Evening star., 1935-03-12

The 3OOth birthday anniversary OF
American chemistry will be celebrated
next month
It was in 1885, according to DR..
C. A. Browne, chief Of the Research
Division of the United States Bureau
of Chemistry and Soils, that the first
outstanding chemist in the New World
was given a commission to establish q
colony in Connecticut which was to
be essentially industrial. Hitherto
settlements in the New World had
been on the basis Of trading and agri-
culture.
Due to DR.. Brownies historical re-
searches, plans are being formulated
at the headquarters Of the American
Chemical Society in Washington to
devote the annual meeting in New
York next month to a tercentenary
celebration in honor Of John VIM
throp, jr. Largely forgotten figure,
few men played a more important role
in the realities of American history.
In a sense every factory chimney Is
a memorial to this scientifically in
clined son of the Governor OF the
Massachusetts Bay Colony.
I'm the Autumn of 1884," says DR..
Browne in his report prepared for the
society upon which the tercentenary
plans are based, winthrop sailed for
England on an errand in the inter-
ests of the Bay Colony. 1t was dur
ing this visit in 1885 that he was
given a commission by Lords Say and
Brook to found a colony in Connecti-
cut for which they promised him
men and means, with an official COM
mission as Governor.
This date marked the elimination
Of the preliminary surveys which Win
throp had thus far conducted upon
the resources of the New England
colony and the perfection of plans for
their future economic development.
It is remarkable what he attempted
to do in the New England colonies.
He was interested in the production
of salt. iron. glass, potash, tar, black
lead, saltpeter. medicines, copper, alum
and other chemicals. He read reports
upon some of these industries before
the Royal Society, Of which he was
a member, and these are the flrst
contributions to be made by an Amer
ican chemist before a scientific asso-
citation.
I'm view of recent efforts to estab-
lish a home dye-stuff industry, it may
be of interest to know that Winthrop
and his uncle, Emanuel Downing,
made what were probably the f1rst
experiments upon the manufacture OF
indigo within the present borders OF
the United States. In the library OF
the Massachusetts, Historical Society
Of Boston, among the Unpublished
papers of John Winthrop, is the out
line of a pain, the first Of its kind
In America, to form a chemical stock
company.
I'm the decade following 1880 we
note for the first time in the English
colonies the efforts of an individual
with chemical vision to initiate in
dustrial development in a scientifie
way. The man to whom credit should
be given for the first transplantation
Of applied chemical science from the
old world to the new Is this nrst
Governor Of Connecticut, member Of
the Royal Society, promoter of infan,
industries, chemical practitioner. SOL
dier, pioneer, lawyer. statesman, phi.
lanthropist, man Of business and lover
of science"
n Il r
Several thousands of miles and ap-
proximateIy $4,000, 900 years separate
two tiny animals which, except to the
specialist. probably would be indis-
| tinguishable.
One is q little known fossil opossum,
about the. size of q small mouse, which
has Just lHeen described BY G. Lewis
Gain, Smithsonian Institution paleon-