VOL.8, NO.2
FRESHMAN COURSE IN CHEMISTRY
289
often larger than in all of the other courses combined. This group has not in general received the consideration in the provision of teachers to which i t is entitled. Provision should be made to furnish a sufficient number of experienced teachers to handle the work for these students in an adequate manner. The inexperienced and part-time teachers frequently have their main interest in graduate work, and cannot be expected to work patiently with a group of freshmen who require a large amount of personal attention. The mass education method of large division lectures as the main method of instruction is not a satisfactory method for elementary students, for one cannot fairly take the attitude that he will present the subject and let the student take it or leave it. This is the most important phase of a student's work in chemistry for his interest in the subject and the success of his later work in i t depend in a large measure upon the instructor in the course in general chemistry. This work requires the sympathetic understanding of the teacher who is interested in his students and willing to spend all of the time necessary to lead them on in their work, yet able to detect the imposter and unwilling to be imposed upon by the loafer who is merely seeking a little gratuitous tutoring in his instructor's hobbies. Experience shows that the students who have had a preparatory-school course in chemistry should, in college, be given an entirely different type of course. Only a small percentage of these students have sufficiently thorough preparation and incentive to qualify them for work more advanced than general chemistry. These may be given a special course in qualitative analysis supplemented by topics in general chemistry and in elementary physical chemistry. A course designed to cover the subject in a series of major topics, presented in a different order and from a different point of view from that of the elementary course, has been in use for a number of years. In each of these topics, the student is encouraged to go as far as his ability and interests permit; and the course is sufficiently flexible to permit its modification to the needs of the students.
Nickel Chrome Alloys. Many alloys of this stainless family have additions of nickel which aid their resistance to oxidation for many purposes, though nickel renders their cutting with tools, i. e., machining, more difficult, and forging is less easy. Some very useful alloys have 15 to 20'70 chromium with from 1 to 60% nickel. One wellknown one is the 80% nickel-20%chrome composition from which the wire of toasters, electric irons, hot-plates, and other household appliances arc made. Another is the 8% nickel-18% chrome-74% iron alloy from which sulfur-resistant tubes are made for oilrefining stills, steam boilers and superheaters, paper-mill digesters, and other chemicalresistant apparatus. There are hundreds of other such alloys. The stainless steels and irons are playing a very important rBle in our life today.Science Education
