SELF-CONTAINEDNESS
For t h e past four years we have advocated t h e doctrine of national self-containedness. The vast and varied natural resources of this country justify t h e conviction t h a t economic independence can be attained if opportunity is afforded t h e chemist t o exercise his skill upon this raw material. Lack of independence resulted not long ago in serious economic distiirbances; preparedness for t h e future demands t h a t recent progress toward independence, intensified by war conditions, continue unabated Ultimate reaching of t h e goal d e p p d s upon two factors, our ability as chemists a n d t h e cooperation of t h e body politic. The first of these two factors is our own responsibility; t h e second has for its foundations a sympathetic, well-informed public opinion, confidence in t h e ability of American chemists, patience t o wait through t h e
unproductive days of investigation, and willingness t o meet perhaps higher costs of production during t h e period of development of research results into sound a n d efficient manufacturing practice. Without attempting a systematic survey let us make candid inquiry as t o t h e present s t a t e of security of these foundation stones. Certainly public opinion is to-day better informed a n d more sympathetic t h a n ever before. * S o , too, is there abundant evidence not only of confidence b u t of pride in t h e ability of t h e chemist. T h e constant increase in t h e number of industrial research laboratories bears witness t o increased willingness t o wait upon investigation. So far so good. The last stone, however, t h e willingness t o meet temporary higher costs of production, seems t o be wabbly. Evidently a n insufficient amount of cement has been used t o give it firm setting. T h a t some cement has been used is evidenced b y t h e prompt action of consumers in joining in t h e request for a protective tariff in order t o insure independence in dyestuff supplies. B u t what about potash a n d duty-free imports for educational institutions? First, as t o potash, real progress has been macle in t h e procurement of a domestic supply, b u t support has not been received from t h e great organizations of t h e chief consumers, t h e farmers. Why is this? We will not a t t e m p t t o answer, for it would bring us into t h e region of surmises. Perhaps a partial answer is found on page 2 of t h e U . S . O$icial Bidletiia, October 2 5 , 1918. Summarizing t h e conference on potash held in t h e offices of t h e Department of Agriculture, t h e Bulletin states: “ * * * the view of the Department of Agriculture is that the Government should do all t h a t is possible to encourage the production of potash from the cheapest sources in this country in order t o enable farmers to obtain i t at a low price, because foreign supplies are how unavailable.” (Italics are ours.) The reading naturally suggests t h e thought, W h a t will be t h e attitude when foreign supplies are again available? The cement is weak, very weak. Second, at t h e Urbana meeting of t h e AMERICAN CHEMICALSOCIETYt h e matter of “duty-free imports” for educational institutions was thoroughly discussed and a committee appointed t o find some way of removing this obstacle t o t h e development of American manufacture of laboratory supplies. Up t o date, however, we have heard of no action b y t h e Association of American Universities or by t h e heads of t h e chemistry departments of these institutions. Our constant plea is t h a t Americans should stand b y t h e American chemical industry. Should we not practice among ourselves what we preach t o others? Moreover, can we p u t t h e right spirit into t h e students we are training for t h e American industry when t h e “import” atmosphere pervades t h e whole laboratory? This s e e m h g saving through “duty-free imports” is one of t h e costliest endowments our educational institutions possess, in t h a t i t cuts a t t h e very heart of independence through instilling t h e spirit of dependence in t h e chemists of t h e future.
