The American university looks ahead - ACS Publications

take a master's degree at the end of four years. The George Washington University has also mapped out such a plan.3. It is called the Independent Stud...
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JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION

SEPTEMBER, 1930

more the relation between teacher and pupil. George Washington is also trying to make the last two years more specialized and more sharply separated from the first two, and this idea is being put into practice all over the country. The idea is an excellent one. The university, however, is only a part of our educational system and the upper part a t that. For such an advance to be beneficial, there must be a thorough reorganization of the whole system, from the primary grades up, such opportunities being offered a t every stage, else the sudden throwing of a student on his own resources may prove disastrous. Also much good material may be wasted because of lack of earlier recognition and opportunity. Mass education is insufficient not only in the case of the university, but in every branch and grade of education. To be sure, school boards are making a definite effort in this direction. More power to them! M. W. G.

PROPAGANDA BY PUBLIC UTILITY CORPORATIONS* This article on propaganda by public utility corporations is in effect a preliminary report prepared by the author a t the request of the Association's Committee on Ethics and is approved by them. It contains four sections: History, character, and purpose of the report. I. 11. What do the facts show? 111. Statement of the principle involved. IV. Consideration of fundamental problems. In the first section attention is called to the efforts of many upon both sides of the controversy to clear up the confusion and misunderstandings that are evident. The relationship of industry to the academic instructor needs clarification for the benefit of the public as well as of the industry and the professor. In this report, which is chiefly concerned with the teacher's side of the case, it is made very evident that the professor is to give thought to the duties and obligations of his position as well as its privileges. The facts when studied are said to justify the conclusion that "there has been much confusion in the public mind as to the various activities of the public utilities." This conclusion is illustrated. The public, as well as some of the committees, has failed to distinguish between the various categories of academic instructors. Very few cases are noted of alleged impropriety on the part of regular (over against some part-time subordinate) instructors in the academic departments.

* E. R . A. Seligman. Bull. Am. Assoc. Uniw. Profs.,

16, 349-68 (May, 1930)