PUBLIC INTEREST IN RESEARCH. 3° 7 



they would name perhaps one or two real investigators unfortunate 

 enough to be in the public eye, several 'wizards' and still more 

 charlatans. The great body of real investigators would be known only 

 to their colleagues, thankful that they were not included in any public 

 hall of fame. And yet the public is not to be blamed, for it is giving 

 its best information; and the fact that it has even such information 

 indicates an interest that would be wiser were it better directed. And 

 this better direction is dammed up behind a wall of professional pride, 

 which makes an investigator look askance at any colleague who has 

 broken through it. 



I have been especially interested in noting the rising tide of quasi- 

 scientific papers in the leading magazines, seeking to inform the public 

 of certain striking things and occasionally written by scientific men. 

 These men are bold, if they have their colleagues in mind, but they 

 may have something more important in mind. I judge that from the 

 daily paper to the great magazine is the range of agencies by which 

 research can reach the intelligent but non-scientific public; and the 

 conclusion seems justified that while the daily press is as bad as it can 

 be in this regard, it still voices an interest in such subjects; and that 

 the leading magazines are becoming distinctly stronger in this feature. 

 The intelligent public is certainly interested, but it is just as certainly 

 not intelligently interested. 



2. Its Possible Condition. 



The present condition of public interest in research, as described 

 above, does not seem to invite a large measure of hope that it can be 

 improved, even if this were thought desirable. The desirability of a 

 stimulated and intelligent public interest will be discussed later; for 

 the moment the securing of such interest will be considered. The 

 problem is to substitute information for misinformation, so that in- 

 terest may become intelligent. 



I have taken occasion to discuss this subject with managing editors 

 of newspapers and magazines, and find a general opinion that many 

 subjects of research would be of great interest to the intelligent public, 

 but that such material is the most difficult of all to obtain. This does 

 not mean that such subject matter is difficult to obtain, but that the 

 necessary simplicity and attractiveness of presentation are usually lack- 

 ing. These editors recognize that when the simplicity and attractive- 

 ness must be supplied by a ' middle man/ the result is almost sure to 

 be not only a series of misleading statements, but also a disappearance 

 of the scientific atmosphere. This middle man who stands between 

 science and the magazine public is a curious product of the present 

 situation. He may simply interpret for the public, putting the lan- 

 guage of science into the language of literature; but when he begins 



