The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-04
WHAT CHEMISTS ARE DOING FOR NATION
Nv HOLLAND

New York, February 3.-tSpeciaL) Reports come from France that Gen eral Pershing is anxious that there be established as speedily as possible hemical unit; that is to say. a de- partment in the military service whose m membership will consist of expert ana experienced chemists whose speclai l services during the time of the war will be occupied with simplifying, lni- proving and perfecting the appliances of war which are dependent upon chemistry.
 Not many persons realize that as a result of the offer to President Viii son of the services of American chem ists after these had been organized as members of an association whose pur- pose was patriotic service there came all increase of the membership of the American Chemical society from 5000 to nearly 12,000 members. No other impulse than that occasioned by the war and the desire to contribute such services as science made possible would have caused such unprecedented growth. The president of the American Chemical society, Julius Stieglitz, said recently: "The chemists of the United States are of one mind i'll ranging themselves on the side of organized, fuli-hearted and forcible support of the government in this war
 General Pershing long ago recog- been able to give to the government from the beginning of the war. For instance, he knew we'll the great serv- ice which pr. w. H. Nichols, who is chairman of the committee on chem istry of the national defense council, rendered early in the war and at a time when the government was in a somewhat desperate situation. The general had excellent knowledge Of the valuable service given by pr. M. T. Bogert. who Is chairman of the chemistry committee of the national research council. Now the time has come when the wonders reevaled by research and the application Of them to instrumentalities which will be or avail during the war justify Generai Pershing in asking for the organiza- tion of so-called chemical unit.
 It has been said that but for chem istry Germany would have been de- teateQ aIIeT 1euCTdl JOAAiC PSAASSSS~- tho strategy by which the march oi the German armies upon Paris was stayed at the Marne, and these armies turned. defeated, about face. Had 1t not been for the wonderful advances made by the chemists in Germany in various directions her armies must by this time have become disorganized and her defeat inevi,ab ble, at least that is the opinion of some of the ablest authorities in the science of chem istry As for instance, Dr. Stieglitz in an address delivered a few weeks ago in Boston stated: Tn the wonderful organization of power in France and ill England in the midst of the war the French and English chemists stepped in and brought the supplies of munitions of every variety, of remedies, of new weapons of defense and of offensive poison gas and liquid fire up to the point of meeting on more than equal terms the enemy, Ger many. who had been preparing for this war for years.
 GERMANY AND HER CHEMISTS
 Iii. fact. but for the research work and the utilization of the discoveries made by research which the German chemists for many years have fur nished tho German government in all probability would not have undertaken the war.
 The American chemists have almost ,in with fho acbfovaruaufQ of