4 02 SCIENCE PROGRESS. 



" Baxterisms" to feed the catastrophic mind, and we 

 shall start on a fair career of further industrial evolution. 

 We convey the hint to those who are minded to play 

 their part in this scheme that the subject of cellulose is 

 worth attention. It can never be said of the cellulose 

 industries that they are played out or ever likely to be. 

 This by the way. 



But we can commend our subject on other than grounds 

 of personal enterprise, that is, on the basis of industrial 

 ethics or morals. One of our thinkers wrote it down as a 

 crime that a child should grow up uneducated. What are 

 we to say to such ignorance of " things " as leads people to 

 buy " linen " handkerchiefs for 2s. 6d. a dozen, to pay 4d. 

 per lb. for soda ash — bought as " Diddler's Detergent " ; 

 ten shillings a lb. for permanganate of potash because 

 sold as " I. Prices's Chameleozone," and to buy china 

 clay at the rate of is. per five quires because it is called 

 "paper"? 



Is this the ignorance of the blissful order which 'twere 

 folly to disturb ? Is it in the code of natural science " crimi- 

 nal " as implying divorce from the realities of the world ? 



Whatever it may mean in the popular code, the scientific 

 mind cannot see these things and pass by on the other side. 

 It may be picturesque and may be amusing. But we need 

 not adopt a close season for eccentricities and perversities 

 for fear that intellectual sport will die out for want of game. 

 There is a fresh supply of the more ignorant to reach 

 maturity every day, and these are no doubt providentially 

 supplied for the less ignorant to " operate " upon ; also there 

 is evidently a sublime law of the ridiculous. Therefore 

 we may go forward and wage the battle of the paper 

 standards. It cannot spoil sport nor do any honest man 

 any harm and it will do science the good of extending its 

 dominion to a most " legitimate " and desirable province. 



C. F. Cross. 



