NOTES 297 



lines. We do not suppose that the British Empire would have to pay more than, 

 say, ,£30,000 annually for such pensions, as against many millions of pounds which 

 it now gives as a subvention for loafing, incompetence, and unemployment. The 

 reader who is interested in this theme might see SCIENCE PROGRESS, Nos. 29, 30, 

 31, 32 (especially), 33, 34, and 38. Of course the war checked these efforts ; but 

 they can now be resumed. 



How to Pay One's Debts 



Some time ago the Calcutta paper Capital suggested that the Viceroy and the 

 Governor of Bengal should bring the claims of Sir Leonard Rogers, the eminent 

 medical scientist in India, before the Nobel Committee for a Nobel prize. Com- 

 menting on the suggestion in the last April number, Science Progress pointed 

 out (1) that Sir Leonard Rogers had already been recommended for the prize, but 

 (2) that it would be well if those high officials were to try to think out the matter 

 of giving him also a reward from India. Capital of June 13 now declares 

 that " anything more churlish and inconsequent than the comment of Science 

 Progress it would be impossible to conceive." Apparently our contemporary 

 finds it difficult to understand English. What is there churlish and inconsequent in 

 suggesting that a scientist should be paid by the country which has been benefited 

 by him ? We have every hope that Sir Leonard will receive a Nobel prize ; and, 

 in fact, the Editor of this Quarterly recommended him for one years ago, long 

 before Capital ever seems to have thought of such a thing. But that is no reason 

 why India should not reward him in addition — as it ought to do. Science 

 Progress argued that such rewards should be a part of the national policy for the 

 support of science in every country. It is only proper that every nation should 

 pay professional men who perform public professional services for their nation, 

 just as a private patient pays a professional fee for private services. The minds of 

 many people appear to be impenetrable to such a simple notion, and we gather 

 from the remarks of Capital that the Indian Government and people are extremely 

 disturbed at the mere suggestion that they should provide a little extra money for 

 Sir Leonard Rogers, though they are quite willing to ask Sweden to do so. But 

 we are grateful for small services, and, anyway, wish to commend Capital for 

 suggesting that a medical scientist should be paid at all, a thing which scarcely 

 any other newspaper in the whole British Empire has ever yet dared to do. 



Sweden can scarcely be expected to continue to reward (that is, in many cases, 

 to feed) the world's benefactors for ever, single-handed. During the last eighteen 

 years she has probably distributed over half a million pounds in her four annual 

 prizes. Other nations should give their share. For a century the rich, generous, 

 and enlightened British Empire has not given one penny in the same way. But, 

 probably, we know more about the infamous story than Capital does. 



Sir David Bruce 



We regret to lear> that Major-General Sir David Bruce, K.C.B., F.R.S., has 

 been superannuated under military rules. While a limit of age is obviously 

 necessary for the army, we maintain that distinguished men of science ought never 

 to be retired in civil work so long as their faculties remain unimpaired, because, in 

 science, knowledge and judgment grow indefinitely with years ; and we therefore 

 hope that some means will be found to enable him to continue his medical 

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