SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2231, 18 August 1914, Page 8

SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY

. LECTURE BY DR. REMSEN, At Victoria. Collere last evening:, Dr. Ira Remsen, onfe of the visiting American scientists, lectured I on the subject of "Science and Industry." Dr> Remsen is the president of the John Hopkina University. Mr. G. Hbgben (Inspector-Gen-eral of Schools) presided over the gathering. Dr. Remsen dealt with the relation of pure science to industries which were established after the knowledge was accumulated. He touched- interestingly on the woric ct the .alchemists, .whose efforts, he said, were wrongly directed, inasmuch as they sought commercial gain; they did not cultivate pure science. However, the day of the alchfemist was), an important period, as it pointed the greati lesson of experimenting with things as. they actually were. The nest great period was the making of medicines—thiiigs that could be used in cases of disease. The third period had regard .to the making of fire—efforts to determine the nature of tire. The'-solu'tion came fowa-rds the end of the eighteenth when the discovery of oxygen was snade, and the phenomenon of combustion was disclosed. From then on chemistry:, became a true' science, and advanced rabidly. With the development of this science came the development of industry. The world owed more to Liebig thau to any. other .chemist. That very impressive rnan was the first fc) establish a laboratory, and he did it when he was but tweato-y-one years olu, at which age he had teen created a professor. If a scientist was to ask what uSe-a thing was to be, his work wouid ba hampered seriously;, his road must be entirely clear. This, and the fact that the development of industries advanced in proportion to tho progress of science were due to the two great rules laid down b,,- Liebig. It was the business of Un:vcrsities and such insti'tutfons to learn without reference to application, and in time (maybe) their results would become useful. That was the proper relation of science industry. _ But a scientist must not remain solely in; his laboratory; he must go out into the ■world and deai with tho things as he foiind them. In the first purely scientific laboratory established in America (under Dr. Kemsen's control) there were: trained young men who were, not favourably regarded l,y the outer world for some time, but latterly had been in considerable tkmand. One young man from the ; laboratory had joined the service of the Standard Oil Company. The one great thing that young man had learnt before entering the business was tho method.of investigation. He advanced, and waSijiow second vice-president of a branch of the great oil company, and with other ejaemists had discovered a means of increasing the yield of petrol and thus averting an'oil scarcity. Dr. Remsen was enthusiastically applauded by the audience, and was voted hearty thanks on the motion of Professor Easterfield, seconded by Professor Laby.