EDITOR'S TABLE. 



557 



results of the striking advance and wid- 

 ening influence of modern scientific 

 knowledge must be a sharp revision of 

 the ancient and current valuations of 

 great men. The old standards can not 

 continue to be accepted, and the decla- 

 ration of the Lord Mayor of London is a 

 clear admission of it. He represents the 

 position of Professor Huxley as Presi- 

 dent of the Royal Society not merely 

 as the head of an eminent body of Eng- 

 lish investigators, distinguished as that 

 position would be, but as " the head of 

 the intellectual life of the world," and 

 he gives greater emphasis to the state- 

 ment by affirming that Huxley's position 

 is " really one of even greater impor- 

 tance " than that of Gladstone, Prime 

 Minister of England. This is in no 

 sense a comparison of the talents or 

 genius of two distinguished personali- 

 ties, but a comparison of their positions 

 as representative men, and an affirma- 

 tion of the superiority of the illustrious 

 scientist to the illustrious politician. 

 The deeper meaning of this averment 

 is that it brings into contrast two types 

 of character that formed under scien- 

 tific influences and embodying its spirit, 

 and that formed under political influ- 

 ences and embodying its spirit. The 

 immense import of the statement arises 

 from its recognition that a new order 

 of men has arisen in these times and 

 worked its way to acknowledged su- 

 pereminence as leaders in " the intel- 

 lectual life of the world." This means 

 a great deal. 



Undoubtedly the great changes of 

 modern thought which threaten to dis- 

 place an old ideal of great men, and to 

 substitute a new ideal, have far-reaching 

 consequences, which may turn out to 

 be of the most practical kind. It would 

 be folly to deny that in recent years 

 there has been a rapid decline in the 

 respect generally entertained for emi- 

 nent political men. The world has al- 

 ways worshiped successful politicians, 

 and will no doubt long continue to wor- 

 ship them as the embodiments of power 



in society; but, as the possession of po- 

 litical power becomes more and more 

 a matter of accident, there will be in- 

 creasing hollowness in the homage ren- 

 dered to those who have had the good 

 luck to get possession of official places. 

 Already political success has altogether 

 ceased to imply greatness of character ; 

 the machinery of partisan politics may 

 give prominence to a wary and skillful 

 manager the tricky manoeuvring of a 

 convention may furnish a President 

 but nobody is deceived into supposing 

 that distinguished merit is thereby dis- 

 closed, or that genuine greatness has 

 met with the honor to which it is en- 

 titled. Incontestably, there are no such 

 shams and humbugs in modern society 

 as successful politicians. "We do not 

 expect them to be men of solid acquisi- 

 tions, to have mastered the knowledge 

 that is needful for statesmen, or to ex- 

 emplify anything like manliness and in- 

 dependence of character. These traits 

 are all in the way of political success. 

 Transparency and uprightness of mind 

 are not wanted, insincerity and crook- 

 edness of mind are indispensable to the 

 political manager. He views all things 

 with reference to immediate results, 

 and holds any expedients justifiable 

 that will enable him to win in partisan 

 conflict. The school of politics, in short, 

 gives us men that are not entitled to 

 public respect, and this scandalous fact 

 is universally understood. 



But are we to regard this as the 

 hopeless finality of things in the po- 

 litical and public sphere? There are 

 strong reasons for taking a different 

 view and indulging in better anticipa- 

 tions. Agencies are at work which 

 will form men of more elevated char- 

 acter. We look to the extension of 

 science and the deepening of scientific 

 influences to give us minds capable of 

 improving the existing state of things. 

 It is impossible to overestimate the good 

 that may be hoped from this scientific 

 influence, as it becomes strengthened 

 and organized and brought to bear 



