Feb..
1920
T H E J O L R N A L O F IiVDL~S'TRIAL AA'U E N G I N E E R I N G C H E M I S T R Y
153.
PERKIN MEDAL AWARD I Before an audience which avertared the capacity of Rumford Hall of the Chemists' Club, S e w York City, the Perkin Medal for 1920 was awarded t o Dr. Charles Frederick Chandler a t the meeting of the American Section of the Society of Chrinieal Industry on Friday evening, January 16, 1920I t was a thoroughly sympathetic audicnce in that many of those present counted themselvc among the former students of the recipient, and all felt the inspiration of the prescnce of the man who, with his eighty-thrce years upon him, daily continues to contribute his lull share of work with a light heart and a cheery word to all. The tables wem tumed--he who had so often as senior American president of the Society prccented the medal in wars uaiit. y/as now honored by its hwlow:d, and the uotburst of al>pla"se iollowing the presentation testified to the cordial np proval 01 the action of the Committee of Aivsrd in thus recognizing the long life uf useful service which 1)r
.! enjoys extends iar beyond the zone of his activities in New York, and reaches t o every student in every school where applied chemistry is taught. Every mine and smelter which, supports a n assayer acknowlcdges its debt of gratitude to Chandler for the creation of one o i the cleverest devices of that art, namely, the assay ton system of weights. It has saved millions of investments by eliminating bad arithmetic. I little dreamed in those days that I might some time have an opportunity to know this leader of the profession which I sought to break into. I n my wildest flights oi imagination I did not pieturc myself as n student, %n assistant, a confidant and a n intim:ite lrienil OF this great man. Yon m:~y appreciate my surprise, thereiorc, when, a few vears later. Chandler an-
Chandler ha\ devoted to lki. upbuilding of our chemienl industries. In his introductory re^ marks, hIr. Charles E. Shales chairman of the Section emphasized the fact that the medal w a s sivcn this year, not for some one conspicuous siece of work, but for noteworthy achievcmznts i n almost every line of c h e m i d endeavor:--IEurTon 1
PERSONALITIES By M. C. Whitaker NIIWYOXK, N. Y .
*ro attempt to tell YOU something new about the personal side of Ik. Chandler's career is a difficult undertaking, when speaking to people r h o have been his friends and associates for years. It secms, oil second thought, however. iii view oi my twenty-one year.: of intimate acquaintance in monthly imtnhmts, but C x ~ n ~FPKDZRICP ns CAANDLGR. PIRKZN MBDALIST. 1920 with him that I might he quarterly. However, I mailahle to recall a few instances tp illustrate prominent charaged t o establish the necessary credits with my landkdy, and acteristics and record the impressions which these obscrva- to pull through until the first quarterly check arrived. tions have l e f t upon my mind. I n the meantime I was extremely busy with the work at the There is no man in the cllemical profession who owes IUUIC to university. &tween assisting lectures, conducting UT. Chandler than I do, but it would be useless for me to atlaboratory work, conffting examination books, tempt to C X P E S S my gratitude in such Snglish as I might corn- and interviewing students, I found time to bsome better and mand, and it would be out of place at this. his Perkin Medal better acquainted With ~ h ~ ~ B~ d m i t ~k g, out a few meeting. and some sleep, I was able to assist him in handling much of his About thirty years ago as a student in a small western burdensome detail work. During the year he suggested that I university, I became interested in the subject of industrial might use my vacations, holidays and such spare time as I might chemistry, and its correlated branches. I soon found that the havc by serving as his private assistant. The opportunity national authority on this subject was C. F. Chandler, of Co- seemed to me the most wonderful I had ever had. Nothing was lumhia. He probably does not realize that the reputatioii hc said about salary, and I thought of nothing but doing his work
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and getting the benefit of his experience and advice. After a few months, Chandler reminded me that I had not been paid for my work as private assistant, and handed me a check which was so big it embarrassed me, and which I could not help but feel was a great deal more than I was worth. The privilege of knowing and working with Chandler and being associated with his problems was worth more than money to me, and was all I had expected to receive. During those early years I had an opportunity from time t o time to see something of the human side of my distinguished chief. Tact is one of his greatest attributes. It used to be, and probably still is, a source of great amusement t o the students in the upper laboratories of Columbia, to drop paper bags filled with water on the heads of pedestrians. Now and then, when marksmanship is good, they hit a Fifth Avenue bus. On one occasion, the victims were two handsomely gowned, unusually dignified, middle-aged ladies of evident social position. They swung into the Havemeyer Building, almost immediately after the accident, fairly sputtering with indignation and rage, and were met a t the door by the ever-ready Chandler. They were somewhat disarmed by his genial smile, glistening eye and ready wit, and accepted his invitation to his office t o discuss ways and means of properly punishing wayward students. Tea was served with liberal proportions of a flavoring extract made in New England, but named after what is destined to be a famous West Indian Island. Negotiations leading to the punishment of the students soon began to take a more hopeful