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Caption: Dedication - New Chemistry Building
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The magnificent addition to the laboratory, the opening of which we are now celebrating, has been made at a most opportune time. A German statistician has discovered that the ratio of chemists to population in four countries is represented by the numbers: Switzerland 300, Germany 250, France 7, Great Britain 6. The corresponding number for the United States is probably nearer to the two last numbers than to the number for Switzerland. The general run of people in this country, even educated and intelligent people, have hitherto been almost entirely unaware of the important r61e which chemistry plays in the industries. When you tell them that many railroads employ fifteen or twenty chemists each, they stare in astonishment, and cannot imagine what there is for a chemist to do •in such a connection. But the discussion raised by the war has suddenly drawn chemistry out of its modest retirement, placed it in the limelight, and advertised it as nothing else could have done. The number of students in chemistry, always a rapidly growing factor, has this year taken a great leap forward. The University of Illinois is fortunate in having completed a building for chemistry so carefully planned and so magnificently equipped. It is fortunate also in the splendid spirit which has characterized its work in chemistry, and in the remarkable number of investigations of the highest order which have been, and are being carried on in its laboratory. The State of Illinois is .to be most heartily congratulated both on the performance ,of its University, along chemical lines, in the past and, with the space and the facilities which the new laboratory offers, upon its promise of even greater things in the future. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, N E W YORK CITY RESEARCH AS A NATIONAL DUTY By W I L L I S RODNEY W H I T N E Y The object of this paper is to emphasize the importance of material research and to' lay stress on its necessity to any people who are ever to become a leading nation or a world power. I have called it material research because I wanted to exclude immaterial research. I class under this head pure thought as distinct from thought mixed with matter. It is worth while making this distinction because it is not always recognized. It is very natural for us to feel we can think new things into being Chemistry has advanced only in propor(26)
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