Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-10-15
CTEbfISTRY,S PART IN
THE SOUTTT,S DEVELOPMENT

Atlanta is fortunate in having as its guests next
Tuesday a large company of noted chemists from
divers parts Of the world. These gentlemen were
among the delegates who attended the International
Congress Of Applied Chemistry recently held at New
York and they are now on a tour of the United
States In response to an invitation from the Geor-
gia section of the American Chemical Society, in
which the Atlanta Chamber Of Commerce heartily
Joined, they will spend the day of October the hf
teenth in this city.
1t is interesting and appropriate circumstance
that the Chamber of Commerce should join in well
coming these visitors; for, there is agency that
means more to the Souths business and industrial
progress than that of applied chemistry Whatever
this city or State or section may achieve through
their resources during the next fifty years will be
due very largely to the guidance of the practical
chemist and those investors who first act upon this
truth will reap the earliest and the richest profits
Such is the lesson from other countries and from
decades past Just scientific agriculture which is
so wondrousy increasing the productiveness of the
soil is traceable to the work of chemistry, the
growth industrial enterprise upon chemical
knowledge and discovery.
noteworthy instance is the expansion of the cot
ton seed industry Substances which few years
ago discarded useless have been turned into
one of the Souths chief items of commerce and one
of its most fertile sources of wealth. They sup
plying food products which finding continually
wider market and benefting larger and larger
number of people The cotton seed oil industry is
yet only on the bOrderland of its plenteous promise
It's future, well as it present Importance, could
never have been realized save through the chemists
insight and aid
What is true of this industry applies equally
to scores of others. The manufacture of sulphuric
acid from the waste gases at Ducktown, Tenn, sug-
gests what may be done, through the processes of
chemistry, toward changing losses to profits and
evils to benefits. For many years, the Ducktown
fumes" blight upon the adjacent country and
daily source of worry and expense to the manufac
turers. Then chemistry consulted with the re-
suit that this noxious vapor is being Transmitted
into commercial blessing Thus, science shows that,
"There Is some soul of goodness in things eva,
Would men obSerVngly distiI it out"
With a single drop of ink for mirror, the
Egyptian sorcerer" it has been said, would under
take to reveal to any chance farreaching Wis
ions of the past" With drop from his alembic the
chemist reveals far-reachng visions of the future
visions merely but verites and facts. He opens
the way to new opportunities and to new economies.
1t through chemistry lamping the path of capital,
that the Souths varied will be brought to
light and utilized. Hundreds of products that
now import at great cost from distant sections Will
be made cheaply at home. From common clay, will
come rich treasures and very scrap heaps will
be wrought into precious merchandise.