The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1920-05-03
Alas 70 Do With Food We Eat, Water
I We Drink, Clothing We Wear, and
h Varying Degree With Every
&: /. Article In Commerce.
" w. LEE LEWIS.

Maven from his native land by re-
g3sus intolerance, and sought and
band In America intellectual freedom.
\Ais nan. Priestly, never earned over
~ Q year. yet he discovered oxygen
~ laid the foundation Of modern
tAsnistry.
ne great steel industries Of en-
,psntzy, the vast rubber business. TIE
neadous packing interests wouh
49, It rare privilege were this man
NlnG.ato contribute to his cen6eet.
- :Gfvo hin the scientific tools thaf
oQDa eladden his heart and to. -
owlsdee their Unreasonable debt y
-. But for the man, Pfie0dy, they
- ely Lay wreath On his last Eest-
" place. -, ,-.."* u.
16ueA q the great industrial wealth
Ne tas country can be traced 70 the
Dst Of some obscure chemist some
Ssalsus Sevotee to pure SCIENCE who
Aov&ht little Of self and who never
shared In the fruits Of his researches.
Fundamental Science. A.
From the standpoint Of material re-
nsurces chemistry II the most funda'
mental science. It has to do with the
.ai1 W breathe, the water We drink,
Ithe food we eat, the clothing Ne wear
md, IN varying degree, with every ar
NcIe that enters into commerce. Chem
Ahy IL the science Of the composition
iSf matter, and matter is that upon
Which, energy, human and otherwise,
ID, expended. The science embraces
Ne star dust Of outermost space, the
,swirling volcanoes Of sun gases, and
.lthe bacteria that nibble our food.
*. Consider the value Of single dis
kovery In abstract chemistry. Kirch-
"a, over a hundred years ago, dis
/ &overed that starch could be con:
svsrted into sugar BY dilute. acids.
SaThe United States alone Is richer
~ 80, O00! 600 year because Of that
discovery. Perkin discovered mauve
an the coal tar dyes. Its value was
indexed by an immediate investment
Ssf $75O,OOO.OOO.
tx The mercerizing of cotton has add.
ed to the delight and wealth OF the
world. Recent improvements in the
.incandescent lamp has meant saving
.of $3OOOO.O0O year in the cost OF
lighting. You may reach for match
a you read this. II so, remember It's
chemical history. and pause to con-
aider it's place in modern civilization.
n Foundation Of Many industries.
r. Chemistry is the soul of the pack
ing industry where ,by-products such
AS digestive ferments, soap, giycerine,
Fertilizers etc, have become as I'M
portant rs main products. Chemis-
Try is the foundation Of the rubber in
dustry, giving cheaper md better
processes of purifying, vulcanizing,
I and recovering. Steel is not a native
product but il chemically modified
product. 1t IS stated that the Bes-
ssemer steel process adds SIC, 100000
to the worlds wealth annually, Chem
,4ts;ry has given us the Davy lamp the
mime gas indicator, the gas mask and
the standardized explosive. Chemis-
TRY has given us most Of our pharma-
sceutfcals. and chemo-therapy Is just
An its infancy. Enrich made over 800
! Grscnicnl compounds before he struck
I {spon those particular combinations
4 known as "sansalvarSan" and "neo-
#ealvarsan." Chemistry has given us
<photography, moving-pIcture films. H.
Illuminating gas. fire extlngulshers. ar
sssificial gasoline. mptallurgical proc
4 esses. water softening and purifying
agents, synthetic fertilizers. insecti-
$Sffcisles, paints, explosives. glass. paper,
V the gas mantle. the storage battery,
ffhe arc light and has stabilized many
I an Industry by working up int" usef"'
products every trace Of raw material.
Chemistry has standardized food
{, products and multiplied the sources
a:4of supply. It has attacked and par
italy solved the population problem Of
sewerage and waste disposal, and wa
z9ter supply.
Saving Big Problem.
There are 1880 tons Of nitrogen
pressing down upon every acre of the
eArth's surface, and yet our fields are
starving for fixed nitrogen. and in
times of war our present source OF
4 supply of nitrate for explosives Is, to
say the least, precerious.
Chemistry is today solving the prob
Il lem of fixed nitrogen.
To further elaborate chemistry's
Il contribution to human life would be
10 write a technical history Of indas.
ii trial development. The other great
contributing factors have been the or.
c,nizing ability Of business men and
he technical skill Of the engineers.
10 Improve American chemistry. t.
- - Z. II. IL k.nn1o and mara N m a61