Petersburg High School - Missile Yearbook (Petersburg, VA)

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15 TEE MISSILE of chemistry that deals with the compounding and preparation of different substances that have medicinal value. The modern farmer and the manufacturer are dependent in a way on chem- istry; for the farmer by his knowledge of this science may determine the needs of his soil and supply them and the manu- facturer is enabled to find how he may use the best and cheap- est materials in his business. The miner, too, may learn how he can separate minerals from their ores in the best and cheap- est way, and how he may avoid explosions of dangerous gases that continually menace the lives of the mine-workers. Furthermore, we shall be convinced of the usefulness of chemistry if we see what it is doing for the world. For ex- ample, about ten years ago the entire supply of indigo, one of the most beautiful dyes, was grown in the fields of India. In 1901, after many years of tireless effort, a group of German chemists discovered a process by which the identical indigo could be cheaply made from coal tar. Many more important products have since been produced from coal tar and from other substances which, heretofore, had gone to waste. Agri- culture is indebted to chemistry for commercial fertilizers, which are of the greatest aid in enriching the soil. In the laboratories of our agricultural colleges the chemists are studying the needs of the soil and are showing the farmers how they may make their land do its utmost to supply food for the human race. From these same laboratories we are shown how to utilize materials that would, otherwise, go to waste and how to obtain valuable products from them. Had it not been for the observing eye of a chemist, this world would, perhaps, never have known aluminum, which may become the metal of the future. Domestic science, which is now taught in many schools, is in some respects a form of chemistry ; for the girls are taught the different chemical combinations of the various elements which make up foods, what foods are fat-forming, what con- tain the elements which build up muscle and tissue, and how to combine the foods in order to obtain the right proportion of each of the elements.

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14 TEE MISSILE ®l|[f Balup of Olljfmtatrg in rljnol HEMISTRY should be included in the curricu- lum of every high school for several reasons, any one of which furnishes sufficient cause for its study, since it will, directly or indi- rectly, benefit those who have studied it, whatever their walk in life may be. There are few subjects more interesting than chemistry and, certain- ly, none more practical or having such a general use in every- day life. Some people have the idea that chemistry is only a technical subject, consequently is not very important, and also, that outside of the laboratory chemistry is used very lit- tle. These are mistaken impressions, how ' ever, for some ap- plication of chemistry is always present in our daily oc- cupation, and, furthermore, without chemistry the world would never have risen to the high state of civiliation in which it is to-day. First, an intelligent study of chemistry, with its attendant laboratory exercises, will discipline the mind and teach us to form the habit of accurate observation and to think for our- selves. The power of accurate observation is of great benefit to us in life. We must reason out many things for ourselves, which gives us self-reliance. In the second place, a knowledge of this study is essential in order to understand thoroughly other sciences, such as physics, biology, geology, and astronomy. If we have a general knowledge of chemistry, when we come to study the more ad- vanced sciences they will not be so difficult, for in these studies, especially geology and biology, w ' e shall find many practical applications of the fundamental principles of chemis- try. In the third place, chemistry deals with many common problems found in all occupations of life. For instance, the druggist studies chemistry before entering on his medical course ; for, indeed, pharmacy is nothing more than a form

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16 THE MISSILE In conclusion, we see that, with all these convincing proofs, there can be no doubt in the mind of any one that chemistry is one of the most valuable and useful of all the natural sciences, and that its study should be required in all progressive high schools. Frank Scott, IS