SWEATING THE SCIENTIST 605 



politicians — men who have perhaps done great service in their 

 own line, though not in the line for which such honours should 

 be reserved. The case can of course be argued — as all bad 

 cases can ; but it is really a matter of clean taste. Academic 

 honours are meant to promote great world-service ; and it is a 

 sign of national degeneracy when they are given for anything 

 lower. One would think that our universities would lead the 

 way in this respect, but it is not so. Some years ago a dis- 

 tinguished Colonial Premier refused an academic honour on 

 these grounds, and attained greater honour by doing so. Few 

 are the struggling workers or the struggling causes which have 

 benefited by the powers in the hands of the great learned bodies. 

 To add grist to their own mill by subserviency to popular idols 

 appears too often to be their chief desire ; and where a great 

 worker is honoured by them, he is generally a foreigner. A 

 still lower stage, however, has already been reached — where 

 a learned body decorates itself! 



We may now ask, what exactly does the British Empire do, 

 as a State, for science, or indeed for any of the higher forms of 

 intellectual effort ? Parliament allots £4,000 a year to one 

 learned society, and another £1,000 a year for publications — a 

 magnificent endowment ! It allows also occasional small grants 

 to other institutions ; and all these are doled out for the expenses 

 of special researches. The larger grants which it gives to 

 universities are devoted chiefly to teaching — a very small pro- 

 portion ever being really available for investigation. Very little 

 of the money goes to the workers themselves, either to increase 

 their pay or to reward them for services rendered ; and the 

 State seems to think that if it provides their test tubes and 

 microscopes it has done enough. In many countries the govern- 

 ment wisely pays members of certain academies ; but in Britain, 

 not only is this not done, but the State actually exacts gratuitous 

 services from such members. For example, a Government 

 department wishes for expert advice on some matter — it ought 

 to form a commission of its own and honestly pay the expert 

 members of it. Instead of doing this the Government depart- 

 ment goes to some learned society and asks it to advise on the 

 scientific question at issue. The society is honoured by the 

 request, and obtains the advice gratis from its own members. 

 Thus the Government gets what it requires for nothing; the 

 learned body is overpowered with the honour rendered to it; 



