554 



POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



country abroad, the protection of the 

 public health, and, finally, the great 

 question of public education. It 

 must be obvious to every thoughtful 

 person that, if science could have its 

 say and its way in relation to these 

 matters, it would put them all on the 

 best footing which the existing con- 

 dition of knowledge permits. It 

 would ask, " What are the objects to 

 be accomplished ? " and would pro- 

 ceed to select the persons and adopt 

 the means best fitted to realize those 

 objects. The country would then 

 have a civil service in which econ- 

 omy and efficiency would be equally 

 conspicuous, and which would fur- 

 nish examples for imitation in pri- 

 vate enterprise of the best ways of 

 doing things. 



It is needless to say how far re- 

 moved the present condition of gov- 

 ernment business is from anything 

 like scientific organization. If kill- 

 ing must be done scientifically, the 

 injured feelings of the politician find 

 relief in insisting that nearly every- 

 thing else within the sphere of gov- 

 ernment action shall be done most 

 unscientifically. In the filling of im- 

 portant positions the first thing con- 

 sidered is not the question of fitness 

 for the work to be done, but the ques- 

 tion of party advantage. It is not 

 too much to say that a prejudice fre- 

 quently exists against a man con- 

 spicuously qualified by knowledge, 

 experience, and character for a given 

 post. There is an uncomfortable 

 feeling that such a man might not be 

 sufficiently pliable afterward in the 

 hands of those who had appointed 

 him — that the preposterous idea 

 might get into his head that, having 

 obtained the office on his merits, he 

 was at liberty, in the execution of 

 his duties, to think only of the public 

 interest. The preference of the poli- 

 tician, therefore, for "the boys" is 

 easily understood ; but " the boys " 

 and science do not work hand in 

 hand. 



Our universities are turning out 



year by year men possessing the 

 highest scientific qualifications, men 

 who have studied both in this coun- 

 try and in Europe, and who are pre- 

 pared to take any positions in which 

 scientific work is required. Some of 

 these are absorbed by the teaching 

 profession, but the great majority 

 find employment in the various in- 

 dustries of the country. Unfortu- 

 nately, the attainments of such men 

 give them no special advantage as 

 regards employment in the public 

 service of the country; to qualify for 

 that they must graduate in another 

 school entirely, and get certificates 

 from a very different class of pro- 

 fessors. We are far from holding the 

 opinion that men of high education 

 should dissociate themselves from 

 the political life of the country; but 

 it is unhappily true that the kind of 

 interest which an intelligent man 

 who places the nation above party 

 can take in politics is not likely to 

 recommend him to those who have 

 the dispensing of places. The fact 

 should, however, be emphasized that 

 if science does not receive due recog- 

 nition in connection with the public 

 services, it is not because of any lack 

 of native-born citizens capable of 

 representing it with credit and even 

 with distinction. In this respect 

 America has placed herself fully 

 abreast with the most advanced na- 

 tions of the modern world, and the 

 Government has only to say what 

 service it requires in order to have 

 its choice of men possessing every 

 qualification to render that service 

 in the most competent and satisfac- 

 tory manner. 



In the last resort, it must be ad- 

 mitted, the fault rests with the peo- 

 ple. It is with reluctance that the 

 average elector acknowledges — if he 

 can be brought to acknowledge at all 

 — that any public office requires spe- 

 cial qualifications. Such an idea 

 seems to be at war with true demo- 

 cratic doctrine, and to imply a seri- 

 ous abridgment of the powers of the 



