NOTES 



Petition 



Spirit who dwell'st on the high hills of Thought 

 Far in thine eyrie of an ice-cold north ; 

 Sister of Eagles, whose wings bear them forth 

 To find — whose eyes can see what they have sought : 

 Dwell not for ever in reverie overwrought, 

 With stars and ice and visions of high worth, 

 Silent and still for ever above the Earth, 

 On the frost-fired Pinnacles of Thought : 

 Descend — for the world sickens. Come, be swift ! 

 Fall like a falchion through this dreadful gloom, 

 Here where we lie, and die, and throw God's gift 

 To murderous idols ; save us from our doom : 

 Great Science, such for thou dar'st doubt the truth ; 

 Sister of Stars and Mountains ; for that makes thee Truth. 

 (Dedicated to Sir William Ramsay.) 



Our Duty 



To-day Duty is the only living word in the whole world ; but 

 do not let us define it too meanly. It is our duty, not only to 

 do what we have to do, but to do it well : those who have 

 to work must work, who have to teach must teach, and, above 

 all, who have to think must think. And the greatest obligation 

 lies especially upon the men who can think, and not least upon 

 men of science and those who have been trained in her school to 

 think the truth. We have the right to commend our methods ; 

 for it was almost exclusively the men of science, the philoso- 

 phers, the poets, and the men of great arts who constructed 

 the superb edifice of modern civilisation — based, not upon the 

 doings of kings and soldiers and politicians, but upon the 

 incessant thoughts and labours of individuals often unknown or 

 forgotten. This is so ; but it is exactly here that our duty 

 now intervenes. It is our duty certainly to continue our en- 

 quiries into the laws of nature ; but at this moment we have 



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