War Notes 235 



which the Germans make so much. We believe their achievements 

 in this field are exaggerated. At the same time, they are far too 

 obvious for us tö remain undisturbed by them unless we mean to 

 resign our ancient place in the world. . . . About the peremptory 

 necessity of better scient. organiz. on nat'l lines there can be no two 

 opinions. It is not only a question of our prosperity, but of our 

 existence. The law of the survival of the fittest works just as in- 

 exorably among nations as it does among individuals. We can be 

 the fittest if we like. Unless we do like we shall not survive. But 

 if we are to tackle seriously this problem of scient. reorg., we shall 

 have to scrap the whole of our rotten and antiqiiated political ma- 

 chinery. The scient. mind and temper can not possibly flourish in an 

 atmosphere of polit. trickery, nepotism, and plunder, such as that 

 which has surrounded us for the last few centuries. . . . True sci- 

 ence and politics are incompatible. They can not exist together any 

 more than the eagle and the squid can share the same apartment. 

 Science has at this moment the most magnificent opportunity that it 

 has ever enjoyed of seizing the steersmanship of human destiny. 

 Every man who wants to see his country great, progressive and 

 prosperous, marching as a standard-bearer at the head of the advanc- 

 ing legions of miankind, should back the scientists with every ounce 

 of energy that he possesses. If, otherwise, he wishes to see her 

 mean, petty, retrogressive, squalid and contemptible, let him Sup- 

 port a return to our debasing party strifes, with their concomi- 

 tant triumph of the political schemer and all the host of parasites 

 whom he enriches out of public money. London Financial News : 

 Science, 19 16, xliii, p. 350. 



British Civil Serv. Estimates. The estimates of civil Ser- 

 vices, for the year ending Mar. 31, 191 7, are being issued as parlia- 

 mentary papers. The grant in aid of scient. and indust. research has 

 been increased from £25,000 to £40,000. 



Food and nutrition. Nutrition of children. Dr. Hepner 

 has published observations made in regard to the State of nutrition 

 of the children of Mannheim who are just entering on school life. 

 Comparing 500 children who entered school at Easter, 19 14, with a 

 similar number for 1915, he found that the average weight for 1915 

 was exactly the same as for 1914. Berlin letter: Jour. Amer. 

 Med. Assoc, 1916, Ixvi, p. 754. 



