THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 67 



deceived themselves, adopted a prejudice, suffered their judgment 

 to become absolutely a slave to their hypothesis, they are rather to 

 be pitied, in that they have become mentally blind, than blamed 

 for leading others astray to fall into the same ditch. 



How much of this unhealthy development is to be traced to the 

 restlessness of the age, the craving after excitement, and a grow- 

 ing habit of exaggeration, I am content to leave to individual 

 opinion. For my own part, I think such causes at least contribu- 

 tory to the class of phenomena alluded to. 



Plain, straightforward investigation is safe enough and sure 

 enough, there is no temptation to exaggerate. Facts are 

 observed and recorded just as they occur; it matters little, if any- 

 thing, to the observer, so long as they are true, what they may be 

 supposed to prove or support, or overthrow, so long as he has no 

 preconceived theory to work out, or controvert. But on the other 

 hand, when a person sits down to his microscope, or his dissecting- 

 table, absorbed with the one idea that some dream has to be 

 realized, that all his facts are to be ranged in support of some 

 hypothesis, or failing to do this, that they are to be buried in 

 oblivion, then, unconsciously, he is no longer the patient 

 observer, no longer the searcher after truth, but the partisan, 

 restlessly, incessantly, fanatically, hunting up support for his own 

 hypothesis with one eye blinded. Whether he starts with this 

 idea or not, he soon falls into it, and, as I believe most strongly, 

 damages himself more than he does good to any cause, however 

 excellent that cause may be. 



It is undoubtedly true that theories have been beneficial, and 

 will be again, in the search after truth. An hypothesis is not to 

 be condemned because it is an hypothesis, so long as it is rated as 

 an hypothesis. The danger lies in being led away and made 

 captive by an hypothesis, to be so absorbed by it, and work at it day 

 by day, until it becomes a kind of incipient insanity, or, if you 

 please, the mind is strained and distorted in a particular direction 

 until it can no longer be called a sound and well-balanced mind. 

 Any psychologist would find a ready phrase to characterise such a 

 condition, 



Some of the reasons why I would beg of you — especially young 

 men in search of mental occupation — not to be seduced into 

 becoming theorists, in its modern application, shall be placed 

 before you : — 



