3 oo THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



of the scientific world, the present must seem a specially opportune 

 time for founding a biological school. At no previous period has 

 such an interest been taken in biological problems, or have so many 

 earnest workers been in the field never before lias so rich a harvest 

 been in view. This is mainly owing to the promulgation of two 

 great ideas within the last few years. On the morphological side we 

 have the doctrine of evolution applied to living forms, and especially 

 as definitely put forward by the theory of the origin of species by 

 natural selection ; while on the physiological side we have the doctrine 

 of the conservation of energy, and its extension to the play of forces 

 in living organisms. It matters not whether these theories be correct 

 representations of the facts or not, or whether increase of knowledge 

 confirms or upsets them in any case they have been of incalculable 

 importance in stimulating work and in giving a present and direct 

 significance to its results. I can imagine no time for the biologist to 

 live in which would be more interesting than the coming half-century, 

 ,or none in which he will have a greater incentive to study; he seems 

 to have almost within his grasp the solution of problems of the widest 

 significance. 



'* 



Those of us directly concerned in the administration of the bio- 

 logical laboratory here, are charged with the fulfillment of two 

 duties : we have to make provision for the advancement of knowl- 

 edge, and for its diffusion: we are to find accommodation and assist- 

 ance for both investigators and students ; while we must not suffer 

 those engaged in research to be crowded out by beginners, neither 

 must the beginners be overlooked in providing for those to whom 

 they are one day to succeed. The liberal space at our disposal will 

 permit us, at any rate for the present, to accommodate both classes 

 of workers, without risk of the extermination of either. Meanwhile I 

 have, then, to occupy your time with a few words on two subjects : on 

 biological research, and on biological teaching. 



One hears a good deal talked nowadays of scientific research, and 

 amomr it a good deal of what I cannot but think mischievous nonsense 

 about the peculiar powers required by scientific investigators. To 

 listen to many, one would suppose that the faculty of adding any- 

 thing whatever to natural knowledge was one possessed by extremely 

 few persons. I believe, on the contrary, that any man possessed of 

 average ability and somewhat more than average perseverance, is 

 capable, if he will, of doing good original scientific work. Any hard- 

 working and commonly intelligent man, who likes his profession, will 

 make a good soldier, or lawyer, or doctor, though that combination 

 of powers which makes the great general, or the great jurist, or the 

 great physician, is given to but few. 



So it is with the pursuit of Science : assuredly not every one of 

 her followers, very probably not one among us now present, will be- 



