I] PRESENT-DAY BOTANY 11 



which too often awaits the zealous but isolated 

 amateur. 



The fact is, regret it as we ma^, that the day of 

 specialisation is upon us. The good old times, in 

 many ways so sound and so stimulating, when one 

 mind could compass a circle of the sciences and even 

 contribute to them all, are gone for ever. Now it is 

 more than the man of ordinary ability can do to keep 

 himself even moderately informed over the whole area 

 of a single science. Hardly any aspire to a special 

 knowledge of more than one branch of the many into 

 which each science is divided. It is useless to resist 

 this state of affairs so naturally forced upon us. The 

 important point is, however, to be fully aware of the 

 weaknesses which are liable to follow in the wake 

 of specialisation, and to use every opportunity to 

 neutralise their results. The most effective safeguard 

 is the proper grounding of every young student in a 

 cognate group of the sciences before he is encouraged 

 or even allowed to specialise. And those sciences 

 should be so taught that he shall grasp thoroughly 

 the lines of reasoning upon which their structure 

 depends. So prepared, the young investigator may 

 specialise with safety, the broad base of education 

 being ready to support the superstructure of his 

 exact, but localised, knowledge. 



