DISEASES OF WINE AND VINEGAR 113 



In the realm of scientific fact Pasteur endeav- 

 ored to maintain an open mind, and to be always 

 ready to acknowledge error and to retrace his steps 

 when he found himself on a wrong track. This 

 trait is essential to a man of science, who is, so to 

 speak, a professional seeker after truth. In the 

 ordinary walks of life people may be unreasonable, 

 pig-headed and intolerant in regard to matters of 

 opinion without exciting much comment, — in fact 

 this is to be expected. But even in ordinary life, 

 matters of great importance may hinge upon the 

 correctness of our judgments, and we may pay 

 dearly for our disregard of the principles of right 

 thinking. And there is no lot nor occupation in 

 which adherence to these principles will not mate- 

 rially add to the effectiveness of our lives. 



Although Pasteur endeavored never to allow his 

 mind to be swayed by prejudice or inclination, his 

 work was far from being carried on in a cold and 

 dispassionate spirit. Few men worked under 

 greater emotional stress. Of an intense nature, 

 fired by a lofty enthusiasm for discovery, ambi- 

 tious to throw light on fundamental problems in his 

 fields of research, inspired by a vision of the far- 

 reaching importance of his investigations, and con- 

 scious that he was opening the door to discoveries 



