PEEFACE TO FIFTH EDITION VStudents are required to prepare a preliminary report on each
preparation before they are given an order card for the raw ma-
terials at the stock room. When the preparation is completed,
the final report, which includes answers to questions and inci-
dental experiments, is to be written. The preparation of these
reports should be done as far as possible outside of laboratory
time. The final report and the preparation are to be submitted
together during laboratory time to the instructor. When both
are satisfactory the preparation is accepted and taken to the
recording office.
The preparations are attacked by the students with the same
enthusiasm that research workers feel. For all that, the directions
have been made very explicit, for the reason that if the inex-
perienced student were asked to devise his own directions his
successes would not be frequent enough to maintain his courage.
Difficulties enough are sure to arise, even with good directions, to
develop originality and resourcefulness. The laboratory work
develops a valuable technique, but the comprehension of chemistry
comes from the effort put into preparing the reports. Note
writing is very easy to neglect in the enthusiasm for getting ahead
in the laboratory work. The preparation of reports might come
to be regarded as irksome if a system were not firmly maintained
from the start. With such a system the reports are prepared
cheerfully and the desired progress in gaining a comprehension of
chemistry is made.
A. A. BLANCHAKD
A. R. DAVIS
CAMBRIDGE, MASS.
May, 1936