New Britain herald., 1923-04-04

New Haven. April 4,--The Sterling Chemistry Laboratory, the greatest building of its kind in the United States. was dedicated this morning in tha presence Of the American chemi' cal Society. the trustees under the will of John w, Sterling, and the au- thorities of Yale,
 President Angeii Accepts
 George II. Church. of New York city. acting for the Sterling trustees, presented the laboratory to Yale. President James F, Angell in his speech of acceptance said: On behalf of Yale University. gratefully accept this superb monument to the love and devotion which John w. Sterling bore his alma mater. On this spot gen. eration after generation Of eager youth will be taught to recognize, obey, and direct to mans needs the Fundamental laws of nature. Here the ablest minds will delve continually into natures secrets, unlocking her treasures for the increasing happiness of all mankind. Industry and art, agri- culture and commerce medicine and
  ficiaries of the labor here expended. And best perhaps of all will be the ever more penetrating insight into the marvellous composition of the great universe in which we live. In every contribution which is here made to learning and human welfare. MT. Sterling will have a share and to him and to you. sir the representatives of his faithful trustees, under whose careful guidance this great gift has been administered, we record our en- during gratitude" President Angell then mentioned briefly Yale's eminent chemists and the donors who have made possible chemical work here, notably Albert E. Kent and his son. William Kent of California. At the close of his address he turned the building over to President Edward c. Franklin of the American Chemical Society, who made short speech of greeting.
 Address of the Day
 Edgar F. Smith, former provost of the University of Pennsylvania, and past-president of the American Chem ical Society, delivered the address of the day on "The History of Chemistry in America with Special Reference to Yale" He traced the development of Chemistry from the making of glass at Jamestown in 1903 through the studies in ores made by John Win throp, first governor of Connecticut, and the researches of Ezra Stiles, of v,1n 1TTp1FnE har first promoter of chemistry. Of Stiles Dr. Smith said: Tn existing records it is noted, among other things, that Stiles repeated Priestley's experiments on fixed air: that he impregnated wa ter with it. thereby making artificial Spa water"
 silliman Eulogized
 MT. Smith then eulogized Benjamin Silliman the Elder, first professor of chemistry at Yale, who began teach- ing in 1894. "The possibilities of the oxyhydrogen flame were constantly in the thought of Siliman," said the speaker, and the very first pneuma- tic trough. including Hare's bowpipe, was constructed by Silliman for the laboratory of Yale College in 1903. In later years he wrote: The fusion and combustion and complete dissipation of platinum. gold, silver, nickel, cobalt and most of the metals, and the fu- sion of the principal earths and of their more refractory compounds have been made familiar and easy class ex- periments of every course of chemis- try in Yale college for years Siliman began his teaching career in subterranean lecture room fitted up for his laboratory, which was fifteen or sixteen feet below the surface of the groudn. It was inconvenient it was glomy, but there he courageously worked for fifteen years. There he analyzed minerals and mcteorites, and invented and perfected apparatus for demonstration purposes in chemistry and physics. He proved a most inspiring teacher, and founded in 1918 that splendid medium of circulating the scientific work of his colleagues and himself the American Journal of Science, now in its 105th year: and further. he was prominent in the es- tablishment of many Yale activities, f1ourishing at this moment: the art gallery, the astronomical observatory, the Medical school and the Sheffield School of Science. The story of his laboratory would make a good prelude to the history of university ed ucation In this country as distinguish ed from collegiate. It is not to the inspirational teaching of Silliman that American science is indebted for Dana, world-renowned geologist and Brush, whose exhaus- tive mineralogical chemical studies are authoritative everywhere: John- son. pioneer leader in chemistry ap- piled to agriculture; Willard Gibbs, first among physical chemists to mod. ern times; T. sterry Hunt profound in chemical philosophy and theory. |