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POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



evils attach themselves to it sig-nifies 

 nothiug more than that human so- 

 ciety is as yet imperfect. 



THE SCIENTIFIC TEMPER AKD THE 

 NEED OF THE TIMES. 



A GOOD illustration of the true 

 scientific temper is furnished in 

 some extracts from the correspond- 

 ence of James Watt given by Prof. 

 T. E. Thorpe in the Watt memorial 

 lecture delivered by him not many 

 weeks ago. Watt and Cavendish, 

 toward the end of the last century, 

 had both been experimenting and 

 theorizing upon the composition of 

 water. A friend writing to Watt 

 gave him an extract from a paper 

 by Cavendish, and hinted, unjustly, 

 that the latter was making unac- 

 knowledged use of Watt's work. 

 The latter's reply was -worthy of a 

 true man of science : " On the slight 

 glance I have been able to give to 

 your extract of the paper, I think 

 his theory very different from mine; 

 which of the two is the right one I 

 can not say ; his is more likely to be 

 so, as he has made many more experi- 

 ments and consequently has more 

 facts to argue upon." Again the 

 great discoverer refers to his gen- 

 eral diffidence of character. "I am 

 diffident," he says, "because I am 

 seldom certain I am in the right, 

 and because I pay respect to the 

 opinions of others where I think 

 they may merit it." If Science was 

 always served in this spirit, she 

 would have no reason to complain 

 of her devotees, nor would there be 

 any justification for the opposition 

 which the latter, it must be allowed, 

 sometimes excite. 



What is princij^ally wanted in 

 the domain of scientific inquiry, as 

 everywhere else, is the sj^irit of 

 justice. That spirit will prevent a 

 man from appropriating without ac- 

 knowledgment the labors of others, 



and also from looking with disfavor 

 on the work of others because it 

 does not tend to support some theory 

 to which he is personally wedded. 

 Men worthy of the scientific calling 

 will recognize that truth is above 

 all, that it is a privilege and an 

 honor to be engaged in its service, 

 and that to make self-glorification 

 the chief end of one's labors is to be 

 unfaithful to the cause of truth and 

 to bring reproach on the profession 

 of science. The scientific world is 

 to be congratulated, upon the gen- 

 eral freedom from personal aims and 

 views which its representative men 

 display. The examjile of Darvv^in in 

 this respect was of inestimable value. 

 Here was a man engaged in work- 

 ing out a theory of the utmost im- 

 portance, and. after all abatements 

 are made, of the highest originality. 

 If any man could have been par- 

 doned for being insensible to the 

 objections raised to his theory, or 

 to the weight which might prop- 

 erly be claimed for the opposite 

 views of others, it was he. Yet no 

 man was ever more ready to have 

 his work criticised, no man ever 

 tried with more obvious sincerity 

 to place himself at the point of 

 view of his critics so that he might 

 see the full force of what they 

 had to urge. We hardly think we 

 are mistaken in believing that sci- 

 entific controversy has shown less 

 tendency to be acrimonious, and a 

 stronger tendency to be just and 

 generous, since the publication of 

 Darwin's Life and Letters. 



In these troublous times of con- 

 tending factions and international 

 jealousies, the very highest service 

 to society will be rendered by that 

 body of men, w'hoever tbey may be, 

 who shall most signally exhibit in 

 their words and conduct a love for 

 truth and a desire for justice; who 

 shall stand out most resolutely 

 against the shibboleths of party and 



