242 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



is seen in the establishment of a scien- 

 tific magazine, and in the appearance 

 of ' scientific columns ' and ' scientific 

 departments ' in many of our newspa- 

 pers and magazines. But the great ob- 

 ject of educating the intelligent public 

 in scientific matters is very imperfectly 

 fulfilled by these publications. A con- 

 siderable portion of the matter they 

 present to us consists of fugitive items, 

 hardly more interesting or important 

 than the column of daily clippings, of 

 one short sentence each, which has be- 

 come a feature of our newspapers. The 

 most notable exceptions have been the 

 'Science Department' of the Atlantic 

 Monthly while it lasted ; the ' Editor's 

 Table ' of The Popular Science Month- 

 ly, and, of late, the ' Science Record ' 

 of Harper's Magazine. Here we have 

 found original discussions of scientific 

 questions, and reviews of the progress 

 of science by competent writers. For 

 the rest of The Popular Science 

 Monthly so much cannot be said. 

 When first started, it was mostly made 

 up of extracts from English publica- 

 tions, and of essays, which could hard- 

 ly have found a place in any other pub- 

 lication. Of late, it has gradually im- 

 proved by including more original mat- 

 ter, and that of a better class. But it 

 has never attempted to supply the great 

 want to which we have referred, name- 

 ly, that of making known the progress 

 of science in this country ; and the 

 reader who wishes to learn what our 

 scientific men are doing here, will find 

 far more copious accounts of it in Na- 

 ture, an English periodical, than he will 

 in the American magazines referred 

 to." 



And for this defective state of sci- 

 entific journalism, by which "the great 

 object of educating the intelligent pub- 

 lic in scientific matters is very imper- 

 fectly fulfilled," we beg to ask, Who is 

 mainly responsible? What have our 

 eminent scientific men themselves done 

 toward this important work of popular 

 scientific education ? Is it too much to 



say that, as a class, they have neglected 

 it, and that many of them have repu- 

 diated it? They have left it to half- 

 instructed men to men without scien- 

 tific position and, when it was poorly 

 done, have cast reproach upon their 

 work. Some of our distinguished sci- 

 entific men have indeed indulged more 

 or less in popular lecturing, but often 

 with vehement protests against the deg- 

 radation, and obtrusive statements that 

 they did it for the sake of the money 

 alone. What have they attempted, 

 in any concerted or systematic way, 

 through associations or publications, 

 " to educate the intelligent public into 

 an appreciation of the importance of 

 scientific investigation ? " 



Prof. Newcomb bears witness upon 

 this point when he says that, " previous 

 to the establishment of The Popular 

 Science Monthly by the Appletons, we 

 had not in this country a single journal 

 designed to diffuse the knowledge either 

 of general or exact science ; " that is, 

 scientific men had contributed abso- 

 lutely nothing in the way of a periodical 

 devoted to the promotion of their own 

 most vital interests. We showed, in 

 the October Monthly, how the Ameri- 

 can Association for the Advancement 

 of Science in its organization carefully 

 avoided committing itself to any agencies 

 of popular influence, and deliberately 

 placed itself behind the British Asso- 

 ciation in this respect. If the education 

 of the public to a better appreciation 

 of science is the one thing needful to 

 relieve this country from the odium of 

 its position upon this subject, and the 

 one thing necessary for the liberal en- 

 couragement of a scientific class, why 

 has our leading body of scientists so 

 studiously refrained from taking any 

 action toward so desirable an end ? The 

 subject of general scientific education 

 is now widely confessed to be of great 

 public moment. The community is not 

 only ripe for action upon it, but in the 

 chaotic state of school instruction it is 

 asking for light and guidance as to the 



