ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 255_ 



known. Those men cannot be educated in the school-room. They must be 

 educated in nature, among specimens, by the teachings of that thing which has 

 not been ex^ilorcd now. Knowledge must be obtained, and from wliere are 

 those materials to be forthcoming? The student has not time to go into the 

 field and gatlicr his materials for worlc ; he must liave suclialid and must have 

 such stores as would bring the facilities for study closer to his laboratory. 



What would you think of the man who would raise his food himself, when he 

 is engaged in the law business or in the medical profession ? Tou would think 

 he was wasting his time. Now I say the scientific man is wasting his lime, or is 

 obliged to waste his time, when he is not provided with the appliances with 

 which he can work and by which he is capable of producing. And I hold it 

 is one of the duties of those who have the means, to help those who have only 

 their head, and who go to work with an empty pocket. 



So I think that one of your duties, besides fostering and nursing the interest 

 you individually feel for science, is to arouse that general interest in the com- 

 munity which will make every true patriot, every lover of his State, every phil- 

 anthropist, every man who has the heart to leave a good repute and to leave an 

 honorable memory, desirous of contributing to your progress. Not only have 

 you that before you, your own work and pleasure in the work, but you have 

 also to help one of your institutions, which has already spread the good name of 

 California everywhere where science is cultivated. Your Geological Survey is a 

 model of scientific research. It has been conducted in a spirit and with a suc- 

 cess which has cast a shadow over the geological surveys of the Eastern States 

 There is not one — not that of Massachusetts, not that of New York, nor that 

 of the younger States further west, but east of the E.ocky Mountains — which 

 can be compared, for beauty of execution, for accuracy of research, for splendid 

 generalization, with those volumes of your Geological Survey which have 

 already seen the light and been given to the world. And if you can secure the 

 continuation of that work to its completion, you will ha,ve done for your State 

 and for science a good and an excellent work. 



You have, too, to help your University that is growing. There was a time 

 when it was said in Europe, that no American book was worth openyig or 

 reading. " Who reads an American book ?" We have now books read all the 

 world over. There was a time when we had to send our students abroad in 

 order to complete th'eir education, and when even our colleges gave them, at the 

 best, only elementary culture. Now, our colleges are taking a step forward — 

 are making such progress, our institutions are improving in such a way, that I 

 hope to see the day, old as I am, when European students shall flock to our 

 universities. There is a spirit of freedom which pervades study in America 

 that is wanting in the Old World, where the professor, in order to keep up his 

 head and be able to live and be supported by the Government, has to be the 

 servant of the Minister of Public Education, and do his bidding. Here, we do 

 the bidding of only our own consciences, and do the work as we think it ought 

 to be done. And European students will learn that to add to their knowledge 

 that spirit of freedom, they must flock to our universities. And you are organ- 

 izing one here which I hope will progress so fast that when we have attracted 



