Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
nets were established. They were initiated not only by the Society for the
Common Good and the Society for the Promotion of Industry, but also
by many new organizations, several of which were set up - in the wake
of the revolutionary events of 1848 - in order to assuage the polarization
of capital and labor through the spread of useful knowledge. Science for
the people was largely meant to serve political pacification and the stabi-
lization of social relations, as was the case with the British Society for
the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge.
23
Specific Dutch examples are the
Utrecht Vereeniging ter Bevordering van Nuttige Kennis (Association
for Promoting Useful Knowledge [1848]), the Maatschappij ter Bevor-
dering van Wetenschap tot Volksgeluk (Society for the Promotion of
Popular Happiness by Means of Science [1849]) established in Amster-
dam, and several similar societies founded in the years 1849-1854
(Mulder 1881, vol. 1, pp. 195-8; Goudswaard 1981, pp. 94-5, 100-1,
131-2, 176-85, 198-214; Van Lente 1988, pp. 96-105; Simons 1915, pp.
19-20; De Vries 1963, pp. 11-20; Van Lente & De Wit 1993, pp. 189-
90). In addition, several local scientific societies - the Genootschap Phy-
sica in Zaandijk, the Natuur- en Scheikundig Genootschap (Society for
Natural Knowledge and Chemistry) in Deventer, and the Genootschap
Tot Nut en Vergenoegen (Society for Usefulness and Enjoyment) in
Arnhem - began to organize popular lectures on physics and chemistry.
24
Although some doubted the usefulness of “making available popular sci-
entific writings at low prices” in addition to these lectures because “those
of the lesser classes” often “do neither read such writings nor understand
them”, a number of accessible chemistry topics were still published in
this period.
25
These included, besides the topics by Girardin and Van
Moorsel mentioned above, J.W. Gunning's translation of Stöckhardt's
Schule der Chemie
, which in Germany was one of the most successful
self-study chemistry topics, and the
Voorlezingen over elementaire schei-
kunde
('Lectures on Elementary Chemistry') by E.A. van der Burg. The
Utrecht-based educational facility for workers (Inrigting tot Onderwijs
23
For a careful treatment of this subject, see Russell 1983, pp. 165-71; and Anderson
1994, pp. 4-7, 53, 67, 77-79.
24
Statistisch Jaarboekje, 2 (1852), 166; Statistisch Jaarboekje, 7 (1858), 166-8;
Berigten over het Fabrijkwezen in het Jaar 1857 (Haarlem 1859), pp. 1, 5.
25
Verslag eerste Nederlandsche Nijverheids, Congres, Haarlem, 1857, pp. 15, 83.
