Correspondence

DOES EDUCATION PAY? DEAR EDITOR:

I have recently been interested in reading your editorial entitled "Does Education Pay?" While I agree with you in the main, I believe that possibly you overlook one reason for the stress placed on this idea.

We have in this country gone so far in our thinking that we say not only must we provide equal opportunities for education for every child, but that every child shall be forced to take advantage of these oppor- tunities. This puts into our schools a large number of children who are unhappy in a school environment and also a number of children whose parents are not heartily in sympathy with such forced education.

This situation leaves our school teachers, trustees, and truant officers in a difficult position. Either we may force this attendance or we may try to make education for this group as attractive as possible. The whole question as to whether such children should be in school or a t work is beside the present question. One of the few ideas which we have found which makes any appeal is that education has a monetary value. I think we are faced with a situation which we do not know how to meet and this is our present substitute, even though we admit the fallacy of our argu- ment in general and when carried out over a long period of time.

S. D. LAW EXETER UNION HIGH SCHOOL

ExsTER, CAL~ORNIA

'ILIVE" CHEMICAL MUSEUM EXHIBITS

DEAR EDITOR: A recent contributor to your JOURNAL distinguishes between "dead

and "live" chemical exhibits (1). He considers a collection of specimens in neatly labeled bottles or jars to be "dead." From a museum stand- point there should be no disagreement with him. Exhibits are described by him, however, as "live" if the specimens are grouped to illustrate synthesis. Why should they be considered "live?"

In 1800, Count Rumford, founder of the Royal Institution of Great Britain, published a prospectus for that institution stressing the im- portance of working exhibits (2) .

The completest working models or constructions of the full size will be provided and exhibited in different parts of this public repository of all such new mechanical inventions as are applicable to the common purposes of life.

1936

VOL. 7, NO. 8 CORRESPONDENCE 1937

Thus the value of "live" exhibits were fully appreciated 130 years ago by Count Rumford and his proposals to insure that character would apply almost equally well today.

Unquestionably, working models make "live" exhibits in a museum sense. Why, then, not animate synthesis exhibits by working models?

The writer, intending this letter to he in the nature of constructive criticism, hastens to present a possible design for a true "live" chemical exhibit.

A shadow box is equipped with many tiny flash-light bulbs arranged in such manner as to indicate structural formulas bearing atomic symbols. These lights, turned on by means of a snap switch, operate a somewhat modified sign-flashing device. The slowly turning sign-flasher first lights a series of bulbs forming the outline of the structural formula for the basic material used as a starting point in the synthesis. Connec- tions made by the sign-flasher successively light hulbs showing the actual process of synthesis exactly as i t is accomplished by means of the chem- ical processes through which i t passes. Atoms substituted for others dur- ing the process of manufacture are indicated by lights switched off and replaced by others bearing the proper new symbol. The evolution of aspirin from carbolic acid could, by this means, he followed step by step.

Very sincerely yours, ERNEST E. FAIRBANKS

MUSEUMS O P TK& PEACEPUL ARTS 24 WEST 40TH STREET

NEW YORK CITY

(I) SPIERS, C. H., "A Chemical Museum Exhibit," J. CnEa. EDUC., 6, 730-2 (Apr., 1929).

(2) Complete Works of Count Rumford, Val. IV, collected and published by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1875.