trend, and in the course of half an hour the two ladies left the building, much improved in spirits, with the,ir anger and rage replaced by smiling countenances and very audible laughter. Chandler’s earnings from his profession probably far exceed those of any other chemist in America. His generosity t o others, however, keeps pace with his earnings. No one knows, not even Chandler himself, of the great financial assistance which he has given to many students. A few years ago an old Columbia graduate, unknown to most of us, died in the far west, and provided in his will that the money loaned him by Chandler from time to time should constitute the first claim upon his estate. It was with a great deal of difficulty, and without much assistance from Chandler, that we were able to determine how much money was involved. It turned out to be several thousand dollars in loans scattered over many years. There are doubtless many cases of this kind, because during the forty-six years that Chandler was Dean of the School of Mines, he was the friend, confidant and father confessor of every one of that great army of students whose troubles are innumerable. It is out of the question for a man of Chandler’s tender heart to refuse needed aid to a student. In proportion t o his wealth, he gives away more than any American millionaire. His money is not spent on automobiles, yachts, fine wines. or lobster palaces, but is spent on bthers. A few months ago I was invited to attend the private exhibition of the household effects of a late citizen of New York, chiefly known for his diamonds. As I stood in the center of a special room, gazing a t the wonderful collection of necklaces, bracelets, handbags, slippers, garters, and stockings, I was suddenly struck with an idea. I thought of the Chandler Museum a t Columbia, and recalled the innumerable times when Chandler would rush up to the University and disgorge from his pockets the most mysterious collection of t.eacups to illustrate some particular kind of porcelain, saucers typifying a style of decoration, vases of Wedgwood, decanters showing particular design of cutting or etching, wine glasses with special features, napkin rings, and even spoons. I wondered if there was anything in common between Chandler and “Diamond Jim,” and then my thoughts turned to what a place must have looked like after a joint raid by these two collectors.
Vol.
12,
No. 2
I have touched briefly upon Chandler’s intuition, his ability to inspire others, his good-fellowship, his tact, his good-will towards others, and his hobbies. It seems to me that all of these qualities go to make up a great case for the human side of Chandler’s character. I believe that we should write in large letters, and place high in the list of his distinguished achievements. and in words which I must leave to others to coin, something to express the human side of Chandler.
PRESENTATION ADDRESS
By Marston Taylor Bogert COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, New YORK,N. Y.
The accomplishments of sixty years of tireless, skillfully directed activity cannot be reviewed in the brief time a t my disposal this evening in more than a hasty, imperfect, and superficial way, and I know that my colleagues fully appreciate the magnitude of the task assigned me and the impossibility of telling Dr. Chandler in any one evening all that we would like to say in eulogy of his many notable contributions to civilization and in expression of our affection for him personally: A day for toil, An hour for sport, But for a friend, life’s all too short. ANCESTRY, BOYHOOD, AND TRAINING
The first Chandlers to arrive in this country were William Chandler and Annis, his wife, who came to Roxbury, Mass., from England in 1637; but it was in Lancaster, Mass., in the house of his grandfather, Nathaniel Chandler, who graduated from Harvard in 1792, that Charles Frederick was born, December 6, 1836. His father, Charles Chandler, was a merchant in New Bedford, Mass., where the family home was located a t the corner of Third and Bush Streets, and there Charles passed his early life, in company with his sisters, Catherine and Mary, and his brother, William H., later Professor of Chemistry a t Lehigh University. His maternal grandfather was John Whitney, an old Boston merchant, and hi$ grandmother was a daughter of John Slack. On the paternal side, the Chandler ancestors were prominent in Massachusetts life, three successive John Chandlers having been Judges of Probate in Worcester County and Colonels in the Provincial Army. The Revolution broke out during the life OF the last of these three, who begged to be permitted to remain neutral, a s he certainly could not bear arms against his fellow-countrymen nor could he bring himself t o fight against the flag under which he and his forebears had fought. But feeling ran so high that he and eight other royalists were expelled from the country and their property confiscated. This John’ Chandler settled in London where he lived until 1800, and where he was generally known as “the honest refugee,” because he never uttered any, complaint nor made any demand for reimbursement for the financial losses suffered. At his own urgent request, his wife and children had remained in America, and one of these children was the Nathaniel Chandler referred to above. As a boy, Chandler learned much of botany and natural history in Sunday afternoon rambles with his’father. At the age of 14,he attended occasional Lyceum lectures by the elder Agassiz on corals, fishes, [and other zoological topics. The eminence of the lecturer, and the absorbingly interesting manner in which h:presented his subject charmed and enthralled the budding scientist in the audience, and captivated his imagination with the splendid possibilities of such a career.
