THE PUBLIC CHEMISTRY LECTURES OF BENJAMIN TUCKER WYNDHAM D. MILES and HAROLD ABRAHAMS1 Chemical Corps Historical Office, Army Chemical Center, Maryland
INTHE autumn of
1810 there appeared on billboards in Philadelphia a broadside advertising chemical lectures for girls. "I have been induced," announced Benjamin Tucker, "to prepare, particularly for their benefit, a regular course of lectures on the most interesting parts of this pleasing and instructive subject." Tucker's idea was to deliver a series of lectures, illustrated with "appropriate and brilliant experiments," for a fee of $8 per student, provided a reasonable number of young ladies showed interest. The text of the broadside follows:= WHILE Science is diffusing her blessings through our extensive country, while she is strewing the paths of her votaries with the choicest flowers, and indulging them with a free participation of the riches of her temple; to invite to her rational and delightful repast, the most refined and amiable part of our species, is surely an object meriting attention. It is true, there are some of the more difficult and abstruse walks of science, which must he trod by men alone: the labour and attention required in their pursuit, as well as the ,,bjeets to which they lead, exclude them from the literary ~ r o v i n c eof females. But there are others, not less distinguished for expanding and ennobling the human mind, to which we have, heretofore, hut too cautiously admitted them, although very properly within their sphere. Among these, none holds a more distinguished rank than the science of chemistry: "A science, ~ h i c hopens to us a region the most extensive, variegated, and enchanting; checkered with the rich and abundant luxuriance of variety, i t holds forth the most inviting aspect, and promises delight to every cultivator of its soil, or even gleaner of its harvests:" a science, which not only increases our knowledge of nature, hut gives us a. noble display of the wisdom and goodness of its Author. Impressed with the importance of this truth, and anxious t o
mast interesting parts of this ple&ing and instructive suhject. And although this is the express object of the course, I shall not preclude the attendance of their parents, their brothers, or other gentlemen whose pursuits in life may rather contribute to the aid, than detract from the advantages of our sssoeistion. The proposed plan, of which this is an imperfect outline, although i t originated with myself, would never have been carried into effect, had i t not been countenanced by some of the most distinguished literary characters. Encouraged, therefore, by this circumstance, and the generous offer of one of the first chemists of our city, t o unite with me in the undertaking, 80 f w as to render me his assistance when i t may he necessary, I propose, should I meet with sufficient encouragement, to open my course early in next month. The lectures will be delivered in a convenient room a t the corner of Arch and Fifth streets, twice a week; to commence at o'clock in the evening, and will continue one hour each
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Present address: Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvanis. % T h i sbroadside is from the Rush Collection in the Ridgway Library, Philadelphia, where it is catalogued: 22 Rush MS No. 29. 450
evening, wcampanied with appropriate and brilliant experiments. The terms, eight dollars for the course. Thosc who are favourable t o the plan, and wish to enter the class, will please t o insert their names. Philadelphia, 10th month 14, 1809
(signed)BENJ'N TUCKER Tucker was not disappointed. The novelty of the subject in the field of female education, plus Tucker's skill as a lecturer, brought out such a large audience that Tucker found it profitable t o repeat the course in later years, and t o edit a pocket-size text, "Grammar of Chemistry," for lecture-goers. Tucker's lectures, judging by the text, started with a discussion of general principles, and then continued on through oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, metals, nitrogen, earths, alkalies. acids. salts. oxides. .ohos~horus. . combustion; water, mineral waters, animal $nd vege: table substances, and ended with fermentation, his demonstrations he used apparatus manufactured by George ad am^,^ the famous British instrument maker, and probably similar to that shown in his text (see the accompanying illustration). Tucker's text was mainly the handiwork of Sir Richard Phillips, a business-like English publisher who, with a corps of ghost-writers, turned out a number of popular elementary school books under a variety of pseudonyms, one of which was "Rev. D. Blair." The arrangement of the Grammar is illustrated by the following passage dealing with the properties of phosphorus: Phosphorus may he obtained by decomposing the hones of animala; it is s. yellowish, transparent substance, like beeswax, and fuses in water slightly heated. Ezperimenf. If a hit of phosphorus, the size of a millefseed, he put upon the outside of a Florence flask, when hot water is put into the flask, the phosphorus on the autaide spontaneously
Following the descriptive material comes a section containing directions for approximately one hundred experiments that a student could perform at home with simple apparatus, several pages of questions for selfexamination, and a long glossary of chemical terms. Tucker's edition of Phillips Grammar was one of the smallest chemistry books ever published in the United States. It measures 51/2 inches in height and 3'/% inches in width, and fits easily into a coat pocket. a
Philadelphia Aumra, Oct. 24, 1812.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
Previous to this time there were many advanced texk available in American bookstores, but nothing for elementary courses. The Grammar filled the need, and passed t,hrough five editions: 1810, 1817, 1819, 1823, and 1827. In preparation for his second course of public lectures in the autumn of 1811, Tucker appealed to a wider audience by inserting a notice in the Philadelphia newspapers. He followed the same prartice in later years,4 and in 1813 used still another medium, the Philadelphia directorie~.~ When and where was Tucker born? These are questions we are unable to auswer. What sort, of a man was he? Outside of the fact that he was a successful teacher, me do not know. He turned out several other elementary texts, including "Sacred and Profane History Epitomized" (1806), "Epitome of Ancient and Modern History" (1822), and "Short Introduction to English Grammer" (4th ed., 1812), but none of these was as successful as the" Grammar of Chemistry." Evidently Tucker knew only enough chemistry to teach the subject, although well, for there are no papers under his name in the journals of the time. He undoubtedly was influenced in designing his course specifically for girls by his service on the faculty of the Young Ladies Academy of Philadelphia, a longestablished and respected girls' school. The Academy may even have inspired him to teach chemistry, for it was here some thirty years earlier that Benjamin Rush, Professor of Chemistry a t t,he University of Pennsylvania, gave the first chemistry course for girls in the United States, perhaps in the Up to 1836, Tucker's name and address appeared in the Philadelphia directories. In 1837 his name was no longer mentioned. Presumably he died around t,his time. James Cutbush, an early American chemist with antiquarian leanings, memorialized Tucker's services to chemical education with these words: "For the 'Zbid., Oet. 24, 1811, Oet. 24, 1812. Pazfon's D i w c t o r ~ ,1813, p. cvi. "ush's course is doscribed in: MILES,WYNDHAM, "Acnjamin Rush, Chemist," Chymia, 4, 63-5 (1953).
VOLUME 34, NO. 9, SEPTEMBER, 1957
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Apparatus Referrad to bylBenjamin Tusker in hi. Chemistry"
" G r a m m a r of
introduction of popular chemistry, the citizens of Philadelphia are also indebted t o . . . Mr. Benjamin Tucker, who. . . taught chemistry with much zeal and talents."' C v m u s ~ JAMES, , "f'hilmophy of Expriment:~l Chemistry" (Philadelphi;t, 1813) I, p. r.
