BE SEARCH INSTITUTIONS IN PURE SCIENCE 53 



hygiene " and for " investigations in tropical diseases." An institution 

 of pure science, on the other hand, should be one the primary aim of 

 which is to extend the bounds of man's knowledge of nature in a speci- 

 fied field, and to show something of the significance of the new knowl- 

 edge for the higher life of mankind. To be more definite, an institu- 

 tion of research in biology or in astronomy could justify its existence, 

 in a democratic country like ours, only by making considerable addi- 

 tions to knowledge atid then hy showing in language comprehensible to 

 the generally hut non-technicaUy educated members of the community, 

 something of the meaning of this Jcnowlcdge for human beings in both 

 the physical and the spiritual aspects of their natures.^ 



I now mention certain biological discoveries and generalizations 

 which have, as I believe, very great importance to civilized men but 

 which are by no means as widely known as they ought to be and might 

 be, and which can become thus known only through the efforts of profes- 

 sional biologists. 



The significance of omne vivum ex vivo (all life from preceding 

 life) not only for philosophic biology, but for the attitude of thoughtful 

 people generally toward the problems of practical living, should be more 

 clearly and firmly grasped than it has been. That the dictum is solely 

 an expression of the summed-up results of technical science and prac- 

 tical experience, that so far it has not encountered the crucial " one 

 exception " and hence ranks with gravitation as one of the best estab- 

 lished of nature's laws, and that its unescapable implication is that the 

 succession of living beings in nature was without beginning, that is to 

 say, has come from an infinite past, are matters readily susceptible of 

 popular presentation and may be counted on to greatly interest many 

 people were the subject to be presented by the biologist who himself had 

 fully grasped the problems and clearly seen their significance for human 

 life and conduct. 



The generalization, based on an enormous range of observations, 

 that all organisms, including human beings, are subject in all aspects 

 of their natures to the principles of evolution, needs to be and may 

 be far more widely and firmly implanted in popular intelligence than 

 it is; and its bearings on general ideas of progress, social and other, 

 and on popular estimates of perfection and imperfection, are very im- 

 portant. 



* The soundness of this view is dependent upon the soundness of two assump- 

 tions which can not be argued here, but which may be briefly stated: (1) The 

 person of average natural endowment and education in the United States is 

 capable of understanding the most essential things in any scientific discovery 

 that has ever been made or is likely to be made for many years to come. (2) It 

 does "matter" enormously not only to the individuals, but to the nation as a 

 whole, whether or not those who are capable of this much understanding have an 

 opportunity to get it. 



