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berless equations, work problems requiring a mdimentary knowledge of the multiplication table (which they have long since forgotten), and patiently carry out tedious, accurate, quantitative analytical determinations, they are apt to lose interest. It can hardly be too strongly emphasized that the recent totalitarian success is due chiefly to superb technic-extending from army commanders and industrial Fiihrer right down through all ranks of men to the common soldier and the humblest munitions-worker. It is a technic embracing war, industrial, economic, and civil administration, education, sanitation--every aspect of the life of the nation. While we cannot approve of its objectives, we must admire its ruthless competence and effectiveness. "Progressive" education has softened the fiber of American youth. They no longer have any concept of the necessity of accomplishment and achievement through tedious drudgery and desperate, determined striving. Education has become a right, rather than a precious privilege, for which no effort and no sacrifice should be too high a price to pay. Chemistry is the most widely applied of the practical sciences. "Total" war demands the services of enormous numbers of highly trained chemists. High-school chemistry teachers, more than any others a t the secondary level, have it within their power to train our youth adequately for the coming struggle, not only by giving sound instmction in technical chemistry, but by inculcating habits of diligence, concentration, accuracy, and manipulative skill; and also by insisting upon adequate grounding in those tool-subjects which are the essential foundation for competence a t higher levels. G. WAKEHAM
Enough
Is E n o u g h
To the Editor: For many years now, high-school courses labeled During several years of devotion to the JOURNAL OF EDUCATION I have been, in turn, gratified, "chemistry" have been becoming more interesting, CAEMICAI. fascinating, and popular-and more useless. High- interested, impressed, astonished, and amused by the school chemistry is now, to a grerlt extent, a "recrea- activity of the unofficial Committee on Ways and tional" (to use a prominent educator's suggestion) Means of Balancing Oxidation-Reduction Equations. rather than a "vocational" subject. Potentially bril- I am now looking forward to my next feelings on the liant chemistry "majors" come to think of chemistry matter. as a grand lark-a continuous succession of intriguing At present, I have a t my disposal eight volumes and tricks of magic. They get no conception of the subject thirteen miscellaneous numbers of the JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, and in these there appear no as a hard, solid, practical science. When they come to CHEMICAL college, delightedly planning to "major" in this fasci- fewer than thirty assorted articles, notes, communicanating branch of knowledge, and discover that they are tions, and other offerings on the topic. required actually to learn dry subject m a t t e r s y m Is this topic worthy of such fluent discussion? More bols, formulas, laws, and principles--to figure out num- than one of my students, when referred for his own in455
To the Editor:
